Daily "Linkin' Logs" - Survival Edition (11/24/08)

As a sports fan, I really try to attend/view/embrace numerous sporting events. If you haven't gathered already, I'm a casual to interested NCAA Hockey fan (brought on by my Alma Mater), I enjoy the occasional Boxing Match (definitely a casual fan) and I will watch the World Cup when it gets to a National broadcast level.

Which brings me to my weekend where I watched #6 Northeastern defeat #13 New Hampshire 3-2 (NU went on to a 4 point weekend, beating UMass-Lowell 4-3 Saturday, while UNH salvaged 2 points by beating Providence 4-3). Then Saturday I took in the Hatton-Malignaggi fight which Hatton soundly whipped Malignaggi to a 8 round TKO. Amongst the entertaining moments was Ricky Hatton walking to the ring (afterall "There's only oooonnnneee Ricky Hatton, ooooooonnnneee Ricky Hatton") in a fat suit (mocking the discussion over him losing 40 pounds in order to get into the fight) and Malignaggi being significantly upset over having his trainer throw in the towel, even though, without constantly grabbing Hatton, he would have been knocked out, if not seriously hurt.

And it culminated Sunday, when a buddy and I attended Survivor Series in Boston. Yeah, that's right, we went to a pro-wrestling event. I called it "getting in touch with my inner 13 year old." I know what some of you will say; my only advice is, until you just accept the fact that its fake, and then sit back and enjoy, you really don't know. Its certainly athletic. Its theatric. Its entertainment. And frankly, it was cheaper for us to attend the event than actually order in on PPV...so we went. A quick rundown:

• The three Survivor Series matches were okay (and really just okay).
• Team Shawn Michaels defeated Team JBL in the first match. It was about par for the course and really predictable.
  
• Team Randy Orton defeated Team Batista. Actually what it came down to was Batista kicking everyone's ass after his team sucked balls. Orton won with some bullshit trickery...I don't get it, how do these referees only notice the good guys trying to cheat. Seriously, I know its fake, but at least put a little effort in.
  
• The Diva match was meh. There's basically 6 hot Divas and 4 Uggos. And letting the Uggos battle it out near the end was bullshit. No one wants to see them. I don't get some wrestling fans who cheer for some of these women. I really don't give a shit if they're good at wrestling...so leave those women to do...whatever it is they do and just let the hot ones show their goods.
• The Casket Match featuring the Big Show and The Undertaker was really crappy to start with. Then, as the Big Show appeared to have enough, he flipped the casket over and began to walk away. The Undertaker used his dark magic (read: pyrotechnics) to keep the Big Show close to the entrance stage, had another casket brought out and ended the match by tossing the Big Show into a standing casket, knocking it over and causing the door to shut; ending the match and declaring the Undertaker the winner.
• The Triple H - Vladimir Kozlov match just plain sucked. It was slow and boring, which is typical of Kozlov matches (he just doesn't have it. He's supposed to be a heel, but no one really cares. I booed him because the match sucked and there were chants of "boring" during the match). Originally the match was scheduled to be a triple threat and include Jeff Hardy, but he was announced to be out of the match at the beginning of the evening. Now what I didn't get was WWE announced that according to "TMZ and ABC News Boston" Jeff Hardy will not be wrestling tonight. How does that work. Does WWE need to consult real news services to confirm their fake news? So as the match is going on and both Triple H and Kozlov and on the mat, the "Smackdown" GM Vicki Guerrero walks out and announces that it will be a triple threat and introduces Edge as the third opponent. How the hell does this work? After those two beat the shit out of each other, then Edge gets to fight. Who condones this shit? So then of course Edge runs in and beats everyone up. So now, the crowd, who's been calling for Hardy the entire match, gets their wish and Hardy runs in to disrupt the whole thing. First he clubs Edge with a few fists, then he grabs a chair, nails Kozlov and then goes after Edge and Triple H. Edge ducks, Triple H gets hammered and Edge spears Hardy. He then goes on to pin Triple H and is declared the New Champ.
• And finally, the awaited title match between Chris Jericho and John Cena. Now, another thing I never got is why in the WWE that the order of entrances is always discombobulated. In any legit event, the Champ always comes out last, but in WWE, its always the guy who would get the biggest ovation (or boos, but biggest reaction). Now, I get why, but it still pisses me off; the idea is to give off the appearence that the show is "real." Its called acting. Also, Chris Jericho looks like a rooster with the haircut. The match was entertaining and the crowd was pulling for Cena (he's from Newton, about a half hour from Boston). Cena pulled off the win in his comeback fashion and was declared the champion.

Well, that's about it. It was worth the admission price and I highly endorse the entertainment factor of the WWE. There was certainl an eclectic crowd with a massive age (and intelligence, I think there were some middle schoolers with more brains than a few adults) range. None the less, highly entertaining.

• DMtShooter of EC gives the Eagles fans some options. The torches are lit in Philadelphia and the potential Phillies Honeymoon for fellow franchises appears to be over...in like 3 weeks.
  
• In a stunner, Andy Reid pulled Donovan McNabb in the 2nd half of a must win game. Look, I know he played pretty poorly, but at least he was only 10-7. Who gives you a better chance to win, McNabb or an untest (essentially) rookie QB against the best defense in the league. Seriously, the torches are lit.
  
• Ok, so they beat the Titans. I'm sorry, but the Jets are not the best team in the AFC.
• After toying with a possible signing with the Bobcats, it appears as though Antonio McDyess will return to the Pistons next month.
• Chad Billingsly is injured. Seriously, this just happened. Injuries are always bad, but the timing here is about as good as it gets.
  
• The guy who beat up Jose Canseco has not set his sights on Andy Reid.
• Let it go Terrell, Let it go...
• Keep an eye on the Rule 5 draft. Generally, its a lot of forgettable names and questionable choices, but keep in mind, players like Shane Victorino can be had for nothing. This is the type of movement that can shape teams in October.
  
• And finally, I'm just linking this for the picture, but yes when the coach says "grab anything" he's fuckin' serious.

We'll be back later with your MMBBQ. It might be a little later than usual today, but should be fun once I get around to reading Petey's shitfest today (I wonder if he'll actually fellate Tom Coughlin?)