ESPN's list of the best players in the NBA

By Will Shung

Right off the bat: this is not a good one.  Sure there is currently no season in sight, but that won't stop these ridiculous lists from coming out.  Without any further adieu or nonsense, here is their opinion of the top 10 best players in the NBA right now.  The full list can be seen at the ESPN website. 

1. Lebron James
2. Dwight Howard
3. Dwyane Wade
4. Chris Paul
5. Dirk Nowitzki
6. Kevin Durant
7. Kobe Bryant
8. Derrick Rose
9. Deron Williams
10. Blake Griffin

Immediately, even a casual basketball fan can point out three things wrong with this list: Why is Kobe at 6, why is Derrick Rose at 8, and why is Blake Griffin on it at all?

For the most part, I would say eight of the ten names on this list at least deserve to be on the list.  The two who don't (but maybe one of these days) are Deron Williams and Blake Griffin.  Williams, who will forever be know as the guy who single-handedly put an end to the Jerry Sloan era of textbook and successful basketball in Utah, should not be on here, but wouldn't be too far back; I'd put in in the middle of the pack of the next best ten.  But Blake Griffin?  The guy who has no jump shot, no footwork inside, no basketball IQ, and is essentially a walking one-man dunk contest comes in at 10?  He'd be lucky to make my top 25!  What is it about Griffin that makes him worthy of rubbing shoulders with the likes of former league MVP's and future Hall-of-Famers?  Nothing!

As I study this list there are clearly a couple of key omissions as well.  For instance, where is Kevin Love?  The guy averaged 20.2 PPG and 15.2 RPG and not to mention he's Mr. 30/30.  Sure, the Timberwolves tanked last season, but how well did Blake Griffin's Clippers do?  Where is Zach Randolph?  That man put through 20.1 PPG and  grabbed 12.2 RPG last season, and not to mention he led the underdog Grizzlies past the heavily favored Spurs past the first round of the playoffs; finishing them off in six games no less.  And what the hell happened to Carmelo Anthony?  26.0 PPG (which was good for fifth best in the league) and the man who was the most sought after talent before the trade deadline last season doesn't even get a nod in the top ten?  What kind of list is this?

Along with the key omissions is the ridiculous placing of certain players.  I can respect the top three (to a certain extent), but why is our reigning MVP Derrick Rose sitting in the eight spot, just a little better than Deron Williams who was not even close to MVP talks last season?  Why is Kobe, who would still make most people's list as number one, at number seven?  And then there's the issue with Chris Paul.  Paul has been good for a long time now, but has he been consistently great to be worthy of a spot in the top five?  I understand it was only four years ago that Paul had a breakout year in New Orleans and led the Hornets to the second best record in the Western Conference, but what has he done with them lately?  Sure, you can attribute Paul's shortcomings to key player injuries and departures throughout the last couple of seasons, but did anybody take a look at what Derrick Rose had to work with in Chicago last season?

I can understand these lists are highly subjective, and the criteria they use in which they rank these players could be anybody's guess, but if you're going to try to rock the boat a little and perhaps come out with a list that would surprise some people, at least give it some merit still; have it make sense.  This list makes it seem as if the staff at ESPN (who clearly have nothing better to do these days) simply took the names of presumably the thirty to forty best players in the league today, threw them in a hat, and drew them out in ascending order, and some how they still ended with the right number one in Lebron James.

Here is my take on the real top 10 of the NBA as of right now:

1. Dwight Howard
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Lebron James
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Derrick Rose
6. Kevin Durant
7. Dirk Nowitzki
8. Kevin Love
9. Carmelo Anthony
10. Zach Randolph

Anybody who has a problem with that can sound off on the comments below.  One.

The Tribute

By Jeremy Johnson

We all know athletes are a superstitious bunch.  The stories range from hockey players who always put on a certain skate before the other to baseball players who will not wash through the duration of a hitting streak.  But when does an action move from superstition to involuntary compulsion?  Recently, there has been an epidemic that has ravaged professional and even amateur sports: the tribute.  One cannot watch any North American sporting event for more than a few minutes without witnessing one of these public displays.  Yet what once was the picture of some of the most enduring and iconic moments in sports and even social history has now become a watered down exhibition of meaninglessness, as athletes are compelled to make a public tribute at every turn.

Once-upon-a-time, the tribute was reserved for only the most brazen of individuals in the most heated of emotional or social contexts.  Take for example the 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City.  Tommy Smith, upon winning the 200 meter in record time provided the world with a tribute that would mark itself into the history of the games forever.  In the midst of racial unrest at home in the United States, the sprinter made a gesture that he would later claim was to raise awareness of human rights.  By lifting his hand in a fist into the air while “The Star Spangled Banner” serenaded his victory, Smith made such a powerful statement that he was actually booed off of the field.  What cannot be missed in this act was the amount of courage it took for him to do what he did.  He knew the consequences and he understood the massive tension.  Smith would explain, “if I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight.”  Of course, the issue was so palpable, so acute, that both sides of the fence “understood” what he did that night.  The immediacy of interpretation by society at large is part of what made this act so powerful.

Less than a year later, another enduring image was captured into the imaginations and memories of all North American sports fans.  Leading up to Superbowl III, the NFL’s Baltimore Colts were seen as heavy favorites against the AFL’s New York Jets.  Of course, this didn’t deter the brash young Jets quarterback, Joe Namath from making what would be known as, “the guarantee.”  In the face of long odds and little support from the experts, Namath declared that his Jets would in fact defeat the Colts in the penultimate game of the 1968-69 season.  Of course, Namath endured much criticism and scoffing at the absurdity of his proclamation, but sure enough, when the dust settled on January 12th, the Jets pulled off the improbable and what many deemed impossible.  As he ran off of the field, Namath provided history with another timeless tribute: a single index finger waving in the air.  That one simple act carried with it so much more potency than a press conference full of I-told-you-so’s ever could.  Why was it so powerful?  First, again, it took a brash man to make the guarantee and just as brash of a man to publicly raise that finger.  Second, it took a widely understood context, this time everyone who saw that image, everyone who saw Namath raise that finger knew exactly what he meant—there was no doubt.  Just as much as that index finger was a reminder of who was number one, who had just been crowned champions, it might as well have been a middle finger to all of the naysayers.

Of course, with anything great eventually comes great misuse.  As the spotlight shone, so did the wild imaginations of every millionaire athlete.  The tribute eventually evolved into something far less quickly understood, not reserved for the brazen and the brash and certainly not the powerful symbol that it once was.  No, the tribute became personal.  Take the NBA free-throw routine.  Before every free-throw, Jeff Hornacek could be seen itching, or wiping his face.  Of course, to the average fan this looked like nothing more than a simple brushing of sweat.  But to Hornacek it meant much more.  Hornacek used this face time as a way to give a tribute to his kids.  Certainly this seems like quite a break from the tributes that we have already discussed: there was no big moment (it could be in the third quarter of a blowout), there was no brash character (Hornacek was the antithesis of brash) and there definitely was no immediately understood context in which the action spoke immediately to the masses of sports fans and even society at large.   

A quick look at the evolution of the tribute since Hornacek’s playing days demonstrates just how personal, distant and meaningless the tribute has become.  Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa were two players who led the MLB through the shadows of a lock-out hitting bomb after bomb.  Of course, many look at the rise of Bonds’ home run totals as a reaction to the massive press that Sosa was attracting with his own home run duel with Mark McGuire.  Sosa had one of the longest tributes in sports history, going lips-heart-peace sign-heart-lips-point to the sky every time he hit another dinger.  According to Sosa the various pieces of the act represented tributes to his mother, the fans, broadcasters and others.  Of course, it would be difficult to know this without having the man explain it and even he seemed to have different explanations throughout his career for what every part of the complex routine meant.  Perhaps Bonds also picked up on Sosa’s elaborate gesturing as he made the tribute an important feature of his run to becoming the all-time home run king.  But in contrast to Harnacek’s example, at least these players had some sort of wider context for their actions.  Sure, their actual tributes held very little significance for the average viewer, but they were consistently preformed at the moment of fairly high significance, by some of the games preeminent players.

Today, we have moved into a time of tributes that seems to have very little relevance to anything substantial at all.  It would seem to the average fan that a player without a tribute would stand out in the crowd.  He would be the exception, not the rule.  The tribute has become a necessary part of North American sports and is now called upon by the most uninspiring of players in the most unimportant of situations and without any sort of social context for anyone other than the player himself to understand.  It is even probable that many players perform tributes out of sheer instinct and don’t even consciously connect the action to anything at all.  It is not out of the ordinary to witness a baseball player deep down the bench kiss his fingers before raising them to the air upon beating out a slow roller that broke his bat in the late innings of an already decided game while his team languishes out of the playoffs.  It is also possible, that the typical North American sports figure, with his privileged lifestyle, unimaginable wealth and massive fame lives in a world of overestimated self-importance: he doesn’t realize that society at large doesn’t understand his every motive and frankly doesn’t care to do so.  When I do my job at work and I finish a task, I certainly don’t think to make a sudden public tribute in honor of a relative at home or all those who helped me along the way.  Just because people are watching doesn’t mean they care about you.  

Of course, the proliferation of mass tributes and this critique on the subject is in no way a judgment of an athlete’s particular convictions, but rather this critique is a defense of the powerful, transcendent image.  It is a plea to put an end to the watering down of the great metaphorical tribute, something whose power seems to be drowning in the pool of these constantly confusing and generally meaningless acts.  Is it possible that as a sporting society we could all agree to save the tribute for a time when only the most brazen of athletes in the most significant of moments can instantly speak a thousand volumes to a million viewers, sports fans and greater society without saying a single word?  If not, consider this my shout-out to the now deceased tribute as I kiss my fist and point to the sky.

Buffalo Bills (Week 3)

By Will Shung

If the Bills aren't in the top 5 of your current NFL season power rankings, they should be by now.  On Sunday they accomplished something nearly nobody would have predicted could happen (and has not happened since 2003); they beat the New England Patriots.  Going into this Week 3, however, this was probably the biggest match-up on paper considering both teams were still undefeated at 2-0.  But while the Patriots' undefeated record in this early part of the season is never a surprise anymore, the Bills' is. 

To be fair, this was more a game of Tom Brady mistakes than it was of Bills stellar play.  Brady threw for four picks in this game.  Four.  However, he still managed to throw for 387 yards and four touchdowns.  I don't know what to call that kind of performance.  Maybe...no, I just don't know.  But the Patriots defense is to share the blame as well, and in particular their passing defense.  Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 369 yards himself and four Bills receivers caught for more than 80 yards.  

Despite Brady getting off to the best statistical start in NFL history by throwing for about roughly a million yards by now, his team's record is 2-1!  Not bad, but this last loss was at the hands of a team who, despite coming into Week 3 was also undefeated, was ranked no higher than middle of the NFL heap on most respected NFL power rankings.  The Bills were, in most cases, the lowest ranked undefeated team.  Statement game or not, fluke or legitimate, the Bills have got to be considered amongst the leagues elite after this week.  Would somebody please put this team in the top 5 now please?  Thank you.

The Vancouver Whitecaps

By Sean Cruz

Entry into the MLS was the dream for the Vancouver Whitecaps for many years, and at the start of the season the club had lofty aspirations.  Club President Bob Lenarduzzi announced the goals of the club included making the MLS playoffs and winning the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. 

After the first game you could believe the hype. A dramatic 4-2 victory against Canadian rivals Toronto FC, a brilliant display of attacking football and a crowd to rival any in the MLS.

Then the wheels fell off.  Winless in their next 11 games with 6 losses and 5 draws, the front office decided to axe popular Icelandic coach Teitur Thordarson in favour of Tommy Soehn, who was the team's director of soccer development.  While Soehn did provide a home win within his first few games in charge, things have not gone well for the Whitecaps as a whole.

The past few months have highlighted the hilarity in which the team manages to lose or draw games and the way the front office has acted this season.  Lenarduzzi has been forced to concede that mistakes were made and that things did not go to plan this season.

Roster decisions have been head scratching as well.  French Defender Mouloud Akloul was released soon after scoring the deciding goal against Montreal in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship semi-final, a decision made while Captain and US international Jay DeMerit was still on the shelf with a long term groin injury.  Canadian defender Kevin Harmse barely got to show his worth and was released.

One of the more shocking issues though was the treatment of hometown boy Terry Dunfield.  One of the co-captains of the team and a favourite of Teitur Thordarson, the coaching change came while Dunfield was on international duty.  It was clear that when he came back to the team, there was a personality conflict between him and Soehn, and Dunfield didn't help matters when his poor penalty kick against the Columbus Crew was stopped; a goal that would have tied the game.

The real kick to Dunfield though was trading him to Toronto FC a week before the Whitecaps were scheduled to face his former team Manchester City in a friendly, a game surely made in part due to Dunfield's former association with the team.  I remember overhearing a conversation during a promotional event for the match in which players for both teams were discussing the Dunfield situation, with the Whitecaps players saying it was bullshit the way Terry was treated at the end of his time here in Vancouver.

Dunfield has barely gotten a game for Toronto but is still selected regularly for the Canadian National Team.  The Whitecaps got allocation money in return, something they needed due to the fact they spent most of their original allotment on left back Jordan Harvey, when they already had a more than capable left back in Alain Rochat, whom Tommy Dreamer (Soehn), as some of the Whitecaps faithful call him, has now put into the center of defense.  The Caps also got the rights to 17 year old Canadian Kevin Aleman, who by all accounts will never play for the Whitecaps unless it’s his final option.  Good trade there, guys.

The Whitecaps identified that they did not have enough attacking depth, due partly to the fact that they've mismanaged their attacking options.  While both Eric Hassli (10 goals) and Camilo (8) are in the top 10 in MLS  scoring, the drop off after that is dramatic.  Atiba Harris is tied for 3rd in team scoring with 2 goals in only 5 games, with the Whitecaps seriously mismanaging his knee injury, opting for rehabbing the knee which did not go well before finally opting for full surgery 4 months after the injury occurred.  While he is starting to train again the team could have had him back a lot sooner and perhaps the goals would have been more plentiful.  Young Omar Salgado, who has freely admitted that he has a tough time gelling with his team mates, has one goal, while Chinese striker Long Tan leads the reserve team with goals, and recently contributed to Shae Salinas' winner against the Houston Dynamo.

Salgado's troubles coming up in a minute, but the lack of attacking options forced the front office to make waves once again, bringing in the MLS' first African Designated Player in Gambian striker Mustapha Jarju. Or at least that's what he was presented as.  Although his strike rate in Belgian League 2 isn't bad, 43 goals in 118 appearances, His role is more that of a midfielder than a striker - a position he plays regularly for his national team – Jarju has simply looked lost so far this season.  Soehn and the whitecaps countered that when they signed him he wasn't match fit due to the European season ending, and also that the team hasn't really had him for a long period of time due to his national team commitments.  Jarju has refused to talk to the media recently and may be second guessing his decision to sign with the Whitecaps rather than stay with his team RAEC Mons, which he had helped win promotion to the Belgian First Division Juliper Pro League.  Some fans though are willing to give him till next season to prove his worth.

This brings us back to the clubs treatment of Omar Salgado  Originally, due to FIFA regulations, Omar would have been unable to join the team for 1st team action until September 10th, due to international transfer regulations for under age players.  The Whitecaps countered that the MLS was a multi-country league and FIFA relented, letting the Whitecaps make use of the 1st overall draft pick in the MLS Super Draft.  In hindsight, letting Salgado stay with the U.S. U-18 team for the summer would have been better for his development than regularly taking verbal (and occasionally physical) punishment from his elder teammates.  To his detriment though, he does have a tendency to go down under contact and regularly complains about calls.

Recent roster decisions have had calamitous effects on the Whitecaps psyche.  Soehn axed popular right back Wes Knight, who at the beginning of the season was Teitur's choice as the starting right back.  Soehn, then inexplicably started midfielder John Thorrington at right back in the game against New York, a decision which would come back and bite him as it was Thorrington who let his mark, one Juan Agudelo, slip by him and latch on to a long ball to tie the game at 1.  Note that during the two team's previous encounter, also a draw, it was none other than Wes Knight who man-marked Agudelo into oblivion.  Again, that game happened to be Thordarson's last game in charge. Soehn has other natural right backs in Bilal Duckett and Jonathan Leathers, but has preferred Thorrington and fellow midfielder Jeb Brovsky on the right of defense. The New York game was also notable for another reason. Captain Jay DeMerit said it best with a tweet after the game: "1-0. Up a man. Game needs to be finished off. Period. #frustrationfrustration".

Of course, realising their mistake in getting rid of 2 defenders earlier in the season the Caps added Trinidad and Tobago international defender Carlyle Mitchell, pending an international transfer certificate.  Mitchell, who is listed as a center back, will no doubt try and be shoehorned into the right back slot once his papers come through.  The Caps could have used him for the game against the LA Galaxy since the Whitecaps’ defenders failed to heed their own advice on staying tight on LA attackers, letting them score on 2 free headers on the way to a 3-0 defeat.

While we're at it ripping on the team there was also the whole debacle with the temporary grass surface installed in advance of the Manchester City friendly – a game that was already sandwiched between a Saturday and a Wednesday game.  The temporary surface was installed before Saturday's game against Real Salt Lake, a game that ultimately was delayed due to rain making the surface unplayable.  During the Manchester City game, you could see players replacing clumps of grass during play, and the surface no doubt contributed to City striker Yaya Toure's ankle injury (Toure did recover though in time to start the Premier League season).  The regular turf would have handled the rain fine, but because of the decision to play the friendly 2 days after a league game, the match was rescheduled to be played at Bell Pitch Downtown on October 6th.  Only problem with that is it’s also the night of the Vancouver Canucks season opener which is across the street at GM Place.  Can you say gridlock?  And I wonder which game is going to draw the bigger crowd.

The other oddity this season was the announcement of a new head coach to take place of Tommy Soehn for the 2012 season.  NASL Carolina Railhawks coach Martin Rennie was introduced as the Whitecaps new coach for next season, a move that most would agree is a step in the right direction, the fact that it was announced in the middle of the current season left members of the media scratching their heads.  General consensus though was that the Caps secured Rennie before the Montreal Impact (who will join the MLS next year) could get their hands on him.  While Rennie's pedigree in the lower divisions in the US are impressive, finishing no worse than 2nd in his 6 seasons as head coach, it remains to be seen whether he can replicate his success at the MLS level.

There are some silver linings, however, as the Whitecaps wrap up their season.  Firstly, they are moving into the renovated Bell Pitch Downtown.  This might motivate the players to play better knowing they are playing in an actual stadium now with an actual locker room instead of the converted portable they've been using at Empire Field.  Secondly, the season is almost over.  If you think its depressing being a fan of the Whitecaps this season, think how much worse it has been for me to cover the team on a daily basis.  The players themselves have talked about how hard it has been to stay motivated when the team is constantly losing.  Last, but not least, they will start next season with a new coach in Martin Rennie.  Whether Rennie will, or will be allowed to, clean house as he did when he joined Carolina remains to be seen, as MLS player contracts are structured differently.  Tommy Soehn will remain with the team as Director of Soccer Development and will be loathe to let players he recruited to this team go so easily.  Lastly, you have players such as Eric Hassli who bleed white and blue – a guy who truly gives it his all for the full 90 minutes and sincerely wants to be here.  The ‘Caps just have to find more of those guys and put them in the right combinations.

Mayweather Vs. Ortiz Recap

By Will Shung

There was only one world that came to mind and can be attached to the fight at the end of the night: unfortunate.

It was unfortunate that Victor Ortiz had to try to accidentally throw an intentional head butt to gain an advantage in the fight.  It was unfortunate that Ortiz's lack of big fight experience and overly sportsmanlike conduct ultimately lead to his demise.  It was extremely unfortunate that Floyd Mayweather took advantage of a perfectly fair situation to win the fight.  But most of all, it was unfortunate that the fight was decided by an act of opportunism rather than fair play.

For three and a half rounds boxing fans were treated to a truly great fight.  Mayweather/Ortiz had the making of an instant classic (and in some ways it still ended up being that).  For the first time, Mayweather seemed he was being out-boxed not by the opponents skill, but by his age.  Mayweather, who could as well be in the latter stage of his prime, fought a dangerous young man ten years his junior and was a decorated champion in his own right.  Despite what most would have considered disadvantages for Floyd, Floyd was still Floyd.  He was accurate, fast, and cocky as usual.  Ortiz at no point in the fight looked like he was more experienced than Mayweather, but he did look like he was hungrier.  Ortiz fought like there was no tomorrow.  He got us interested through the HBO 24/7 episodes by sharing with us his tough upbringing and hard life, but won us over as fans when the bell rang, let his hands go, and went after one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world as if he was fighting for his life.

Victor Ortiz brought it on Saturday night.  He didn't quite bring a technically sound arsenal or any big-fight experience, but he did bring a ton of heart.  It was just too bad that it didn't mean anything at the end.

Midway through the fourth round we saw a flurry of punches from Ortiz that landed and (from the looks of it) at least stunned Mayweather a little.  Mayweather weathered the storm quite well, but before Ortiz withdrew from his combinations and regrouped for the next step of strategically dismantling Mayweather, he decided to lunge forward and connect on Mayweather's chin with a head butt.  Yeah.  It was no "unintentional" butt either; it was flagrant.  Clearly the overwhelming situation of actually having Mayweather on the ropes for a moment was too much for Ortiz to handle that he felt, in order to hammer home the victory, he must commit an illegal act to gain enough of an advantage that will nurse him to the finish line victorious.  That, obviously, was the wrong idea.  An intentional head butt straight into Mayweather's chin is clearly illegal.  But Ortiz committed it anyways and it was so blatant that referee Joe Cortez had to stop the fight momentarily to deal out the proper discipline and penalties on the scorecards.  While he was doing this, however, Ortiz was being overly apologetic about his own actions.  He instantly corralled Mayweather and even gave him a kiss on the head to try to make good.  Floyd didn't really look too fazed by the butt anyways (it only left a small cut on his chin) so let's get ready to keep boxing right?  At this point the fight got incredibly interesting.  We saw for the first time an incredibly vulnerable Mayweather, and a truly legitimate and worthy opponent in Ortiz.  But before the fight can go down as an instant classic and on it's way to becoming one of the best in boxing history, Floyd Mayweather decides he's not having any of the dirty play from Ortiz.  So, with referee Cortez's head slightly turned away to give the instructions ringside regarding the point deductions, Ortiz was still adamant on making nice with Mayweather.  The coast was clear for more boxing already, but Ortiz didn't think the fight was back in progress yet.  And as referee Cortez was still looking to the judges,  Mayweather threw a combo - a baby left hook that served as retaliation for the butt, and also as a wake-up call to Ortiz to let him know the fight was back on.  The hook stunned Ortiz, but for some reason, instead of actually bringing his hands back up to defend himself, he decided to turn to the referee with a look of "did you just see that?"  Clearly Cortez did not.  Mayweather, on the other hand, realized Ortiz still had his guard down so, at that point, he only did what he was supposed to do as a prize fighter: punch the guy.  Mayweather delivered a straight right that landed right on the button with no resistance from Ortiz and that dropped him to the mat like a ton of bricks.  Cortez only partially saw the second punch, but regardless of what most people at the MGM Grand Arena and watching at home on pay-per-view immediately considered to be a cheap shot or sucker punch, it was technically a legal one.  Cortez began the count on Ortiz, and seconds later Mayweather got his 42nd win and still remained undefeated.  That was the fight.

There were so many things wrong with the bout I don't know where to begin.  Most of those things were moral and ethical issues, but some technical as well.  I understand Ortiz felt bad about the head butt, but he apologized for it, gave Mayweather a kiss, and that should have been that.  After the kiss on Mayweather's head, Ortiz should have got back into his corner, got his guard up, and concentrated on knocking the fuck out of Mayweather.  Referee Cortez should have been between the two fighters when he was dealing out disciplinary action and deducting points.  He was not, however, and it was literally a split second of non-attention from the ref that allowed Mayweather to pounce and take advantage.  And then of course there's Mayweather himself.  As HBO commentator Jim Lampley said best, there is no reason why a prize fighter, like Floyd Mayweather, should resort to opportunistic tactics in order to gain an advantage in the fight; especially when Mayweather carries the reputation of successfully and legally defeating all forty-one of his previous opponents.  But the wrong didn't stop there.  When Mayweather gave his customary post match interview in the ring with legendary boxing analyst and commentator Larry Merchant, he said a few things that he probably should not have said.  Blatantly attempting to avoid any questions about "the sucker punch", Floyd very soon got agitated by Merchant and went on a tirade about how Merchant never gave him a fair shake and called him a "piece of shit".  Along with that, he also made some derogotive comments about HBO - the company that has co-produced and promoted every Mayweather Productions fight.  I think it's clear to say Floyd lost a very good business partner last night, not to mention fans of him, and of boxing in general.

Mayweather did play within the rules on the night of September 17th.  He legally knocked Ortiz out, but most people made up their minds immediately after the fight that Floyd committed a dirty play.  But, as the rules of boxing clearly emphasize, a fighter must protect themselves at all times.  Ortiz wasn't protecting himself at all when he got hit.  And if you are going to simply stand there with your guard down, time in, and the ref allowing for action to continue, you're practically giving up the fight.  I mean, how much longer was Floyd supposed to wait for the kissing and making-up to finish?

With the events that transpired Saturday night, Mayweather has successfully killed any further interest in a potential mega fight between himself and Manny Pacquiao.  Mayweather hasn't completely tarnished his legacy, but his reputation has taken a huge hit.  With his offensive comments to Larry Merchant and HBO, it's questionable whether or not he'll have the giant broadcasting company to continue promoting his future fights.  And with every fight that is not a Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao fight, boxing fans get a little more frustrated, and by now probably offended.  Floyd Mayweather Vs. Manny Pacquiao was supposed to be the fight of this century.  After the events of last night, and with Pacquiao scheduled to fight Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time in November, there is really no point any more.