We pondered how that fight might have gone

Purdue won the Motor City Bowl over Central Michigan, 51-48, and Michigan won the Capital One Bowl, defeating Florida, 41-35. Michigan State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio State all lost.In 2006 the Big Ten qualified seven teams and ended up with a 2-5 record. Penn State defeated Tennessee in the Outback Bowl, 20-10, and Wisconsin defeated Arkansas, 17-14. Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Purdue, and Minnesota each lost.Winning only six out of 22 games with a total 27.3 winning percentage, the Big Ten has become the low man on the totem pole for major conferences when it comes to winning in postseason play. This is a trend the conference must reverse, or it will continue to get no respect from the pollsters and media.The first step is to address the schedulebeing idle potentially for over six weeks before playing a bowl game is a real detriment to postseason wins.

It keeps you well under .500 when the dust settles and the last stats are counted.The season needs to extend into the first or second weekend in December in order for the conference to stay on a par with other conferences as they head into the postseason.So as Ricky Stanzi and Adam Robinson test out their injured ankles and the hurt linebackers resume their aggressive stances, the Iowa Hawkeyes have a long way back to their prime-time supremacy and the pin-point timing that led them to the top of the Big Ten and the BCS rankings. As they await the announcement of their destination, the Hawkeyes will begin their long trek back to getting in shape all over again.... It was a perfect setup, really.Like a left to the body that drops the gloves for a big right hand, the so-called “tune-up” bouts for Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins were supposed to set the stage for a big rematch between the two aging stars.But when Jones was unexpectedly thrashed at the hands of Danny Green, hopes for the highly anticipated fight with Hopkins, were sent to the canvas as quickly as Jones in the first round.Hopkins did his part.Bernard, “The Executioner” defeated a lively Enrique Ornelas in classic Hopkins fashion by outboxing him on all three judges’ scorecards.Unfortunately it was too late.By the time Hopkins took to the ring, Jones had already suffered through his debacle with Green earlier in the day.Yes, Roy Jones Jr lost. And hopefully, for the last time.But the real losers are the fans.For those of us who salivated at the thought of seeing Jones and Hopkins headlining a fight that was 17 years in the making, we are the ones who got knocked out.No MGM Grand No Mandalay Bay No 24/7 Hopkins-Jones .Hopkins will fight again. His win against Ornelas all but guaranteed at least one more fight for the ageless boxer, possibly for a heavyweight title.He has options, and we’ll see him again in 2010, lacing ‘em up.It’s a different story for Jones.Many anticipate the loss to Green will spell the end of an illustrious 20 year career. A career punctuated with highlight reel knockouts and unbelievable athleticism.Like Hopkins, Jones is a lock for the hall of fame.He might end up with a plumb TV job, doing color commentary for HBO perhaps.

Maybe record another rap album. Jones will be fine.Unfortunately, for the fans, this is it.We pondered how that fight might have gone. There was a claim earlier that the Boston Red Sox would be opening up the 2010 season in Sydney, Australia.The Sunday Telegraph , the Sunday edition of The Daily Telegraph reported:"THE Boston Red Sox, one of the world's most famous baseball teams, are coming to Australia for a Major League game at our own field of dreams the Sidney Cricket Ground next year."The story said that team officials watched the Danny Green-Roy Jones Jr. fight at Acer Arena on Wednesday night as guests.The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham posted later on the Extra Bases blog that the reports were not true saying a "Red Sox source said the story wasn't true ."That's too bad, but then again I'm sure the players are even more relieved that it's not true. Davis and The Raiders it seems to me that some so called Raider fans need to really ask themselves " Can I be a Raider Fan and not a fan of Mr. Davis " When so called Raider fans continue to be so negative against their Raiders and Mr.Davis it reminds me of when the Raiders first left for L.A and so called Raider fans quit rooting for the team and switched to the niners. I was lucky enough to be born in 1961 to bay area parents who attended early Raider games. The Raiders are in my blood.Every sunday we would watch the Raiders during the days of Otto,Upshaw,Shell,Big Ben, Freddy,Willie,the mad bomber and so many other great players and the Hall of Fame coaching of Coach Madden.

I still think he would have made Canton on his coaching record. So many great wins but some huge disappointments , I learned then during many tough league championship losses to the chiefs,and jets and later divison championships to the steelers,dolphins that you stuck with your team. It was tougher to lose the big game then not play in the big game.Back then the fans were die hards who never doubted the Raiders or Mr.Davis. Davis was still calling all the shots and he was the coach and not Madden. When Mr. Davis and The Raiders left Oakland for L.A some fans could not and did not root for the Raiders My Dad was one of these fans.