Rec and Sports

Decades before mixed martial arts became popular in the United States, events matching fighters of different fighting disciplines were very common in Japan. They weren’t called “mixed martial arts” at the time, but that’s essentially what they were.There’s an entire history of pro wrestlers fighting specialists from other martial arts (particularly judo) that were leaving out, but during the’70’s Antonio Inoki began to put the concept of “mixed martial arts” on the map with his matches against fighters from other disciplines.

Inoki billed himself as ‘World Martial Arts Champion’ and would frequently face other high profile fighters in contests that are generally believed to have had a pre-determined outcome similar to professional wrestling. Inoki faced a ‘who’s who’ of the martial arts world, but none were more famous than heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

There’s still much speculation about how Muhammad Ali came to fight Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, and even more uncertainty about what happened immediately before and during the fight. Ali took the booking because he thought it was to be a big paycheck for little work. Most accounts suggest that his handlers agreed to the ‘worked’ finish without his knowledge, and once he found out that he was to ‘take a dive’ he refused.

Many conspiracy theorists have noted that these rules were never announced to the crowd on fight night, leaving many with the impression that they were being made up as they went along. Action in the fight would further validate this view, but there actually were rules that both camps agreed to heading into the fight. Not surprisingly, most of these were designed to protect Ali. In fact, they were so one-sided that if Inoki hadn’t been so concerned about preserving his big payday he would have been justified in not fighting. Inoki was prohibited from punching with a closed fist or striking Ali in the head (ostensibly since he wasn’t wearing gloves). Inoki was prohibited from using any sort of submission maneuver. The most absurd limitation was that Inoki was prohibited from “grappling or trying to take Ali to the ground”. A few observers noted that this was like not letting Ali throw a jab.

Despite the repeated howls from the media that the fight was ‘fixed’, it was anything but–it was a real fight and painfully boring. Ali did next to nothing, Inoki did whatever he could within the one sided rules. Eventually, Inoki spent most of the fight on the ground trying to throw kicks at Ali’s legs. The event ended up as a 74-74 draw. Both fighters got paid, and the fans got to watch a fight albeit a really, really bad one.

Some interesting trivia about the fight–the referee was former pro wrestler “Judo” Gene Labell, who is considered by many ‘the baddest man on the planet’ even in his 80’s. He could have very likely beaten up both men at the same time–a spectacle that might have been welcomed by the live crowd and closed circuit audience worldwide.

The fiasco didn’t hurt Inoki’s popularity in Japan whatsoever. Oddly, he became something of a hero for trying to take the fight to Ali despite the one sided rules. He would remain one of Japan’s most popular pro wrestlers and later serve in the country’s parliament. Inoki’s fights against other martial artists remained wildly popular, and are often credited as being the forerunner of PRIDE, RINGS and the major MMA organizations in Japan today.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and offshore bookmaking sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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One of England’s most beloved sporting figures, Sir Bobby Robson, yielded to his courageous fight with cancer recently at the age of 75. British soccer fans mourned his passing after a lifetime in the game, first as a player and then a team manager and elder statesman.

Robinson enjoyed a twenty year career as a player, split between the English Premier League clubs of Fulham and West Brom. He also earned twenty ‘caps’ in International play for England, scoring four goals.

After his retirement in’68 as an active player, he found more fame as a team manager. His guiding hand transformed Ipswich Town from a laughing stock to an EPL powerhouse and he would lead the club for well over a decade. He would also serve as the England National Team manager for 8 years, before ending his career in British football with a stint as manager of Newcastle United that ended in 2004.

Robson earned even more love and admiration from his countrymen due to his public battle with cancer. Although a brain tumor left him partially paralyzed in 2006, he never wavered in his commitment to English football or to raising money and awareness for cancer treatment. After being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2007, he dedicated the rest of his life to helping others with the same diagnosis. He started the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, and raised well over one million pounds for the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre in Newcastle.

Even two men who seldom see eye to eye on anything–Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson–were in agreement on Robson’s greatness:

“I wanted to and I will keep with me always the Bobby Robson of every day, a person who had extraordinary passion for life and for football, with an extraordinary enthusiasm. Bobby Robson is one of those people who never die, not so much for what he did in his career, for one victory more or less, but for what he knew to give to those who had, like me, the good fortune to know him and walk by his side. My thoughts and embraces go to all his loved ones.”

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson shared these touching comments:

“In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above him. I was never too big or proud to ask him for advice, which he gave freely and unconditionally. And I’m sure I am speaking for a lot of people when I say that. I mourn the passing of a great friend, a wonderful individual, a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed.”

“His character was hewn out of the coalface; developed by the County Durham mining background that he came from. His parents instilled in him the discipline and standards which forged the character of a colossal human being. He added his own qualities to that which he passed on to his sons. The strength and courage he showed over the past couple of years when battling against his fifth bout of cancer was indescribable. Always a smile, always a friendly word with never a mention of his own problems.”

“The world, not just the football world, will miss him. Let’s hope it won’t be long before another like him turns up because we could never get enough of them.”

There will be another of tributes to Robson in the upcoming English Premier League season. Some teams have already announced plans to honor Robson with a black uniform arm band, while other longer lasting tributes are in the works.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and offshore bookmaking sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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Despite the early struggles of starting QB Kerry Collins, who threw two interceptions, the Tennessee Titans managed to prevail over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday by a 27-20 score. The victory ran Tennessee’s record to 2-0 in the NFL preseason, while the Bucs dropped their first exhibition contest.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher wasn’t happy with his teams performance, particularly their offensive rhythm, despite winning the game:

“We just really didn’t get in synch like we would’ve like to.”

Tampa Bays new head coach Rahim Morris was fairly upbeat after his NFL coaching debut:

“Not a bad start though, not a bad start.

Tennessee QB Collins post game comments didn’t provide much insight into the reason for his poor outing:

“We had too many turnovers, and that can’t happen. We know we have a lot to improve on.”

Young, meanwhile, related how he had taken the advice of the Titans offensive coordinator and used his legs to keep a play alive and avoid a sack.

“And that’s basically what I did. I saw the free safety relax and he was in the Cover Two, and Kenny adjusted his route and did what he was supposed to do. I just got the ball to him.

Luke McCown started for Tampa Bay, though wasnt able to do much on offense either. He was tightlipped about his performance in postgame interviews:

“We have some things to clean up. We will look at the tapes and get better at it on Monday”

After the game head coach Morris indicated that veteran Byron Leftwich will start Tampa Bays next NFL preseason game, with McCown coming on in relief.

Tampa Bay will make the short trip to Jacksonville next Saturday to face the Jaguars, who will be playing their first NFL preseason contest of the year on Monday night. Theyll then host Floridas other NFL team, the Miami Dolphins, the following week. The Titans will head to Dallas for a game against the Cowboys next Friday night. The Titans will open the NFL regular season against the Superbowl Champion Steelers at Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 10th. Tampa Bay will begin the 2009 campaign at home, welcoming the Dallas Cowboys to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, September 13.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and offshore bookmaking sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing the Cleveland Browns for longer than any other team in the National Football League, dating back to’50. And while it hasn’t been quite that long since the Cleveland Browns won a game against the Steelers it may be starting to feel like it. On Sunday, Pittsburgh won for the twelfth straight time dating back to 2003 as they topped Cleveland by a final score of 27-13. The defending Superbowl champions improved to 4-2 while the Browns fell to 1-5.

The good news for NFL betting enthusiasts who took the +13′ with the Browns as a road underdog is that they managed to cover the pointspread by the slimmest of possible margins. Betting against the defending Superbowl champion is a long standing handicapping concept, and this season at least its worked like a charm-the Steelers have only covered one of their first six games. Cleveland, meanwhile, evened their NFL pointspread record at 3-3 on the season. The Browns have covered three straight after dropping their first three both straight up and against the spread.

Pittsburgh dominated the game in virtually every statistical category. They amassed 28 first downs to 12 for Cleveland, held a 543 to’7 total yardage advantage and a 36:46 to 23:14 time of possession advantage. Both teams turned the ball over four times, and the Steelers led only 17-14 in the third quarter. Most of the post game talk from both sides was about a controversial spot in the first half where the Steelers were given a first down on a short yardage play when it appeared that they didn’t make the required yardage.

After the contest, Derek Anderson spoke of the frustration of continually coming up short against the Steelers. The Browns have only one once in ten games since Pittsburgh moved into their new home at Heinz Field:

“We’re not trying to lose every time we go out here. We put tons of hours in and … it’s frustrating. Every single week, it’s frustrating.”

Steelers’ tight end Heath Miller said the team is happy to be where they are at this point despite not playing up to their standards:

“I think we haven’t played our best ball yet and that’s pretty comforting. We’ve gotten a few wins here without playing our best.”

The Steelers will host Brett Favre and the 6-0 Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. The Steelers are a -4 home favorite with the total set at 45. After a bye week, the Steelers will hit the road to play another undefeated team as they take on the Denver Broncos on Monday, November 9. Cleveland will host the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, with the Browns a +7 home underdog and the total set at 42′. They’ll head to ‘The Windy City’ to face the Chicago Bears the following Sunday and then have a bye week.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and highly respected authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and offshore bookmaking sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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An early goal gave the United States soccer team hope, but in the end the result of their World Cup Qualifier against Mexico at Azteca Stadium was a familiar loss. Mexico rallied for a 2-1 triumph in front of their home fans, sending the US to defeat for the 23rd time in 24 games at the venue.

The United States silenced the raucous crowd with a goal just eight minutes into the game. Landon Donovan threaded a perfect pass to a Charlie Davies who converted his four career goal in international play to give the Americans a 1-0 lead.

Mexico would pull even just ten minutes later when Cuauhtemoc Blanco set up Israel Castro, who beat US goaltender Tim Howard to tie the game at 1-1. That set the stage for Miguel Sabah’s goal in the 82nd minute which gave Mexico the come-from-behind victory. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre sounded elated and relived with his post match comments:

“Today is a day to celebrate, drink a few tequilas, and then get back to work. Everybody will go to bed tonight a bit more relaxed.”

His American counterpart, Bob Bradley noted:

“I think it’s a tight game and a fair score. It’s tough loss to have so many guys work so hard and then give up a late goal. The feeling inside is one of great disappointment.”

US forward Landon Donovan spoke of his teams performance:

“We did a good job starting the game well and scoring. They made one play at the end that made the difference. It’s hard to play here, man. It wears you out. It’s just exhausting.”

The Americans play Sept. 9 at Trinidad and Tobago. Theyll finish up qualifying on Oct 10 at Honduras and at home against Costa Rica on Oct. 14. Mexico will play at Costa Rica on Sept. 5 and host Honduras on Sept. 9. Mexico will wrap up qualifying on Oct. 10 at home with El Salvador and at Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 14.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and pay per head sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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The Baltimore Ravens are clearly responding to first year defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. In Mattison’s debut as an NFL coordinator the Ravens obliterated their regional rivals the Washington Redskins, completing a shutout by a final score of 23-0.

There had been some concern about the Ravens lack of depth at wide receiver, but on this night at least that wasn’t an issue. 15 different players caught passes and after the game backup QB Troy Smith said that Ravens signal callers had been instructed to get as many players involved in the offense as possible:

“It’s been drilled into both our heads to spread the ball around, to not have tunnel vision. The sky’s the limit for us.”

Starting QB Joe Flacco was pleased with the effort:

“As an offense, everything felt really good. I was happy with the way our receivers and running backs were moving. Our line did a heck of a job for being their first time out. I didn’t have to do anything but sit in the pocket and make throws.”

The Ravens defense, meanwhile, was simply stifling. Washington never got closer than the Baltimore 30 yardline, and 9 of their 12 drives failed to reach midfield. For that reason, new coordinator Mattison was awarded the game ball in his first NFL assignment. Head coach John Harbaugh joked about that fact afterwards:

“I don’t know how he’s going to do it, but he said he’s going to divide it up for every one of the 80 guys on the team.

Redskins coach Jim Zorn remained upbeat:

“This is a tremendous tool for us to use. We look for these things, these learning situations.”

The Redskins will open the NFL regular season with a big divisional tilt against the New York Giants at The Meadowlands on Sunday, September 13 while Baltimore will host the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and noted authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and offshore bookmaking sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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When riding a bike or motorcycle, one is at risk of having an accident. A fall or a collision while riding one of these may result to injuries ranging from minor bruising to severe injuries such as permanent brain damage or even death. It is important that when engaging in such activity, that one must be equipped with helmets to provide safety and protection for the rider.

Helmets have been used as an important part of a protective suit since ancient times. Over the years, the overall structure and outlook of the helmets have undergone extreme changes. However, many tend to avoid wearing these gears as they are often seen as bothersome and inconvenient. Many also say that helmets are unnecessary as they cannot prevent or stop accidents. True enough, accidents may be inevitable and cannot be stopped or prevented by wearing helmets. Nonetheless, wearing one can save a person’s life during these inevitable events.

Statistics show that about one-fourth of the people involved in a fall or collision while riding a bike, motorcycle, or other high-impact activity who are brought in emergency rooms have head injuries and one out of every eight is reported to have incurred brain injuries-injuries which may have been prevented by wearing safety helmets. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for example, estimated that approximately 1,158 lives were saved in 2003 because motorcyclists were wearing helmets. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, on the other hand, bicyclists not wearing bike helmets are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders.

There are generally five kinds of helmets. These are combat helmets, two-wheeler helmets, sports helmets, occupational helmets, and emergency and protective troop helmets. Helmets used for military purposes ranging from head protection to gas masking are called combat helmets. Examples of these helmets are PHG helmets used against poison gases and bone domes used by aircraft pilots. Two-wheeler helmets, on the other hand, are helmets worn by cyclists and motorcycle riders and are especially designed to withstand far greater impacts than normal accidents. Sports helmets, alternatively, as their name suggests, are helmets designed to be used in sports activities. These helmets are used and designed depending on the demands of the game where they are to be used. Next are occupational helmets often used in construction area and are always mandatory via safety regulations. Examples of these are hard hats, miners’ helmets, and welders’ helmets. Finally are emergency and protective troop helmets which are gears worn by people who serve in emergency situations such as policemen, firefighters, lifeguards, and SWAT teams.

It is a must to keenly and wisely choose the best helmet to use especially that helmets can save our lives during inevitable falls or collisions. When purchasing for a helmet, be it a bike helmet or a combat helmet, the first thing to look for is its approval of safety by searching for a seal of approval from your country’s consumer product safety organizations. After ascertaining the safety of the helmet, the next thing to look for is a helmet that fits snugly. Riders and helmet users should remember that the gear can only be useful if it has the right fitting. Finally, you should think about visibility when looking for a helmet. That means that the helmet should not block your vision and that other motorists and cyclists can see you.

Bike helmets, combat helmets, etc. are very important gears to be used in various activities such as biking, motorcycling, and other high-impact activities. These are protective suits that can save your life, if not prevent the danger itself while performing aforementioned activities.

Zippo Mitchell is cyclist from Dallas, Texas. Before taking a ride on his bike, he makes sure that he is equipped with all the safety gears that would protect him in case of an unfortunate even during his bike ride. Among his biking gears are bike helmet, and gel gloves.

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What are you waiting for – get off your butts and let’s do some canoeing! Canoeing is the act of paddling a canoe or kayak, simply put, but this can be done for several purposes, either as a form of transportation, for sport or simply enjoying the outdoors. Those who are truly into the art of canoeing are of the belief that only human arms can move the paddle and make a canoe or kayak move like so.

There are differences in the way one propels a canoe and a kayak. To propel a kayak, one uses a paddle with two blades and where the paddler sits with their legs directly in front of them. Propelling a canoe is different, as you can use either single or double bladed paddles, and you have the option to sit on a raised seat or kneel.

Recreational canoeing has different varieties you can choose from. Why, you can even choose a hybrid canoe if you’re looking for equipment. The following are among the most widely practiced forms of recreational canoeing:

First, there is white water canoeing. As the name indicates, this refers to paddling down whitewater rivers for fun. There are different sub-categories in white water canoeing – you can either go on a short trip or long trip down the river, or you can up the ante completely and go on an exciting journey through the roughest of rivers. For quite some time, this has been a much-practiced form of form of kayaking as well.

The second type is Sea Kayaking, and this is a form of recreational kayaking done on the sea, which could either be a lengthy expedition or a short daytime trip. The seas may be just as rough, if not rougher than the rivers, especially during high tide. Its main difference is that is requires navigational skills.

Here are just a few other varieties you can try out – you can try playboating, which involves performing some neat surfing tricks, canoe camping, which is a hybrid of canoeing AND camping, wave skiing, which makes use of a canoe slightly bigger than a surfboard, surf skiing, which is like the last variety except for the use of a longer craft, and white water rafting, where multiple people paddle a large inflatable raft down a raging river.

As a sport, canoeing is governed by the International Canoe Federation, which creates the standard rules for the different disciplines of canoe competition. So far, the Olympic Games only includes two canoe sports – Sprint and Slalom. Among the other canoe sports disciplines are the marathon, canoe polo, whitewater racing, dragon boat racing, playboating, extreme racing., outrigger canoe racing and canoe surfing.

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Golfers all round the world have the option to stay home or at work and simply visit websites offering discounts and get limited offers on their favorite golfing equipment.

As consumers take advantage of the convenience of online shopping from their home or office, discount and coupon sites have become a key factor for many online consumers. This is no surprise, because shopping at a discount and coupon site is a cost-effective measure in a society burdened down by exorbitant gas prices.

When looking for discounts and coupons online, it is important to veer away from the traditional concept of the general discount and coupon sites that do not have any one specific target market – the golf consumer is a specialized demographic that would be best served in websites that cater to equipment for golfers and golf enthusiasts.

A key aid to the online consumer is the search engine – within a few seconds, these websites can provide a list of targeted results based on the keywords entered by the user.

Any golfer who wants to reduce more than just his or her golf score would be interested in golf discount partner sites. Any golf consumer would be treated to a cavalcade of online golf retail discount promotions all on the same website.

A golfer can save up to 70% on some special offers, as golf fanatics all over the world, maybe you yourself are surfing the ‘net for golf discount sites and making it their own veritable virtual marketplace.

As the golf season continues many recreational and Sunday golfers dream of playing like the pros they see on television. Well, it takes a very special person to grow up to be a Tiger Woods or Vijay Singh, but anybody can use their equipment, so it’s worth a try.

Yet it is possible to unleash the Tiger in you, as you, the weekend golfer gets the right type of golf equipment while spending quality time trying to perfect your craft.

Different golf discount sites offer promotions and special deals at certain days or times of the year, and this is something a golf consumer can research on the ‘net. These golf store promotions are waiting to be taken advantage of by you, the consumer.

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There is an occasion for many who might find that they need to add a little bit of decor. In that case, you will find that there are some things to understand about drapery rental. We are going to give you a few tips for when you go to get this.

We tell anyone who is interested in this to go about and do this to search for who has the best prices. You will need to know a few things like how much you are going to need and for how many days you are going to need it for. This would be the first step you take.

Something we recommend is that if you are not aware of what you are doing, then you should seek help from the experts. While this can be used to help you go about and decorate a space, you can have too much of these. Therefore, you want to be sure that you call in some help if you should need it. They can guide you as to how much you need to rent and more.

We tell people who are going to rent to know what colors they need. If you are going to rent you will need to meet with people fact to face as you will have to go about to sign a contract. Therefore, you will find that you might want to take in a swatch as to the color scheme you are using.

Look at what fabrics you can get. Many places that do this sort of rental will have a number of materials that you can choose from. Note, that some of the times, the more fragile or delicate the material; the more you are going to pay to rent this.

There are still a few more things you can do to ensure that you get what you want for the event. This would be that you need to be sure you check all items before the event. We have had some who have rented and when they did so, you will find they had a sour experience as the fabrics were dirty. Check yours before you do anything else with them.

Party planning can be a fairly complex undertaking. Doing so takes the management of various areas like guest list creation and paring, determining which refreshments or catering to have, as well as preparation of the location including tent setups, lighting arrangement, etc. If you’re going to want assistance then contact www.HartmannStudiosRentals.com, they will provide for each of your party requirements!

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