Author Archives: Patrick Pinter

Patrick’s Weekend Sports Preview

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Isolating cannot be any easier this weekend if you are a sports fan. With multiple events going on from sun up to sundown, the couch, recliner, office chair, or whatever your lounging furniture of choice might be, has never looked finer. Fights, Football, Golf, Tennis, International Qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, it’s all on, and it starts today and will be non stop action through to Sunday night. So let’s jump right into it and see what’s popping off this weekend on the fields, in the cage, or on the course this weekend.

To begin, another full slate of College Football continues today with three games on for our viewing pleasures. Florida Atlantic will take on Florida International at 4 PM Pacific Time, and an unranked delight from two ranked FBS teams last season when Iowa takes on Minnesota. Both Iowa and Minnesota finished within the top twenty in the previous season, making this Big Ten matchup crucial for both 1-2 colleges. Rashod Bateman will be one to watch for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. With 24 receptions so far this season, Bateman has tallied 302 yards with one touchdown. Iowa Sophmore QB Spencer Petras better keep his passing efficiency on lock this evening with 2 TDs and 3 INTs. The Golden Gophers defence will hope to catch a pick-six or two. Iowa’s defence has allowed 213 pass yards and 102 rush yards so far this season; with low numbers like that, Minnesota better bring their A-game if they want to be able to pull off the upset. At 4:30 PM, the 7th ranked school in football, the 6-0 Cincinnati Bearcats, will take on the 1-5 East Carolina Pirates. The Bearcats have looked impressive thus far, putting up 39.3 points a game while only allowing 347.1 yards per game. The Bearcats are expected to blow East Carolina out of the water.

A handful of games for the Saturday slate were postponed or cancelled due to players or staff testing positive for COVID-19. Number 1 Alabama’s game against defending national champions LSU has been postponed. Along with 3rd ranked Ohio State vs Maryland and 5th ranked Texas A&M vs Tennesse. We will get to see the 2nd ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, fresh off their upset last week to take down the former number 1 Clemson Tigers, take on unranked ACC opponent Boston College. The Heisman watch will continue to lay eyes on Notre Dame’s QB Ian Book. The senior QB has put up 1,535 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and only one interception while maintaining a high QB rating of 141.5 so far this season. The Fighting Irish game can be seen on ABC beginning at 12:30 PM. 6th ranked Florida Gators will take on unranked Arkansas at 4 PM. Heisman hopeful Kyle Trask will continue to lead Florida on a path to glory. The senior QB has wowed in the SEC so far this year, throwing for 1,815 yards, twenty-two touchdowns, and three interceptions. The Gators have wowed offensively with receiver Kyle Pitts and running back Dameon Pierce. The two have combined for ten touchdowns and 635 all-purpose yards this season.

At 4 PM Pacific on Saturday, the UFC main card for Felder vs Dos Anjos will begin. Kicking it off with a middleweight bout (185lbs) between Eryk Anders and Antonio Arroyo. Anyone who knows Anders as a fighter knows he makes his fights violent, so for him to win, he must be able to keep the fight standing. Arroyo is a grappler and will do whatever it takes to get this fight on the mat, where he is far more comfortable than Anders.
The second fight on the main card takes place in the women’s strawweight division (115lbs). The youngest woman on the UFC roster, Kay Hansen, will welcome Dana White’s Contender Series alumni Corey McKenna to the UFC. Kay, at 21 years old, has looked phenomenal so far in her MMA career. With a record of 7-3, Kay has won a majority of her fights by submission. Her opponent Corey has a pro record of 5-1 and has 2 KOs. McKenna proved she was worthy of a contract by cracking it out against Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos on her Contender’s Series episode back in August. A rare catchweight bout will be the 3rd fight on the main card and will see Brendan Allen (15-3) take on UFC veteran Sean Strickland (21-3). Both gentlemen are riding multiple fight win streaks, Allen’s being seven and Strickland’s being 2. Both men like to “stand and bang,” meaning they want to go toe to toe and exchange blows like they do in professional boxing. This fight has fight of the night written all over it, so be sure to tune into that one.

The co-main event will be a welterweight fight (170lbs). It will see electrifying fighter Abdul Razak Alhassan (10-2) take on scary powerful Khaos Williams (10-1). For Alhassan, he will be looking to bounce back from his second pro loss back in July with another highlight-reel KO. For Khaos, He would like to make a statement with another scary KO over Alhassan. The main event was initially supposed to be Islam Makhachev vs Rafael Dos Anjos at lightweight, but Makhachev pulled out on Monday with an undisclosed injury. So on five days notice, fellow fighter and newly loved commentator Paul ” The Irish Dragon.” Felder stepped up to fight at 155lbs. The former champion Dos Anjos wants to find prominence again, and a win over Felder will allow him to make a statement for a contenders fight next. Coming off back to back losses at welterweight, the former 155lb champion returns to his division again for his first fight at 155lbs in 4 years. For Paul, a short notice win over RDA will not only avenge his loss over Dan Hooker but remind people he is the most dangerous commentator on the roster.

Finally, the most notorious major tournament in golf teed off yesterday. The Masters, live from Augusta Country Club in Augusta, Georgia, got underway for the first time in November yesterday. The tournament, which is usually played in April, returned to the famed course to bring everyone their favourite golf tournament to tune into. No fans were allowed on the premises for the first time ever, all due to COVID-19. Currently, four men (A.Ancer, C.Smith, J.Thomas, and D.Johnson) are tied for the lead at -9 while seven men are within a two-stroke trailing distance. It will be a great weekend for golf, and the suspense will only build into the weekend. Who do you have walking away with the 84th green jacket on Sunday?

Please stay home and enjoy these events so that we in North America are allowed back into our favourite arenas to watch our favourite sporting events in full capacity again.

A 2020 NBA Draft Class Preview: The Prospects

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Although many would have thought that there would be no professional sports drafts on live TV this year, the multi-trillion-dollar empire always finds away. Back in April, we were treated to the first-ever virtual draft, which was hosted by the NFL. A couple of weeks ago, the NHL followed the same platform and hosted its first virtual draft. Even though it is five months after the regular draft month of June, the NBA will go virtual for a draft night’s spectacle on November 18th. Please note that this will not be a mock draft but a preview of some of the prospects available to the franchises on the 18th. 

Lamelo Ball

The most notable name in the 2020 draft class is easily the youngest Ball brother, Lamelo. Lamelo has been gaining notoriety ever since he was 14 years old, playing on the Chino Hills Senior Boys basketball team during the 2015-16 season. In 2017 he dropped a monstrous 92 points versus Los Osos High School, and ever since, the world has wondered if Lamelo was the best player out of his brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo. Heading into the 2020 draft, it is now clear that Lamelo has the highest potential to become a superstar out of his brothers. Standing at 6’7″ tall, the lanky point guard has unbelievable floor spreading ability and being one of few prospects to forgo the college route to play professionally in the NBL, the National Basketball League of Oceania. Lamelo saw plenty of playing time against fully grown men as a 17/18-year-old boy on the Illawarra Hawks. Lamelo played solid on both ends of the court, leaving experts to predict Lamelo can be a real lockdown defender with his tall frame and quick feet with lateral movements. Lamelo has no problem with playing offence; with an unpredictable dribble package similar to that of Stephen Curry, Lamelo creates space allowing him to shoot his preferred three-ball uninterrupted.

James Wiseman

At Memphis, his career started out rocky after the NCAA found out about his mother accepting 11,500$ from coach Penny Hardaway to help the family relocate. Once his 12 game suspension was up, Wiseman did see 69 total minutes of playing time. In that hour and nine minutes, Wiseman wowed franchises in the top 5 of this year’s draft. With his 7 foot tall stature and a wingspan of 7’6″, Wiseman surprises many by moving with the agility of a Small Forward and the leaping ability similar to that of Aaron Gordon. He plays well on both ends of the floor and is comparable to a prime Deandre Jordan. It will be surprising to see James fall outside of the top 5 picks. 

Anthony Edwards

Many thought the 6’3″ shooting guard out of Georgia would be the consensus 1st overall pick. Although he may not be a consensus 1st overall anymore, Anthony has the potential to be the best player in this draft class. With rocket-like explosiveness and formidable size around the rim, it is very tough to contain Edwards. He plays with a high intensity whenever he steps on the court, which is why he led the SEC in scoring and had the most 30+ point games as a freshman. Dwayne Wade has already taken the liberty of comparing Edwards to him, so we will stick with that. 

Onyeka Okongwu

Easily the best defensive player in this draft, Okongwu has also been turning heads since he was a part of that Chino Hills 2015-16 team as well. Standing at 6’9″ tall, Okongwu is shorter than most big men in the league today. But what he lacks in height he makes up for in reach; with a 7’2″ wingspan, Okongwu is a defensive force. Averaging three blocks and 1 steal a game with nine rebounds, Onyeka has proven that he can be a lockdown defender. He will need to improve his offensive abilities if he wants to become a dynamic Power Forward like league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Cole Anthony

Son of former Vancouver Grizzlies player Greg ” G-Money.” Anthony, Cole, is flying under the radar in this year’s draft. Coming in at 6’3″ and 190 pound Cole is a reasonably sized point-guard in terms of NBA standards. The high-flying, score-first type player that Cole is can easily fit him with a team’s needs inside that 10-15 pick range. Cole saw plenty of playing time at the University of North Carolina, where he put up 18.5 points, four assists, and 1.3 steals a game. Cole can adequately play both ends of the floor but will need to improve his ability to play a one-on-one defence worthy of being deemed all-star worthy. His 3.5 turnovers a game also concerns many teams, but Cole has been classified as a team player, so he has no doubt working on his efficiency. 

RJ Hampton

Perhaps the most prolific high school player of the 2019 class, Hampton decided to use his 5-star recruit status to land a professional contract in the NBL, months before Lamelo Ball. RJ is a crafty ball-handler who uses his creativity to carve open defences and effectively uses his crossover. Scoring is not an issue for RJ, but he likes to be a playmaking style of point guard similar to that of Steve Nash or John Stockton. I’m not saying he is the next version of either one of those guys, but his playstyle is quite similar. RJ is projected to be picked in the 14-19 pick range, meaning that some franchises see RJ as a lottery worthy player. 

The 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled to begin at 4 pm Pacific time. It was initially scheduled to be hosted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, but COVID has since moved it to the ESPN HQ in Bristol, Connecticut. Prospects will join the draft via video conference calls, and the league commissioner Adam Silver will, of course, announce the draft picks. How do you see the 2020 NBA draft class? Is it deeper than 2019’s class? Will this class of players be a class we talk about for generations to come like the 1996 or 2003 draft classes? 

Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr: A Battle Suited for 2020

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On November 28th, for the first time in nearly 15 years, Mike Tyson will step back into the ring. Mike has said, “the gods of war have resummoned me.” leaving me to think the Mike Tyson we see on November 28th, although he is 54, will be the Mike we all came to love in the 80s and early 90s before he was sent to prison. His opponent is no slouch; however, Roy Jones Jr last competed professionally in November of 2018 at 49 years old. Boxing fanatics widely considered the former seven belt holding multiple weight world champion to be the number 1 pound for pound in Tyson’s decline period and unanimously the number 1 in Tyson’s absence. The two even talked about having a bout in 2003 while Roy was the heavyweight champion. But now, when the world needs it most, they return to bring us a fight card of massive proportions—one that will be discussed for years to come.

The preliminary card will begin at 4 pm Pacific time and can be seen on FITE TV or tysonontriller.com for a pay-per-view price of 49.99$. The opening fight on the card will take place in the heavyweight division and will have the USNBC heavyweight belt on the line. Juiseppe Cusumano (9-3) will take on Nick Jones (9-3). Jiuseppe will be searching for his first defence of his USNBC title while Jones will look to capture the title for the first time. Nick Jones has previously fought for this belt, losing to Cassius Chaney by K.O. in the 9th round. For Jiuseppe Cusumano, a title defence will allow him to stake his claim for international heavyweight superstardom. As most heavyweight boxing fights go, expect nothing more than a rock em sock em robots style fight between these two giants.

The main card begins at 7 pm and will kick off with a cruiserweight (200 lbs) contest between Viddal Riley (4-0) and former UFC fighter Rashad Coulter (1-0), who hasn’t fought professionally in boxing for over five years! Both of these men possess finishing power having many boxing fans thinking this fight won’t see the scorecards. Although no belts are on the line, this contest is a huge one for both fighters. Viddal Riley is relatively new in the boxing world, having not competed yet on pay-per-view. A finish over a name like Coulter could jump Viddal up into the ranks of the cruiserweight division. Possibly aligning a title fight opportunity against the division’s best Oleksandr Usyk if Riley can continue is winning ways into 2021. For Coulter, a win could mean a fresh start again in the pro boxing world, allowing him to leave behind the shallow pay of pro mixed martial arts.

The second fight on the main card will be contested at light heavyweight (165lbs) when Mayweather promotions associate and all-around badass Badou Jack (22-3-3) takes on fellow American Blake McKernan (13-0). Many boxing enthusiasts remember Jack’s infamous brawl against Marcus Browne in January of 2019 when he left both Browne and referee Tony Weeks covered in blood. For Mckernan, Jack will be a giant step up in competition for him. Jack is Blake’s first opponent with more than twenty professional wins, leaving many to wonder is Blake a contender or a pretender?

The co-main event is not something I’m incredibly proud to report on, but the two individuals competing will bring many first time viewers to boxing. Jake Paul, yes Youtube’s Jake Paul, former Disney child actor Jake Paul will battle it out against former NBA star “Tiny” Nate Robinson. The bout will take place in the cruiserweight division (200lbs). Yes, we all know Jake has boxed before in the Youtube boxing events, but none of that counts when taking on a lifelong pro athlete. What Jake makes up for in size, he will lack in discipline and speed. Jake stands at 6 feet 1 inch tall, making him 4 inches taller than Robinson at 5 foot 9 inches. Jake Paul is undefeated in amateur boxing with a 1-0 record, while Nate will make his amateur debut. For enthusiasts, this fight is nothing more than a cash grab, which it is! However, I believe the two can put on a great battle with adequate amounts of amateur skill being put on display. Floyd “Money” Mayweather trained Robinson for this contest, and Jake Paul has invested millions into his boxing camps. If that doesn’t scream amateur scrap, I don’t know what does. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see a corpsed Jake Paul in the center of the ring with “Tiny” standing victoriously above him.

Now the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the main event of the evening. “Iron” Mike Tyson (50-6-2) will come back to something he swore never to do again: enter the ring as a competitor. Although the California State Athletic Commission has sanctioned the bout to be an exhibition, both Mike and Roy know that there will be nothing exhibition about this fight. Mike fights with one speed. Full forces until I stop him or he stops me, and with 44 K.O.s in 58 pro bouts, who has the guts to tell Mike to “take it easy” on Roy. Roy is no coward either, with a record of 66 wins and only nine losses while holding 7 title belts at the same time. It is hard to dispute Roy not being Mike’s most skilled opponent in his career. With wins over all-time greats such as James Toney, Bernard Hopkins, and Antonio Tarver, Roy experienced one of the most prolific boxing careers in the sport’s history. But on November 28th, it’s not about the past and what these guys accomplished. It’s about what you can achieve when everyone doubts you. Both these legends are passed their prime age of professional fighting, but when you deal with rare cases of inhuman super athletes, the impossible can happen. On November 28th, both Mike and Roy will fight for the “Frontline Championship.” A championship meant to honour all those that have helped so far during this crisis of a year. Get ready roll back your clock again, this time to the 90s when we see the lights shine down at the Staples Centre in L.A. when two of the sports best go at it one last time.

Patrick’s Weekend Sports Roundup

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Another week of 2020 goes by in a flash, leaving behind nothing more than a few COVID setbacks for British Columbia. But the sporting world continues to provide “COVID friendly” entertainment for all of us in some form of isolation in North America.

The NCAA welcomed back PAC-12 Football on Saturday. Giving many west-coasters something to enjoy again. USC and Arizona State put on an instant classic performance during their Saturday morning debuts. The Sundevils surprised many by hanging with USC then throwing up 13 unanswered points heading into the 4th quarter. However, USC and their never say die attitude began the comeback. Kedon Slovis, the USC quarterback, threw a quick touchdown pass to Bru McCoy to bring the Trojans to within one score. With a little luck, USC recovered their onside kick and marched down the field to score a go-ahead touchdown. The defence came up big and stopped ASU on the final drive of the game. Kedon Slovis finished with 381 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He completed 40/55 pass attempts and finished with a QB rating of 139.3. ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels finished with 134 yards and 1 TD with a QB rating of 111.1.

PAC-12 powerhouse and conference favourite Oregon began their campaign for more PAC-12 glory by facing off against division rivals Stanford. Sophomore QB Tyler Shough made his first start for Oregon, knowing that he must make an immediate impact since the departure of former QB standout and first-round draft pick Justin Herbert. Shough impressed, helping Oregon route Stanford 35-14. Oregon put up 496 total yards, Shough throwing for 227 of them with one TD and one pick. Highly touted 2021 NFL Draft prospect Penei Sewell continued his dominance on Oregon’s O-line, protecting Shough at left tackle every offensive drive.

In College Football’s “Game of the Week.” #1 in the nation Clemson took on a new division rival and #4 in Notre Dame. Heisman favourite and Clemson’s starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence was once again sidelined due to his COVID-19 infection, allowing #1 rated QB in the 2020 high school class D.J. Uiagalelei to make his second start for the Tigers. This game was deservedly game of the week, having football fans around the nation tuned in to see who’d win. Both Notre Dame and Clemson brought it upon themselves to make this game a shootout. Going drive for drive, score for score all the way until double overtime. Both teams put up over 300 yards passing and 40 points for an absolute ACC delight. However, star running back Travis Etienne ultimately let Clemson down, putting up only 28 rush yards on 18 attempts, allowing Notre Dame to stun the college football world with a 47-40 upset. Notre Dame QB Ian Book threw for 310 yards with one passing touchdown, and Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams ran for 140 yards with 3 TDs. Notre Dame will play unranked Boston College this weekend while Clemson is on a bye week.

Moving onto the pros in the NFL. Week 9 saw a much more eventful week than week eight had last week. The Buffalo Bills ran through the Seattle Seahawks in what might have been Seattle’s worst contest so far this season. Josh Allen wowed against current MVP front runner Russell Wilson. Putting up 415 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over to Seattle. Buffalo led wire to wire in this affair between East vs West leaving many to think are the Seahawks pretenders or contenders this season?

The defending champs Kansas City got to welcome back Christian McCaffrey from the IR list as they hosted Carolina at Arrowhead. To everyone’s surprise, Carolina came out with guns blazing. Putting up two touchdowns in their first two drives. They continued to show offensive dominance leading 17-13 at the half. But when you play the current best QB in the game in Patrick Mahomes, it’s best not to lay off the gas. Of course, Kansas City started to come back. Finding holes in the Carolina defence mainly the size of Tyreek Hill. Mahomes and Hill combined for two touchdowns in the second half alone. When all was said and done, Kansas remained victorious with the final score favouring them 33-31. Mahomes threw for 372 yards and four touchdowns and finished with a QB rating of 121.7. Christian McCaffrey cemented his return with 151 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns ( one receiving and one rushing.)

Sunday Night Football saw the NFC South take center stage under the lights at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking for revenge against the New Orleans Saints, who the Bucs lost to in week 1. However, instead of revenge, the Buccaneers got an absolute butt-kicking. Tom Brady put up arguably his worst Sunday night performance of his career. Throwing for 209 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. The Buccaneers only managed to score a field goal even with the re-debuting Antonio Brown making his first start since September 2019. The Saints look like a force to be reckoned with when they are fully healthy. Drew Brees surpassed Tom Brady in all-time touchdown passes, throwing for 4 of them and putting him atop the all-time charts with 654. Taysom Hill was wrecking ball in wildcat offence and ran for 54 yards as a backup QB. Alvin Kamara continued to stake his claim as the best player in fantasy football leagues across the globe by adding another rushing TD and adding 49 all-purpose yards. The Saints slapped the Bucs 38-3. Tonight’s Monday night matchup will see New England take on the New York Jets.

Now to take off the helmet and pads and lace up the gloves as we step into the squared circle and octagon for some combat sports updates. UFC Vegas 13 went down on Saturday at the UFC Apex inside of the UFC’s headquarters. The main event saw light heavyweight action as the division’s two top contenders Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira, battled it out to see who would get the next crack Jan Blachowicz’s championship belt. Both Santos and Glover got cracking almost immediately, with both landing ferociously. Santos dropped Glover midway through the second round and had him hurt up until the bell. But as legends do, Glover bounced back and brought Santos to the ground where he is most comfortable. Landing some vicious ground and pound, Glover eventually sunk in a Rear Naked Choke and secured himself his 5th straight victory. Lining him up for the next shot at the light heavyweight division champ Jan Blachowicz.

The co-main saw some Canadian action as Bonnyville, Alberta native Tanner Boser threw down with former heavyweight champion and future UFC Hall of Famer Andrei Arlovski. A back and forth contest saw Arlovski get the better of Boser in a unanimous decision victory.

Finally, to cap it all off, this past Saturday evening saw the return of 21-year-old WBC Lightweight champion Devin Haney. Haney took on a veteran of the sport Yuriorkis Gamboa in a 12 round main event contest on DAZN. Although, many fans disliked what they saw from Haney. Haney came out on top in a rather one-sided contest. No, there weren’t any knockdowns or even many power punches thrown, but Devin Haney, I thought, looked great and resembled a young Floyd Mayweather with a defence first strategy. Haney escaped the bout unscathed and looked like he could go another 10 rounds if asked. Now boxing fans alike and myself included, cannot wait to see what they decide for the likes of Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Teofimo Lopez. I hope Davis vs. Lopez gets set up, leaving an Olympic trial rematch between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney on the table if Garcia gets passed Luke Campbell this December.

Written By: Patrick Pinter