Morning Walk-thru - We're a contender now

Mas Boxeo, Por Favor...I didn't get to watch any of the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight because boxing still refuses to operate like an actual sport, making people pony up $54.99 to see the fight that was supposed to save boxing. If you want to to be more relevant than WWE how about putting your product where people can see it? In other words, on television for free.

I did see the highlights, however, and the first thing I noticed was Mayweather's trunks. The red, white, and green motif was nice little jab below the belt at De La Hoya's Mexican heritage. But that was just the tip of the iceberg.

After talking with a friend who bought the fight and searching for a bit of evidence, Mayweather's entrance was precisely why I love boxing. He entered in the get-up pictured to the right, complete with sombrero and 50 Cent rapping, live, in a similarly colored bullet-proof vest.

Is there any greater spectacle in the world than boxing? It's absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible. Watch for yourself:



Now that's an exacta...I was already convinced that you couldn't have asked for a better sports weekend than this one just past. Horse racing and boxing? It felt like it was 1954 again which is pretty much my hope for any day of the year.

But then I began to wonder, if you're a celebrity, which event would you choose? The Derby is the Derby. Can't be beat but it happens every year at precisely the same time in precisely the same way. But fight night in Vegas is supposedly unparalleled. Additionally, with the late start for the fight, you're still in Vegas and could lose your house on the Derby before the undercard for De La Hoya-Mayweather even started. This wasn't such a difficult choice after all.

Of course, being rich and famous has its privileges. Primarily, you don't have to make tough choices. Why not do both?

Michael Jordan did. Here he is at the Derby. (Pay close attention to Charles Oakley in the background. He's wearing a lime green linen suit and white fedora that would make even Andre 3000 proud. Rarely has an enforcer looked so dapper, and I love that that's still his role. Jordan's right hand man. Could there be a better job?) And here's Jordan, in the same jacket, at the fight hanging with Jack Nicholson.

How much would you have paid to be on that flight from Lexington to Las Vegas, just having watched the Derby and knowing your day of debauchery had barely started? Talk about fantasy camp, that's mine.

Do you think Jenny McCarthy (Derby, fight) was along for the ride?

Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey in May...In case you missed it, the Cubs are undefeated in May after sweeping the Nationals with a come from behind, extra innings win yesterday.

It was the Cubs first sweep of the season, their first win in extras and their first win when trailing after the 8th.

Alfonso Soriano extended his hitting streak to 15-games while Derrek Lee has hit safely in 14-straight and reached base in every single game this season.

You gotta love the NL Central. Where else can you go from last to second (at 15-14 no less) in the length of a week?

You're probably saying hold on, it was only the Nationals, you're supposed to sweep them. That's precisely the point. You are supposed to beat the Nationals at home and the Cubs did, but simply doing what you're expected to do is so often a challenge for Chicago.

They seem to be doing that...for now.

I'm from Nebraska. I believe this says it all...

Ever since seeing Rocky Balboa over the holidays, I've been extraordinarily interested in professional boxing. I've purchased Castillo-Corrales on iTunes (watch the immortal 10th Round here), made a point of tuning in to some random little fight from a gym in Philly on Versus, and watched a special on Tyson-Lewis via Comcast On Demand.

These little pockets of extreme interest aren't unusual for me, I generally have a new one every few months. Some stick, others don't and it's too early to tell if boxing will actually become an interest and not an infatuation. But right now the idea that a sport still exists where the ultimate goal is to punch your opponent hard enough and often enough that his brain rattles around a bit and the body essentially shuts itself down (i.e. a knockout) is entirely fascinating.

But it's not just the air of nostalgia that wafts around boxing that has me interested, it's also the characters. An entourage is always interesting (See: The Source Awards, Allen Iverson), but these guys have handlers, an entourage with specficially assigned roles. Give them the spotlight and the music of their choice for the pre-fight walk to the ring and forget the Derby, that's the most exciting two minutes in sports.

But what does this have to do with being from Nebraska? Well, should I ever have the opportunity to make such a walk, I just found my entrance music.

Thanks to my mole back in Hastings--home of Kool-Aid, Tom Osborne and me during college--the video below turned up in my inbox. It's from Ginger ten Bensel, part-time country singer and full-time news anchor for the local NBC affiliate.

Why this song? Just watch and listen, it really does say it all. Excuse me while I grab my hooded satin robe...