Kan Jam League

If you haven't heard we have started our summer Kan Jam league. Contact me or go to http://mattmclear.com/Kan_Jam.html for details, standings and results.

Thirsty Thursday

Just another lovely day in Northern New York. Supposed to get 8-12'' of snow followed by a couple of days of below zero temps. This after it was just 53 two days ago. Gotta love it.
Let's see what's new in the baseball world for today. Jose Contreras signed with the Phillie's for 1 year 1.5 million. Damon is still looking for a home. There was talk of him going to the Reds but then there was talk after that saying no go on the Reds. Who knows where he will end up. I will put money on it that he will not be on my team, the Pirates and I am glad of that. Let's see another report came in that Brandon Webb wants to test the FA market. John Smoltz might go with the Pedro philosophy and try to sign on with a team mid-year if the Met's do not make the 2 year old their 5th starter. Why couldn't my father be trying to play major league baseball at that age. Dodgers are showing some interest in Garrett Anderson for some reason. Rangers who have made some moves this off season are showing a fringe interest in Melvin Mora. Several team's are showing interest in Hisanori Takahashi (sorry if i spelled it wrong i am not great with foreign name spelling, and well spelling all together) The reported team's showing interest are Orioles, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Giants. Red Sox might as well since they already have translators there for some of their players. So if you are a Met fan would you rather have your team go after the 35 year old lefty from over sea's or the 42 year old Smoltz? Back to Phillie's news Lidge and Romero begin throwing. I read that so I am making you read it. Jamie Moyer says he will be ready for the first week. Redding signs with the Rockies and Winn signs with the Yankees. I am not that happy with Winn signing with the Yankees because he was always my go to FA snag in fantasy when I had someone go down. Now as a Yankee he won't be worth much because his playing time won't be very high i don't think.

Well have a wonderful Thirsty Thursday, I know I will.

Happy Hump Day

I know it's been awhile but believe it or not I've been a busy man. So if anyone out there is still checking this (which i don't think people did to begin with) I am talking to you. Of course I have been putting more time into www.mattmclear.com so feel free to check that out as well. If you are wondering there is not a lot new in my life since my last post. I am still fixing printers and wondering what I did in life to deserve such a wonderful job. (take it as you will sincerity or sarcasm) I hate the winter because of my lack of winter activities. I can't skate, snowboard, ski, snowmobile. So that leaves me with drinkings, video games, and gambling. In my spare time I have been trying to invent something to get me out of working for the rest of my life. As you can see in my comments above I have been very unsuccessful. My new idea in life was to try and make a successful app for the Iphone and Itouches. Did a little bit of reading and it seems a lot more difficult then I had imagined. So if there is any whizzes out there that can help me create an awesome app that can pay me a lot per week so i don't have to work I will definitely hook you up with some money for creating it. anyways...

A lot is going on with the world these days. Haiti had not only 1 crippling earthquake but had another one today. It is awful what that place is going through but it is nice to see so many people throughout the world donating time, money, and whatever else they can to help. I saw on the news of all these foster kids that were lucky enough to be sent over here and most were given a home. Unfortunately i have also seen on the news of several people that were not lucky enough to make it out and are either deceased or having to deal with dangerous people. The only question I ask is with so many problems in our country, our state, our community why are we giving so much to them when we could be helping people here? I know I may come across as an asshole but I mean there is a lot we can do here as well. Just something to think about.

The city of Ogdensburg was doing well with NHL player Jimmy Howard playing for the Detroit Red Wings and that other guy that is from here and has his own TV show. A lady here slept with Tiger Woods too? Life was good until the Governor came out yesterday and said it was planning on cutting 200+ jobs and closing a medium prison. The "city" of Ogdensburg is hurting enough and taking away that could really hurt. Throw in the fact that the bridge to Canada that brings in a lot of business is in desperate need of repairs. If the prison and the bridge go away for any time being that would crush that small city. But don't worry I'm sure several people will sign up for a petition on Facebook to help support it, what that actually does? I don't know.

Well pitchers and catchers report in less than a month and I'm turning a quarter century a little before that. Yeah that's about all I have to look forward to in the near future. So go on out to Doug's for some chicken wings it's wing night, and have a happy hump day. Remember don't be a fool, wrap your tool.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY

Haven't been in the blog scene lately haven't really had a lot to say or blog about I suppose. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great. LETS GO STEELERS

Still Alive

Have been really busy with weddings, softball, golf and enjoying summer. Once it starts to turn cold and I am stuck inside more posts to come.

UNC ALL THE WAY?

Here is a link from ESPN about the games last night. Go Tarheels.
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/scoreboard

Ode To Chuck Wepner

If it wasn't for this man I would have never been able to enjoy all the Rocky movies, and either would you.

Chuck Wepner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chuck Wepner
Statistics
Real name Charles Wepner
Nickname(s) The Bayonne Brawler a.k.a The Bayonne Bleeder
Rated at Heavyweight
Nationality US American
Birth date February 26, 1939 (1939-02-26) (age 70)
Birth place New York City, New York, U.S.
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 51
Wins 35
Wins by KO 17
Losses 14
Draws 2
Chuck Wepner (born February 26, 1939) is a former heavyweight boxer from Bayonne, New Jersey.[1][2] As an obscure boxer who went 15 rounds with world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 fight, Wepner has often been credited as the inspiration for Rocky Balboa.

Early career
Wepner, nicknamed "The Bayonne Bleeder," debuted as a professional boxer in 1964 and began posting many wins and some losses. He had formerly boxed while a member of the United States Marine Corps, and had worked as a security guard before turning pro.[3][4] He was the New Jersey State Heavyweight Boxing Champion and popular fighter in the Northeast's Club Boxing circuit. But after losing fights to George Foreman (by knockout in three) and Sonny Liston (by knockout in ten) many boxing fans thought that his days as a contender were numbered. After the fight with Liston, Wepner needed over 120 sutures in his face. He also lost a fight to Jose King Roman by a decision in Puerto Rico.

However, after losing to Joe Bugner by a knockout in three in England, Wepner won nine of his next eleven fights, including victories over Charlie Polite and former WBA Heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell.


Muhammad Ali fight
Then, in 1975, it was announced Wepner would challenge Muhammad Ali for the world's Heavyweight title. According to Time magazine ("In Stitches"), Ali was guaranteed $1.5 million and Wepner signed for $100,000.[citation needed] This was considerably more than Wepner had ever earned and therefore did not need any coaxing. Wepner spent eight weeks near the Catskill Mountains under the guidance of Al Braverman (manager) and Bill Prezant (trainer and noted cutman). Prezant prophesied that the fight would be a big surprise. This bout was the first time he had been able to train full time.[5] The fight was held on March 24 at the Richfield Coliseum, near Cleveland. Before the fight, a reporter asked Wepner if he thought he could survive in the ring with the champion, to which Wepner allegedly answered

“ I've been a survivor my whole life...if I survived the Marines, I can survive Ali. ”


The bout was promoted again by Don King who promised Ali the astonishing sum of $1.5 million. King was now firmly associated with Ali and a player on the heavyweight scene.

In the ninth round, Wepner landed a punch to Ali's chest and Ali was knocked down. Wepner went to his corner and said to his manager, "Hey, I knocked him down." "Yeah," Wepner's manager replied, "but he looks really pissed off now..."

In the remaining rounds, Ali opened up cuts above both Wepner's eyes and broke his nose. However, the far-behind-in-points Wepner made a dramatic comeback but lost in the final minutes.

Young actor Sylvester Stallone watched the fight at home on television and was inspired to write the script for Rocky, based on Wepner's gutsy challenge. Wepner would later sue Stallone three times (twice unsuccessfully) for a share of the profits. Stallone settled for an undisclosed amount in the third suit, having publicly stated that Wepner was his inspiration for the script. In 1976, Wepner fought professional wrestler André the Giant, similar to the way Rocky fought Thunderlips in Rocky III.

The "Real" Rocky
Wepner served as the inspiration for the character of Rocky Balboa in the film Rocky.[6] In 2003, Wepner filed a lawsuit against Sylvester Stallone for money supposedly owed to him for the Rocky movies. He has claimed that Stallone has used Wepner's name numerous times without permission when he talks about the inspiration for Rocky Balboa. Two of his other claims were dismissed by U.S. District Court judges, and Sylvester Stallone settled the latest claim out of court for an undisclosed amount. In a published interview by Jim Clash of Forbes, Wepner was questioned about his thoughts on Stallone. Wepner said he thought Stallone was a great actor and writer, and that he still considers Stallone a friend.

Career totals
Wepner had a record of 35 wins (17 of which were knockouts), 14 losses, and 2 draws.

Wepner was indicted in the FBI's sting, "Operation Bullpen", which nabbed millions of dollars worth of forged sports memorabilia. Wepner conspired with a friend to forge thousands of Muhammad Ali signatures which were distributed and sold all over the country. Wepner pleaded guilty to one charge of mail fraud, and received a plea deal which included probation, fines, and one day in jail