All over the internet you'll find this weekend's buffet of sporting events being called one of the greatest ever. I beg to differ on that. But I would say its one of the biggest sports betting weekend's in a long time. Las Vegas will have dollars falling from the skies by the time this sports betting weekend is over.
The usual events this time of year have arrived. You get Kentucky Derby Horses on the run; The NFL Draft with folks holding their breath before each and every pick; Pro Hockey and Basketball should be entering round two of their respective playoffs, And then there's what I call the main dish on the menu, or what could be billed as The Main Event: Boxing, with Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.
Without this long awaited match, the weekend sports lineup would be just another good show.
Manny and Floyd are what make this weekend a great one. Nobody I've asked is 100% sure who will come out victorious. Though the price for tv viewing admission is $99.00, every sports fan I know is finding a way to watch it.
Ferris: Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
I overheard some radio talk hosts boycotting the fight because they can't find it in themselves to support the controversial Floyd Mayweather. Their idea of having to explain the morality of Mayweather's celebrity status to their young kids, if their kids were old enough to understand, was just too much for these sports gurus to swallow. I had a hard time listening to these guys. I was left wondering if sports figures have become so representative of all we fans stand for, that guys are willing to skip major sporting events to avoid being labeled a this or that. Maybe it'll make some feel better about themselves by being able to say I did not support the so-and-so fight. Come'on Man! It's a fight between boxers, not a religious leader conference.
If I judge every sporting event by past actions of the athletes, owners and/or league decisions, I might as well give up sports altogether and take up something like classical ballet or cooking competitions. As radio host Damon Bruce always says at the end of each broadcast, "sports don't build character, they reveal it."
Folks, if you love sports as much as I, don't let your conscience get in the way of enjoying a once in a lifetime sporting event. You can hate yourself later, that's what therapists are for, but please, don't pass up the opportunity to have witnessed a Manny vs Floyd type event, live.
We sports lovers spend much down-time waiting for that matchup that defines why we love watching sports so much. This weekend's sports lineup, climaxing with Manny & Floyd, is one of those defining moments. They don't come around as often as we'd like, but when they do we somehow make time for them.
I don't know any of the horse's names that'll be running in the Kentucky Derby. I might catch a game or two of the NBA playoffs and highlights of NHL hockey. NFL draft day won't excite me beyond the Oakland Raiders #4 pick. R-A-I-D-E-R-S
But come Saturday evening, when Michael Buffer stands in the middle of the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas and recites his infamous boxing slogan......'let's get ready to rumble'......I will be watching with maniacal anticipation; eyes wide, fists clenched, blood pressure pumping through the roof as Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather face off for what is undoubtedly the fight of this century.
Michael Buffer poster courtesy of painter Stephen Holland, Liss Gallery
How big is this fight? It's so big that there's already a Wikepedia page about it.
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