Lee Groves

Seems perfectly reasonable. He set the parameters, then proceeded to make good on his end of the bargain.

Sad news. Although Jake Scott was voted the Super Bowl VII MVP for his interceptions, Fernandez with his 17 tackles and one sack was the preeminent performer on the "No-Name Defense" that day. He was also a charismatic character who was often interviewed about the Perfect Dolphins. RIP.

"This is very weird for me." I don't know how many times I said that during last Saturday's annual Sistersville High School Alumni Parade, and that's because, as this year's "Distinguished Alumni" and inductee into the SHS Alumni Hall of Fame, I was part of said parade, and, as you can see from the photo, I sat high in the back seat of a silver convertible with a rather bemused look on my face. As I passed by hundreds of people lining both sides of the town's main street, I couldn't help but grasp the unusual nature of the situation I found myself in, and though my statement was meant to be comedic -- and it always got the laugh I was seeking -- all good comedy is rooted in truth. And, to be truthful, it WAS weird for me because I am not accustomed to being the center of attention, albeit I was that for only the few seconds that I passed by. Believe it or not, I am most comfortable in a supporting role. When I enter a room, I usually pick a seat near the back row so I can better absorb my environment while also not being in a prominent position for whomever will be in the front of the room speaking to us. That's just a part of my nature that I got from Mom. At the same time, however, I can be very sociable when need be, and that comes from my Dad. I can also deliver a good speech; in fact, I was told that had I been eligible, I probably would have won the "best speech" competition at Chapel. That's nice to hear, and that's a nice piece of information to have in my back pocket should I be summoned to speak before an audience again. The most anxious part for me Saturday morning was determining where I was going to park. I was told that I needed to park near Dr. Boone's old office near the railroad tracks on the left side of Route 2 going north. Trouble is, Dr. Thrasher was my doctor during those years and I had no idea where Dr. Boone's office was. I ended up parking in the open lot where Sistersville Middle School used to stand, which was great because it was convenient, lots of spots were available at the time, and it was easy to remember where I needed to go after all the festivities were over. Once I got out of the car, I asked where I needed to be and I was told that I could walk down straight toward the river, take a right and look for the floats. I found them easily and I also found the very people I needed to speak with to get all the information I needed. While I waited for the "Distinguished Alumni" car to arrive, I spent time telling stories to just about anyone who was willing to listen to me. One person was Mike Malone, a SHS Hall of Famer himself and a fellow Friendly Hill guy. He was to be a trumpet player in the parade and it was great catching up with him. And here's the thing: The man doesn't age. Once my designated car arrived, I chatted with the driver and his young son who was going to be in the car with us. I was jokingly asked which method of waving at the crowd I was going to employ: The windshield wiper or the Queen Elizabeth (I chose the former; I'm a dude, after all). I was also given a bag full of candy and was instructed to throw handfuls toward the children lining the streets who didn't already have treats. As for how I was to sit in the vehicle, I sat on the edge of the back seat so as to not dent the convertible's top cover. As a result, my quads got a very nice workout, a workout that augmented the one hour I had already spent on the treadmill that morning. Finally, I was informed that unlike other parades, the route was to include two laps of the main street instead of the customary one. In between tossing candy and drinking in my environment, I did my best to take photos and shoot some video of my vantage point. These are the results. And the photo of me in the back of the convertible was provided to me by Beth Hendricks Roberts, the person who informed me via Facebook Messenger that I had been selected as this year's Hall of Fame inductee. A nice full-circle moment. The parade lasted less than an hour, and because I neglected to put on sunscreen before leaving the house, I ended up with a very minor sunburn. It was actually a miracle that the rain that had been predicted for Saturday did not fall during the parade. In fact, there were prominent patches of blue in the sky. I guess it was meant to be. Believe me when I say that I am very grateful for all the circumstances that led to the events of this past weekend. It is a great honor that I will treasure for however long I am fated to be in this realm. I will carry many good memories of this experience even though I was asked to execute tasks that seemed very....um....weird. Thanks for making this far with me, and I hope you enjoyed the story. See less

Sad to hear of Frankie's death. What a comeback story he crafted, and he was one bad decision away from completing it with a world championship (the disputed loss to Bernardo Pinango). Rest in peace.

I am as well @NikitaKoloff1. Before I get out of bed, I think about the tasks I want to finish on a given day. Sometimes I think about what must be done by the end of the week, but my main focus is how I can keep the daily conveyor belt running smoothly. It gives life purpose.

Yes, he was stopped. Most expected that result. But up to the very moment the fight was stopped, Richard Dunn gave it all he had and he enjoyed success against one of the best this sport ever had. His effort and fighting spirit deserves all respect and credit.

@SuSu5udio My point is a general statement about the administrative side of the sport, and, as a boxing fan, you know what those issues are. They've been going on for decades. Controversies such as what happened yesterday are a part of why general sports fans shy away from boxing.

@LeeGrovesBoxing Just so I understand, a fight card, that was in front of the pyramids in egypt, following queensberry rules, which had a debatable decision (uncommon in sport I know) is proof that boxing is not a proper sport?

Good question. Here's my answer: If boxing was a streamlined, organized sport that applied its rules consistently and logically, it would be a "proper sport." Unfortunately, boxing, especially in the administrative sense, is none of those things.

On the contrary, I love boxing the sport, and anyone who knows me well knows that beyond a doubt. But I am also realistic when it comes to calling balls and strikes, and here, there were plenty of strikes to be called. If there's a great fight or a positive development, I say that, too.

Did you have this ready ? In your drafts ? You was just ready for boxing to have a bad day.. just so you can shit on it .

@nevets111111 @indycoltsfan_12 You as well!

@indycoltsfan_12 @LeeGrovesBoxing I think we've crossed our wires and are having 2 different discussions. have great day though amigo.

My immediate take: This is another demonstration of why boxing is losing its place in the sporting mainstream, especially in the U.S. *In my opinion -- and apparently in the opinion of many -- Verhoeven was winning the fight, a situation that could have created a huge and embarrassing monkey wrench in how the Usyk story would have gone forward had he actually gone on to lose on points. *After being floored, we saw the latest manifestation of the Corrales-Castillo mouthpiece gambit that gives hurt fighters extra time to recover. Something must be done to address this because it has long been a standard operating procedure for hurt fighters to game the system and the situation. *The stoppage itself, which took place AFTER the bell sounded, put forth a very bad look. At first, it appeared as if Lyson moved in just to separate the fighters after the round ended, but then it became clear that his move was to actually stop the fight. What a terrible, anti-climactic and controversial way to cut off what had been a compelling -- and potentially miraculous -- ring drama. *Finally, the scorecards, which had the fight still within reach for Usyk to possibly win when it was clear to just about everyone he should have been losing. That feeds the long-held narrative surrounding the sport that it is corrupt. I don't know if that's the case, and I'm not alleging it here, but it is a terrible look nonetheless. Verhoeven deserved at least to have the 60-second break to try and recover. If he got KO'd in the 12th, so be it, but as well as he had fought to that point, he merited the opportunity to try. And Usyk deserved the chance to legitimately pull out what many of us feel would have been a dramatic come-from-behind KO victory. Because of what actually happened, this whole event now has a stench to it. This looked like Fury-Ngannou all over again: A reigning heavyweight titlist showing up heavy and less than fully motivated against an ambitious and geared-up novice (at least as far as traditional boxing is concerned). As disciplined and as professional as Usyk usually is, I didn't see that coming, but as soon as I saw his weight, doubts about whether he could generate a prime performance crept in. Now we know that 233 1/4 is too much poundage for Usyk to carry and I don't see him scaling that high in the future. I think if they fought again, Usyk would win because he would be in better condition and he would be his usually steely-minded self. Also, the element of surprise -- Verhoeven's biggest weapon here -- would be gone. At 39, Usyk is past his best and Verhoeven put forth a terrific performance. Chalk this up to "what might have been." If boxing was a proper sport, we would have found out "what might have been" tonight, but because it isn't, we'll never get that answer. How sad.

The first live card on the internet took place OTD 28 years ago, and here are the final moments of the main event between Freeman Barr and Roosevelt Booth. Veteran broadcaster (and podcast colleague) @SmittyBoxing did blow-by-blow for this show. Enjoy this piece of history:

@nevets111111 @indycoltsfan_12 That's your opinion.

@indycoltsfan_12 @LeeGrovesBoxing my point being, the numbers lie. compubox shit is a scam they sold the corrupt boxing world on to get their foot in the door. its meaningless as far as overall numbers

What's amazing is that this happened 24 days after his terrible performance against Jimmy Young. For Dunn, he scaled 10 pounds lighter and looked immeasurably better. Can you imagine a modern fighter, much less a champion risking his title, competing twice in 24 days? Me neither.