It’s time the so-called boxing experts and media types gave MannyPacquiao the respect he deserves. Sure, the fans are entitled to their opinions and there’s always going to be two stands on every debate. But those who know the sport should be thankful that Pacquiao’s on the scene and is living up to his and of the bargain when it comes to be a worldchampion.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the 1970s when boxers used to earn their money by fighting several times a year. Some guys enter the ring just once a year these days, but at least Pacquiao tries to appease his fans by lacing up the gloves at least twice every 12 months. All the talk about ducking opponents is garbage.

Just do the math here. With Pacquiao fighting twice a year it’s impossible to take on everybody the experts want to see. If he fights Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito, as he did last year, they accuse him of ducking Mayweather and Marquez. If he fights Shane Mosley, as he’s going to do on May 7, people say he’s ducking Andre Berto, etc. There’s no end to it. Let’s face it, he can’t fight everybody.

Actually, when you compare who some of the other world champions are fighting, Pacquiao should be praised for his choice of opponents. Just take a look at the Klitschko’s for example. The heavyweightchampions of the world. WBC champ Vitali has taken on guys such as Shannon Briggs, Albert Sosnowski, and Kevin Johnson over the past year or so and he’s going to be facing Odlainer Solis in his next fight on March 19.

While you might need help from the FBI to find out who these guys are, they still have a chance of landing a KO punch that will change boxing history. But the fact is nobody other than their immediate families know who they are. Take a look at the list of Pacquiao’s opponents and they’re all well-known and well-respected fighters.

IBO, IBF, and WBO heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko has taken on the likes of Eddie Chambers, Tony Thompson, and Hasim Rahman over the last couple of years and is going to take on Derek Chisora on April 30. In addition we’ve had the other heavyweight champ, the WBA’s David Haye, taking on Audley Harrison in one of the worst fights in boxing history. At least Pacquiao’s taking on ex-world champions, top-10 fighters, and those who are well known around the world with excellent records.

If Pacquiao decided to take on Ricardo Mayorga, like Miguel Cotto’s going to do, or a faded Erik Morales, who Juan Manuel Marquez is likely to meet, we’d never hear the end of it. But for some reason, Pacquiao’s forever being criticized by certain boxing and media people no matter who he decides to fight.

Pacquiao has fought 57 times as a pro. A total of nine opponents had losing records. However, these all came in his first 19 fights when he was learning his craft. The last time he fought somebody with a losing record was back in 1997 when he was just 19 years old. He’s also fought seven fighters who were previously unbeaten when facing him as well as 14 others who hadn’t lost more than two fights at the time of their meeting.

The only reason I can see for people getting upset with Pacquiao’s choice of opponents is because they rate him as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world even though they may dislike him.

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Everything’s been pretty quiet on the pugilistic front lately as Christmas and New Year’s have faded away and 2011 is slowly making a dent in the calendar. But Jan 17th is a special day on the world of boxing. It’s Muhammad Ali’s birthday and the champ has just turned 69. The years have crawled by, but it doesn’t really seem that long ago when Ali ruled the boxing world and perhaps the rest of the world too for that matter.
It got me wondering if today’s generation really know who Ali is because back then he was a lot more than just the king of the ring. We must go back to October 1954, when something happened that would changeboxing history and possibly world history. This is when an energetic 12-year-old boy named Cassius Clayhad his bicycle stolen in his hometown of Louisville, Ky. Crying with anger, the youngster told local police officer Joe Martin he was going to “whup” whoever had stolen it. Martin simply replied that he better learnhow to fight first. And learn he did.
He poured hours and hours of sweat into learning the sweet science of boxing and was rewarded by winning the gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the Rome Olympics just six years after meeting Martin. Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali after turning pro in 1960, grew up to be the most recognizable person on the planet.
From America to Africa, and the U.S.S.R. to Australia, everybody knew who he was, and with good reason. Ali was blessed with movie-star good looks. He was an entertainer, poet, actor, singer, religious spokesman, diplomat, comedian, and one hell of a boxer, probably the greatest ever.
But he was actually hated by a good portion of the public early in his career, dismissed as a clown, but his charisma eventually turned him into the “peoples” champion. The world soon fell in love with him and the affair still continues today.
Granted, Ali was no angel. He could be sassy and cocky, but usually pulled it off in a charming and playful childlike manner. But he had the skills to back up his words, often predicting the round his foes would fall in. He became a true world champion by taking his show on the road to places such as London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Manila, Kinshasha, the Bahamas, Dublin, Jakarta, Vancouver, and Zurich. He attracted presidents, prime ministers and royalty wherever he went. Children flocked to him in the thousands as they saw him as one of their own.
I first saw Ali fight on Dec. 7, 1970 when I was just a youngster. It was his second fight back after being inactive for three years due to a suspension for refusing induction into the U.S. army. “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Congs,” he had said. I jumped into my grandfather’s arms and cried with joy. “He won, he won,” I screamed, as he knocked out Oscar Bonavena in the 15th and final round. From then on I was under Ali’s spell, never missing a fight or a television appearance for the rest of his career.
Ali fought and defeated the greats of his era, including Archie Moore, Sonny Liston (twice), Floyd Patterson (twice), Ken Norton (twice), Joe Frazier (twice), George Chuvalo (twice) and perhaps his greatest feat of all, knocking out big George Foreman in Africa to regain the heavyweight title. Ali was also the smartest boxer I’ve ever seen and could adapt to any opponent in the ring.
He was also tough and took his defeats like a man, never complaining. He once fought the last 10 rounds of a fight against Norton with a broken jaw. In losses to Norton, Frazier, and Leon Spinks, Ali was standing at the final bell. His only stoppage came against champion Larry Holmes in 1980, when his beloved corner man Angelo Dundee stopped the bout. This however, was in the twilight of his career when he was 38 years old.
After retiring from boxing in 1981, Ali acted as a goodwill ambassador for the U.S., visiting foreign leaders around the world. In 1990 he visited Iraq for 10 days and secured the release of 15 American hostages. Saddam Hussein said he could not let the great Muhammad Ali go home empty handed.
Ali’s popularity lived on over the years. The film When We Were Kings, a documentary of his war with Foreman, won an Oscar in 1996. That same year, Ali touched millions more around the world as he lit the Olympic torch in Atlanta. In 1999 he was crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated and the BBC. Two years later, actor Will Smith was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the fighter in the movie Ali.
It’s impossible to describe Ali in just a few paragraphs. You need to write a book to do him justice and of course many people have. He’s still a champion now as he battles Parkinson’s syndrome, which he was diagnosed with in 1984. In true Ali fashion, he seeks no sympathy from the public. His mind is intact and he still possesses the mischievous wit and humor he became famous for.
People say boxing hasn’t been the same since Ali left. Frankly, the world hasn’t quite been the same without him in the spotlight either.
Happy birthday champ and thanks for all of the memories.

Leave it to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to end a thrilling NFL regular season on a sour, ugly note. As football fans, sports radio devotees, and chat-room obsessives gathered Monday to discuss the playoff seedings, Goodell issued an ill-timed letter laying out the state of negotiations with the NFL Players Association. Both sides are striving to secure a new collective bargaining agreement and avoid labor Armageddon, but based on Goodell’s letter, that’s where the similarities end.

In the letter, Goodell seems to be following a tried and true strategy: blame the union and sow resentment between the fans and the players they pay to watch. But in taking a closer look at his musty missive, Goodell also establishes himself as a stalking horse for a broader, systemic strategy being used by governors and captains of industry across the country. It’s a strategy that for all the focus-tested language has one end-goal: getting workers to work harder for less.

First, blame the economy:  Goodell writes: “Economic conditions… have changed dramatically inside and outside the NFL since 2006 when we negotiated the last CBA. A 10 percent unemployment rate hurts us all. Fans have limited budgets and rightly want the most for their money. I get it.” Does he get it? There is nothing about lowering prices for tickets, concessions, or parking. Instead he goes on to blame the greedy unions for making decent wages and benefits as the reason why there may be no football in 2011. As Goodell writes, “Yes, NFL players deserve to be paid well. Unfortunately, economic realities are forcing everyone to make tough choices and the NFL is no different.” This is the sporting version of something far broader and more pernicious as public sector workers are becoming the Willie Hortons of our economy.  They have become the 2011 scapegoat of choice as politicians impose the coming austerity. AFSCME has even started a campaign called “No More Lies” to counter the myths of the greedy unionists destroying state budgets.

Goodell goes on to lay out his vision for a brighter future. This brighter future includes players not only playing for less but also working more. As Goodell writes, “An enhanced season of 18 regular season and two preseason games would not add a single game for the players collectively, but would give fans more meaningful, high-quality football.” Then without irony and with no transition, Goodell leaps right into his deep care and concern for players’ health, writing, “Our emphasis on player health and safety is absolutely essential to the future of our game.” Yes, play longer but nothing is more essential than the health of the players. As Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said in comments aimed at Goodell, “If you were so concerned about the safety, why are you adding two more games? They don’t care about the safety of the game…. They’re hypocrites.”
Then Goodell goes after the salaries of rookies, calling for a “rookie pay scale.” He writes, “All we’re asking for is a return to common sense in paying our rookies. Other leagues have done this and we can too.” This is also ridiculous if not immoral. Any sport where each play can be your last, should reject any notion of a pay scale. Players in this most violent of games should be able to make as much as the market will bear and not a penny less.
Goodell finally ends with some blather about wanting to achieve this kind of “forward looking CBA” and “protecting the integrity of the game.” But there is no integrity in Goodell’s vision: only the same blueprint for workers we are seeing across the country: work more, take less. I am sure that there are many who would read this with little sympathy for NFL players as workers. But please consider: a typical NFL career is three and a half years and as NFL player Scott Fujita said to me, “We’re the only business with a 100% injury rate.” The ratings for the NFL this season have never been higher and no one ever paid hundreds of dollars to see Jerry Jones stalk the sidelines.

But it’s even bigger than all of that. Goodell finishes this ill-timed screed by writing, “This is about more than a labor agreement. It’s about the future of the NFL.” It’s also about the future of this country. We are living in a time of severe economic crisis. Whether the bosses or workers are made to pay for this crisis will be decided in battles large and small taking place around the country. But for all of these conflicts, there will be no greater stage or more amplified battleground than that between NFL owners and players. The vast majority of fans have a side in this fight. And it’s not with Roger Goodell.

[Dave Zirin is the author of “Bad Sports: How Owners are Ruining the Games we Love” (Scribner) and just made the new documentary “Not Just a Game.” Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.]

This is a brilliant stunt. Reebok teamed up with Modell’s and had NewEngland Patriots diminutive sensation Danny Woodhead go hang out in Modell’s for an hour or so.

They dressed him up like a regular employee with a nametag that said “Dan.” Because, that’s his name. His mission? To sell Danny Woodhead jerseys. It’s actually pretty funny, as well as a brilliant PR stunt (PFTand Deadspin were two places that picked it up. Probably a ton of other major media outlets too. Hell, OTRis running it!)

We wished mooah hadcah New Englandahs came in and statted to rant about the Pats. Some things we didn’t heyah while Woodhead was in tha stah, but wished we would have:

-”I’ll buy a Wes Welkah jehsey cause he’s white and fast. But wouldn’t go neyah that traitah Richud Seymah’s shet!”

-”I hed Derrick Behgess is back playin’ with tha Eagles now. You heyah that? He’s wethless!”

-”I got a really bonah ovah this Woodhead kid right now. He’s wicked smat and wicked white! I’ll take fah of his shets and make shah yah wrap ‘em fah me too! My only payah of scissahs in the apatment don’t wek. Can’t have enough jehsey’s of non colleds, ya know?!”

-”I just sawra license plate in the packin’ lawt that said “Owah Cah.”

So anyway, check this out.