The unique perspective and provocative opinions of Joe O’Neill
Sports Shorts
Here’s an interesting—and ironic—perspective on the Rays unorthodox pitching “The Rays willingness to throw traditional baseball methodology out the window has made them one of the most compelling teams to watch.” That was Tyler Lauletta, speaking for the Business Insider. Obviously, he wasn’t speaking for the Rays hometown fans, who don’t find the Rays break with traditional starting pitching compelling enough to watch in person.
The other night on “ESPN Classics” I saw the 1990 Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas fight. Tyson was still a 42-1 favorite and still got knocked out. Later, while channel-surfing, I came across something on ESPN that was more reflective of our times: UFC—or Ultimate Fighting Championship. It’s an American mixed martial arts organization based in Las Vegas. It has 12 divisions and minimal rules. About as many, seemingly, as a bar room brawl. Being confined to a cage seemed appropriate. It also made old school boxing–including Mike Tyson’s pummeling by Buster Mathis–look downright civilized and like an actual “sport.”