The Catchup

Coldplay’s Viva la Vida.

Sounds like a U2 song, no? Brian Eno makes that much of a difference. Thing is, I think it would be an even better U2 song than a Coldplay song. Whatever. Just had to get that off my chest.

Kimbo Slice & EliteXC

I’m still seething about that EliteXC debacle and the Shaw voodoo doll is out. As an MMA fan – it was a  poor showing. However, from an entertainment perspective, it seems to have been a hit. The show’s last 50 minutes grabbed 6+ million eyeballs drummed up by the Kimbo marketing machine. Great numbers for an MMA show and sadly about 3x better than the Wings vs Pens in any given 2008 Stanley Cup game.

Thing is would those people tune in again for another show? Did they like it? Did you see it? Did you like it?

Assuming that the vast majority of viewers had never seen an MMA fight before I’ll concede they might have come away with a positive opinion and were entertained. I can see that.

Does CBS tweak things next time around? Get rid of the dancers? Get rid of the 5 minute ring walk and fireworks for under-card fighters no one has heard of (in the broad mass entertainment sense)? Do they pimp Kimbo again and put him at the top of the card? Do the masses still think he’s an MMA badass? I’m sure we’ll see.

For an honest opinion about where Kimbo stands in the MMA pantheon right now, you don’t need to go farther than his trainer – Bas Rutten. Bas came on the Rear Naked Choke and basically said that he would not let Kimbo fight a top 10 or even a top 20 heavyweight because he’d get destroyed. Heck, I think Brock Lesnar is farther along than he is and would take him out. The truth is that Kimbo is very much a n00b in this sport and is getting treated with kid gloves from an opponent choice perspective (tomato can) that is in direct opposition to his popularity. Not sure how long he can sustain that popularity by just beating mediocre fighters. Anyways…

You can hear the interview here.

If your’re interested in the whole making weight issue, you can also listen to Rory Markham dish about Gina Carano not making weight.

If you happen to stumble upon this post and watched the EliteXC Kimbo Slice card – drop a comment and weigh in with what you thought and state if you’re new to MMA.

CrossFit Games

I’ve decided to compete in next year’s CrossFit Games. Given my age an training experience – I’d say a top 50% percentile finish is a good stretch goal. Ok, a big long-ass stretch goal. As far as I know, they’re still not doing weight classes or age groups for this year’s games, but I could see it happening as it gets more and more popular. That would help. I’d see age groups happening before weight classes. I could also see calorie count on the rowers going by the wayside for a power output to bodyweight figure. Thing is, I’ve decided to do it and that’s going to motivate me to kick-ass for the next 12 months.

Anyhoo, the guys that are the top contenders this year are just monsters. Josh Everett, OPT, AFT, Speal and co. are going to be there but throw in the likes of John Welbourn and Matt Murski and… it’s just a crazy mix of elite level athletes. The female side of things looks equally stacked but 2007 Champ Jolie Gentry seems to have the edge still.

The prize? Bragging rights + $1500 bucks for first place and another 2K in prizes for other placements and what have yous. It’s not about the coin, it’s for the love of the pain.