Mike Tyson – one I have to realize that for some reason Vince McMahon feels like there needs to be a celebrity wing to his hall of fame. I have to get past the fact that there is no reason to have a celebrity wing except for one, publicity. Let’s face it that is the only reason to have it, for publicity. For that reason Vince gets what he wants as main stream media covers it every year. Never mind that they make fun of it but hey Vince loves main stream news for the WWE. So onto Iron Mike Tyson. Well at least he is an athlete and was a damn good one. He was involved in one of the best WrestleMania matches of all time with two of the greatest superstars ever. Plus I am happy Mike is a lifetime fan of pro wrestling. Hey the dude even hosted a RAW not long ago. Fine, he can go in as a celebrity. I will take him over Drew Carey from last year. My hang up with Mike is every time I think of him as a WWE ref I think about the fact he was scheduled to ref a match years ago BEFORE he lost to Buster Douglas. Once he lost Buster became the ref for the match.

Ron Simmons – not sure how I feel about this one. He was a WCW champion and was actually the first ever Black man to hold a major World Championship. So for that I will give it to him but after that I would say there are many more deserving wrestlers. Taking nothing away from Ron but he didn’t hit it big until he was part of the APA. Not excited about this one. If there was a vote he would not get mine at least not at this time.

So neither of these most recent announcements make me overly excited but it could be worse. Here is hoping the remaining inductees are more worthy than these two.

So let me get going with my impressions of the show. Overall I grade the show a C+.

My opinions:
* I thought the cage match for the World Title between Big Show, Mark Henry, and Daniel Bryan was good overall. Too short but it told the story it was supposed to. I like Daniel Bryan in the role of escaping defeat but at the same time outsmarting Big Show. I was expecting the match to go a bit longer and thought maybe they botched the end at first. It left me wanting more which is probably what they were going for.

* The fact they gave the Divas more than two minutes was a plus. They told a short story of Beth Phoenix getting frustrated and getting angry. Looks like a full heel turn and loner angle is in the works. I thought the announce team did a good job establishing the Natalya / Tamina issues but they totally missed the Bela twins switch. I do not understand why they do not do more with the Divas division but for me this was not the typical throw away that most ppv divas matches have become.

* CM Punk vs Dolph Zigglar was good and gave us a glimpse into what could be the future of the WWE with these two. The involvement and story surrounding Johnny Ace was too much. It got clunky to me and let the air out of what was a very good match. I would have had Zigglar win without any official interference from the RAW GM. During the match Punk was obsessed with Ace and could have easily been beaten which could have set off a very hot RAW tonight. You could have had Punk win it back tonight but now with the dominate clean win over Zig where do you go?

* John Cena vs Kane was anti-climatic and very predictable. I am glad no one won but the entire Zack Ryder bit was obvious. I understand where they are going with this but I wish they would just make it a bit more believable. If Cena snaps and gets aggressive I think it will all be worth it but if not this is a wasted feud. I for one hope Cena gains that edge back and embraces the hate, goes off on those that hate on him and moves forward. Once this feud ends what is next for Kane? Maybe a fued with Ryder?

* Brodus Clay was funny but the act is getting old quick. I mean how many times can we see the same squash match? I would have rather seen him in the Rumble match.

* The Rumble match itself had its ups and downs for me. I like the surprise winner of Sheamus as I expected it to be Chris Jericho the entire time. For this viewer it was too many mid card wrestlers that we knew would not win and way too much comedy. Some of the comedy was funny but it got too over the top. I love the surprise entrants of Jim Duggan, Roaddog, Ricardo Rodriguez, and especially Karhma. But let’s be serious we know every year there is only a handful of possible winners of this match. Kofi’s handstand was the highlight to me from the actual match which also says something about the rest of it.

* Overall it was a decent start to the WrestleMania season. I am interested to see where they go with Sheamus. The Daniel Bryan / Big Show / Mark Henry story is good as well. Plus Jericho still interests me as well as Karhma. Would I recommend buying the replay? Not really unless you just want to drop $55.00, just watch RAW and SmackDown and I’m sure you will be caught right up.

Watch for my new YouTube Channel to be up this week with video blogs and my very own Road to WrestleMania

First we had Edge. Good choice. I mean the dude busted his tail from bottom feeder to main eventer. He is a multi time champion with the company holding just about every belt. He has been loved and hated. Honestly he is probably one of the greatest overall performers the business has ever seen. He can be a heel, a face, serious, crazy, comedic, tag team and singles. He is awesome. With that all said I think it is too early for Edge to go in. I would rather give it a little time before he goes to the shrine that is the HOF. He is deserving but it is too early. I said the same thing about Eddie and Shawn. I just would rather appreciate what we had in a performer before they are inducted.

Second we have The Four Horsemen. Deserved! Not much else to say. The only thing I would change is seeing Ole and Lex go in with them but I am thrilled to see the greatest set of Horsemen, Ric, Arn, Tully, Barry, and JJ, be the ones inducted. This one is awesome! They changed wrestling. They were the most influential group of all time. They were the best heels of all time. Without the Horsemen I say Flair is not at the level he is and we all now how great Flair was. Of course I say the Flair still tries to live the Horsemen lifestyle but that is another blog. Anyway the Horsemen was a pleasant surprise. I love the fact that the WWE looks at the HOF as something not just for WWE Superstars but honors those that contributed to the business as a whole. The Horsemen were never in WWE as a group but their contributions cannot be overlooked.

I for one am happy overall about the current class and can’t wait to see who is next.

I am planning on trying to write on a regular basis, at least once a week if not more.

So stay tuned for a fun ride as we explore and express opinions on the world of sports and entertainment.

I guess we will find out this weekend how good UGA really is this year.  I don’t have a feel for it either way.  On one hand I can see LSU blowing us out.  On the other hand I can see a close game similar to the Alabama / LSU game. Then again I could even see a win for the Dawgs. I just don’t know.

What I do know is I will be watching and cheering my heart out for my team. Through thick and thin, wins and losses, I am a dawg fan. I will complain, cheer, get mad, and frustrated but I still bleed red and black. 

I am looking forward to the game. I am looking forward to the test that is ahead.  I am looking forward to seeing what this UGA team is made up of after such a strange yet good season.  I am looking forward to knowing what bowl game we may go to; Sugar? CapOne? Outback? Cotton?

We will see soon….until then Go Dawgs!

If you are not aware the game is played each year in Jacksonville, FL at a neutral site.  It is considered neutral since it is neither at the UGA stadium or the UF stadium.  The two school split the tickets 50 / 50 which is pretty cool.

My opinion is it should stay in Jacksonville.  It makes the game special. It makes the game unique.  Only a few rivalries are played this way and it is just cool.  The complaint recently by UGA fans has been is that UF has an advantage.  Of course us UGA fans weren’t saying this back when UGA dominated the series. However over the past 20 years UF has totally dominated. So what.  We as in UGA should just get better.  

I have never been to the game but it is a destination game for many fans. It is a game people circle on the calendar just like Oklahoma and Texas circle the Red River Rivalry.

I hope the game stays in Jacksonville. Lets keep the game unique.  Lets keep the game different. Lets keep the game in Jacksonville.

From the Pittsburgh Penguins:

Thank you for writing.

We would be honored to have you as a fan! What we can offer to you is the excitement and pride of supporting a team which has achieved remarkable success in our past seasons. We offer the thrill of watching Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, and their teammates on the ice and in the community. We offer the chance to be a part of a world-wide fan base supporting an exceptional team that has sold out the last 200+ games, has a season ticket holder waiting list of 4,000+ people, and have a new state of the art arena.

We hope you will join us!

Sincerely, The Pittsburgh Penguins

From the Toronto Maple Leafs:

Thank you for your email.

Toronto has some of the best fans in the world. We are dedicated to the game of hockey and bleed blue and white. Great fans are what makes this team so unique from others because of their passion for this team. We appreciate our fans and their loyalty towards our team even through the tough times, but every year we are doing our best to create a contender for the Stanley Cup. We’re sorry for the unfortunate moving of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, but we hope that you will consider being a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs as it is a great organization and a team that treats their fans great!

Go Leafs Go!

From the San Jose Sharks (via a typed letter mailed to my house):

Thank you for taking the time to send a letter to the San Jose Sharks. we are sorry to hear about your recent predicament with the Atlanta Thrashers. However, we are more than happy to hear that you are still looking to support other NHL teams, particularly the San Jose Sharks!

While you do not live as close to the Sharks, we would love the opportunity to have your support from afar! You would be joining an elite group of fans who show their support from around the globe! To start your collection, we have enclosed a ‘Fan Pack’ along with a signed player card from #7 Niclas Wallin.

Our players and our staff are very hopeful to have your support for the upcoming seasons! We have had a great past few seasons and we are looking forward to bringing home the Stanley Cup very soon!

Thank you again for your interest in becoming a brand new San Jose Sharks Fan!!!

Sincerely,
San Jose Sharks

So there you have it. The case made by each team that expressed interest in having a new fan. Who would you select?

For me it came down to three teams; Carolina, San Jose, and Pittsburgh. Each made good pitches for a new fan.

Overall though I couldn’t go with the former rival of the Thrashers and the instability of Carolina so they were eliminated.

Then came Pittsburgh or San Jose. Pittsburgh has more history of winning and San Jose is very far away which means their games will be late at night. Pittsburgh has tons of fans but San Jose has cooler colors.  Seriously though it came down to their letters. Pittsburgh was quick to respond but San Jose took the time to write a letter and send it to me along with other stuff. That is just cool. They even sent an autograph from Niclas Wallin.

With that said my choice for my new favorite NHL team….the SAN JOSE SHARKS!

LET’S GO SHARKS!!!

If you have Rad my past few blogs you will see that I have been in search for a new NHL team to pull for. If not here is the story briefly. I emailed all the teams that play in the NHL with what I bring to the table as a fan and I asked them why I should be a fan of their team. Now I am posting the results from the teams that wrote back to me.

In part three os the series we looked at the Nashville Predators. Today we will explore the Carolina Hurricanes.

They have a harder sell to me since they were our rivals but they are in the running none the less.

Here is the letter I got back from them;

I hope that the Hurricanes can win your fandom. A fellow Southern hockey franchise, we have worked hard to establish a strong fan base here in North Carolina, through fan relations and family-oriented events as well as a tradition of success. In just 14 years here, we have been to the Conference Finals three times, the Stanley Cup Final twice, and captured the Stanley Cup Championship in 2006. We feel that we have a terrific young core of players, including Eric Staal, Cam Ward and 2011 Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner, that will allow our team to be competitive year-in and year-out, despite being in a smaller market. And as a family man, you would likely appreciate everything we do to in our community and with youth hockey programs through the Carolina Hurricanes Kids ‘N Community Foundation.

Best of luck with your team selection!

Not a bad resume. In the grand scheme of things they bring quite a bit to the table. They have had success in their brief history and have a bright future.  I love the fact they pointed out their community involvement. Having a seven year old in hockey I see what it means to have a local team involved.  Their location is still in the south which is a difficult market to be in and I feel connected go southern teams as they are underdogs from a demographic standpoint.

Other factors include they are red and black which is also the Georgia Bulldogs’ colors.  Logo is cool and the Hurricane name is something I like. But ultimately it is about the team, their performance on and off the ice.

So lets recap; so far we have looked at Nashville and Carolina.

In the next few blogs we will look at Pittsburgh, San Jose, Toronto, and Montreal.

Stay tuned to see what they bring to the table.

Today lets look at the case that has been made by one of the NHL teams for my services as a fan.

First we will look at the Nashville Predators who responded to my letter via email.

Thank you for your email!

We appreciate you considering the Nashville Predators as your new team of choice. We understand that nothing can replace your hometown team, but if you do decide to attend games here we will definitely welcome you.

The Preds just wrapped up a great season which included a record number of sellouts and our first playoff series win. We also received multiple nominations for next week’s NHL awards ceremony. We hope you can join us next year as we expand on these successes!

Please let us know if you have any questions on our ticket options or arena.

Thank you for your support of the Nashville Predators!

Nashville Predators Fan Relations

So that is their response.  Not bad but not a lot of reasons either.

I like their location being not that far away from Atlanta. I like the fact they made the playoffs. I like that they had nominations for awards.

In my decision process I must involve my son who likes their logo, colors and name. He also likes that they made the playoffs.

I am interested to know what you readers think about the letter above and what Nashville brings to the table.

After I post all of the letters I will make a decision on my new favorite NHL team.

We walked into that season ranked number one in the country. Went to Arizona State and blew them boys out, came back and Alabama beat the pants off us. That season we lose three games.

Follow up the 2009 season with more talent than most and find ways to lose games left and right ending up playing in Shreveport, LA.

2010 we have a losing season.

So here we are going into the 2011 season with high hopes. An opportunity to show the country we are back in a nationally televised game against the number five ranked team in the country. What do we do? Get blown out.  Sure we were in the game in the first half but that second half was horrible.  The defense couldn’t get pressure and could not cover across the middle.

Our offense can’t move the ball and the line can’t block. To make it worse BSU wasn’t even blitzing. Then we get a spark. We find a way to move the ball down the field by lining up in the I-formation. As soon as they tv guys point that out what do we do? Of course we do what any great offense would do go right back to what was no working, the shotgun.

Don’t get me wrong I am not saying Boise is not a good team because they are. I hope they go far and beat a top tier team in the BCS Championship game, unless it is an SEC team. I like BSU but this is about my Dawgs.

Know we have talent on our team.  I know we have good coaches. I know this season is not lost.  We just lost to the fifth ranked team in the nation. Yes we got embarrassed. Yet lets remember the goal is the SEC East which is very attainable. Start this week by beating South Carolina and the train is back on the track. I have faith in these 2011 Dawgs.

So now the ‘real’ season begins. Lets do this DAWGS!