Legendary Blue Horizon

As one of the last dozen or so folks in America who like boxing, I was heartened by this article in today’s Philadelphia Daily News. The leading local promoter and leading venue in Philadelphia have agreed to bury the hatchet.

Fight fans, of course, need no introduction to the Blue Horizon, which The Ring magazine rates as the best place in the world to watch boxing.

"To stay [at the New Alhambra] and not own the building would have been foolish on my part," he said. "And, to be perfectly honest, there were problems. Every time we put on a fight card there, we had to go in early to help set up the chairs. There were always issues with setting up and breaking down the ring. We won't have some of those issues at the Blue Horizon."

Don Elbaum, who serves as Michael's matchmaker, said the two promotional companies not only won't step on each other's toes, they will serve to help one another.

"Running 12 shows a year at the Blue Horizon is not only a plus for the Blue Horizon, but for boxing and for Philadelphia," he said. "We're going to help Joe and Russell, and they're going to help us. No question."

Philadelphia is one of the last places that there is still a regular crowd for “local” boxing- and part of that is due to the awesome Legendary Blue Horizon. All boxing fans must make the pilgrimage once to see it. Here is a good video about the venue- are you worthy to be a Philadelphia fighter?

Bruce Bochy = Dope?

One good thing about having NASCAR rained out Sunday afternoon is that you get to waste a whole afternoon at work tuning in- as opposed to wasting you own Sunday afternoon! And the rain did give me a chance to cast more than an occasional glance over at the Phillies. I find less and less joy in the wins- as opposed to simple marvel at the vagaries that occur. I mean, I dunno: how was your belly when “closer” Ryan Madson- after being allowed to bat in the bottom of the 8th- walked two guys with one out in the ninth? Candidly, I was sick.

Fortunately, for maybe the second, third time in his entire career managing a bench, Charlie out-coached his peer! Okay, it was largely due Bruce Bochy electing to- get this, seriously- pitch to Ryan Howard, with two on, up two runs in the seventh. Look, I know the book is “don’t put the go-ahead run on base”- but the Phillies best chance to get back in this game late was Ryan losing one somewhere- which he promptly did. And Ryan hasn’t been a cripple with the bat since he’s come back…. I just don’t get that decision. Didn’t some member of the Giants have a civic obligation to stage some sort of intervention? Bruce, do we really want to do this? Bruce?

In other news, I don’t follow the fight game all that closely- other than to visit the Legendary Blue Horizon twice a year. But, the PDN today draws attention to the fact that no one, other than a Russian, holds a world championship in the heavyweight division. To put it another way, it is sort of like saying that in fifteen years the top five players in the NBA would be eastern Europeans- that is the sort of seismic, pretty unexpected shift we’re looking at here. Seriously, look at the guy. He just doesn't look bad. He just looks very tired.

I have a thing for the decaying sports- ice hockey, boxing, horse racing (another article here from the New York Post giving yet another example of why it is in decline in the US)- which is why the immediate introduction of ESPN Ocho is increasingly important. Shoot, if ESPN could put the spelling bee on the map- the Ocho could help revitalize these sports. I guarantee you all three are better than women’s softball currently clogging up the nation’s airwarves.