See original here:
Len Berman: Top 5 Sports Stories

It was Friday afternoon and I received a call from my good friend “Big League” John McChesney, whom I often times managed at various indy shows. ?He was headed from his home in Erie, PA ?to wrestle at a bar in downtown Cleveland called, “Jimmy's in the Flats.” ?When Johnny was booked in or around Cleveland he'd stay at my house, to save on hotel expenses and to avoid driving back home that same night. ?McChesney was putting the show over huge in an attempt to get me to go and watch. ?Sometimes indy shows aren't so great and I had a feeling this was going to be one of those times. ?Johnny kept selling though, “Aaron, there's going to be some good matches. ?Um, I think Aero's booked… and some other good people.” ?I wasn't sold. ?”Oh! ?They have big glove boxing there tonight.” ?Still not sold. ?”Their drink specials are really good… I think half off.” ?I'm starting to reconsider. ?”There's always single, hot chicks in the bar… there's a good chance we bring some home.” ?I'm in!

My friend Mack and I arrived at Jimmy's and settled in for a night of sub-par wrestling and carousing. ?In the midst of the half-price drinks, big glove boxing and big time wrestling, something magical happened. ?I made my way over to the bar, with intentions of ordering three “Flaming D.P.'s” for Johnny, Mack and I. ?As I was waiting for the bartender, the two girls next to me tapped my shoulder and began to kiss each other. ?”Bartender, make that five please!” ?McChesney was 100% accurate in his sales pitch for the show. ?There were some good matches, big glove boxing, drink specials but most importantly, there were hot chicks -and we were determined to bring them home. ?As I recall, there were several guys just standing around, entranced in a deep stare at the ladies. My friends and I were among those guys, standing front and center, tongues to the ground.

Note to readers: The most important thing to remember when hitting on chicks is to, under no circumstances, tell them you're involved in wrestling. ?This is a common mistake made by many workers in the business. ? Ninety percent of females hate professional wrestling. ?One hundred percent of females hate indy wrestling. ?The announcement for “last call” was made and it was time to make the hard sell to the girls. ?After a brief huddle, it was decided that I would be the one to pitch the idea of an after-party with four dudes (indy worker Chris Kole was my straightedge roommate that elected to stay home) to the two bi girls. ?I walked up to them and before I could fumble through my first sentence, they asked, “Hey, sexy… Did you wanna have some fun tonight? ?We could meet you guys back at your place, like an after party thing.”

The girls, Candy and Trixie as I had just found out, were following us home and even though the odds were in favor of someone being left out, we didn't care. ?Mack, Johnny and I walked in to my house and upstairs to the entertainment loft, where Kole was watching old VHS tapes of Alf. ?We explained our unique situation to him, which he promptly replied, “I don't want any part of this. ?It just sounds bad.” ?The girls arrived with party accessories and Mack began pouring the drinks. ?Kole retreated to the downstairs living room, where he watched the History Channel in complete sobriety. ?Johnny began to speak, “So, you girls…” and trailed off because they began kissing each other again. ?They'd pause on occasion… to breathe… and there we were, three dudes sitting around watching them and then briefly glancing over at each other, not knowing what to do. ?It was a strip club-like atmosphere and like a wise man once said, “business was about to pick up.”

Even though it was a typical Cleveland winter, and I don't keep the heat turned up, Trixie became unseasonably hot. ?She took off her sweater, as Candy answered her phone. ?”Hello… no I can't… we're working right now…” ?McChesney looked over at me and I matter-of-factly said, “Must be a jealous boyfriend calling.” ?Trixie was really interested in the type of work we did for a living, and apparently after I stated I'd just collected a big settlement from a law-suit, her fever kicked back in because she removed the rest of her clothing. ?Candy started burning up too, joining her co-worker in stripping. ?I was very appreciative that the girls were so concerned with not getting us sick, that they only made out with each other. ?I had several fitness machines in my loft, and Candy began riding the exercise bike while Trixie was doing headstands, yes, both were still nude, and not sick. ?Kole walked in, searching for his “Best of Low-Ki” tape, but stopped immediately, and without saying a word turned around and left.

I walked to the kitchen for more rum. ?Johnny was already there, talking with Kole. ?I was stunned as to how well the night was going until John said, “Aaron, I think those chicks are hookers.” ?I reacted, “Noooo. ?What? ?Nooo. What makes you think that?” ?He replied, “Um, they asked me for money.” ?I reasoned, “They just probably didn't realize they were low on gas or something and didn't bring much money, you're just drunk. ?That's all.” ?Kole interjected, “No, dude. ?Those bitches are trickin'.” ?He was sober and probably right. ?Mack walked in, “Those chicks keep holding out their hands after doing stuff to each other and saying, 'And then?' I think they're hookers.” ?The nights events began to replay through my mind… ?their names were “Candy” and “Trixie”… it started to make sense and I began to freak out, “Why are we all here and they're upstairs alone with all my shit??”

We tried getting rid of the girls by saying things like we forgot to cash our checks, or I just got called into work, etc. ?Nothing was working. ?They were determined to stay and get paid. ?Eventually, it came to me. ?I had to go back to the Golden Rule. ?I asked McChesney, “So, you got any other matches coming up?” ?Candy wondered what kind of matches we were talking about. ?”Oh, pro wrestling.” Then Trixie said, “Like WWE?” ?”Well, kind of. ?But low budget. ?It's what was at the bar tonight.” Faster than their clothes came off, they were back on and the “working girls” were gone. ?The night may not have gone exactly how I had hoped, but at least I have this story. ?The moral of the story is that wrestling doesn't always pay the best, but ensuring I didn't have a strong-handed pimp coming after me, was the best pay off I could have ever asked for.

Read more…

Visit link:
Off The Air: Best and Dirtiest Wrestling Payday

As TMZ first reported, De La Hoya entered a rehab facility in California sometime within the last few weeks. We’re told De La Hoya is seeking help for substance abuse issues. A source close to the boxing legend tells us he has “voluntarily commenced proactive treatment to address certain health and personal issues.”

Read More…

See the original post here:
Oscar De La Hoya in Rehab: ‘I Have My Flaws’

Filed under: Strikeforce

Too bad we’ll never know just how good Herschel Walker could have been. At 48 years old, even the seemingly ageless Walker admits that he doesn’t see much of a lifespan for himself in mixed martial arts. He focuses more on the training than the fighting, leaving his Strikeforce career to his team at the American Kickboxing Academy.

That’s a shame, really, because Walker could have been good. Very good. Sure, it’s hard to tell just where he is right now. Even at 2-0, wins over Scott Carson and Greg Nagy aren’t measuring sticks we can easily read. Beginner vs. beginner fights are understandable, but for the fan, they’re not very helpful in evaluating talent. In Walker’s case though, you can see he has it. For a young fighter — figuratively speaking, of course — he has good instincts, power and poise. And even at his advanced age, his athleticism is still quite obvious.

Walker has critics, of course, but most of them are more focused on why he has a job in the first place, rather than what he is when he steps in the cage. And aren’t we supposed to care more about what happens in the cage?

Read the original post:
Herschel Walker’s Detractors Swing and Miss on Criticisms

Filed under: MMA Videos, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, Videos

SAN JOSE, Calif. — MMA Fighting caught up with Scott Coker following Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg to talk about where all the big winners go from here, Nick Diaz‘s chances of competing in boxing, the post-fight incident involving Diaz and why Siyar Bahadurzada isn’t fighting for the organization.

Read more:
Scott Coker Calls Nick Diaz Post-Fight Altercation ‘Isolated Incident’

Filed under: MMA Videos, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, Videos

SAN JOSE, Calif. — MMA Fighting spoke to Nick Diaz‘s trainer and manager Cesar Gracie about Diaz’s win over Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, what happened at the end of the fight with a group of fans in attendance, the chances of Diaz boxing Fernando Vargas next, Roger Gracie’s performance and his response to Melvin Guillard‘s recent comments about him.

More here:
Cesar Gracie Says What’s Next for Nick Diaz, Responds to Melvin Guillard

Filed under: Fighting, FanHouse Exclusive

There has never been a fighter’s union in boxing, which leads many to believe one will never be formed in MMA.

The idea of a fighter’s union in MMA has been talked about for years, however, it has always remained just that: an idea.

MMA manager Lex McMahon, president of Alchemist Management, said on Wednesday’s episode of The MMA Hour that he was in favor of seeing fighter’s union in MMA.

“I think it’s needed,” McMahon said. “I think that it’s going to take further growth in the industry. I think that you’re going to have to have a little bit more of a level playing field between the fighters, the management groups and the promotions before you are able to be in a position where you can really have enough strength from the fighter’s side to be able to come together in a union. But it’s an important issue.”

Here is the original post:
Manager Lex McMahon: Fighter’s Union ‘Needed’ in MMA

Filed under: Fighting, FanHouse Exclusive, News

So much for the great Kimbo Slice boxing experiment.

The former street fighting sensation turned MMA fighter abruptly quit his pursuit of becoming a boxing star in October, Slice’s former promoter Jared Shaw told MMA Fighting.

“[Slice left the boxing training camp] due to some various injuries and to go film The Scorpion King. Upon his return, he didn’t show me any interest in boxing, so we just decided for right now to put it to the side,” Shaw said.

Read the rest here:
Kimbo Slice Quits Boxing, Reportedly Set for Pro Wrestling Tournament

Filed under: Strikeforce

This is the Strikeforce live blog for Julia Budd vs. Amanda Nunes, a women’s 145-pound bout on tonight’s Strikeforce Challengers 13 on Showtime card from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

Budd (1-0), who holds a kickboxing background, is also fitness model and personal trainer out of British Columbia, Canada. Budd made her MMA debut last October, stopping Shana Olsen in the second round with punches. Nunes (5-1), a Brazilian who currently resides in Patterson, N.J., is making her U.S. fighting debut.

The live blog is below.

See more here:
Strikeforce Live Blog: Julia Budd vs. Amanda Nunes Updates

Filed under: Strikeforce

This is the Strikeforce live blog for Daniel Cormier vs. Devin Cole, a heavyweight bout on tonight’s Strikeforce Challengers 13 on Showtime card from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

A two-time Olympic wrestler, Cormier (6-0) has been honing his MMA skills with Cain Velasquez and the rest of the members of the American Kickboxing Academy. Cole (18-8-1) is a former IFL competitor.

The live blog is below.

See the article here:
Strikeforce Live Blog: Daniel Cormier vs. Devin Cole Updates