Hobson's Ideas

Mar 15, 2014

Check out my New Blogs

I want to thank all the loyal readers that continue to check out my blog. I should have done this a long time ago, but I have since moved away from this blogger site to Men Cook Too and The First Pitch. Whether you enjoy food or sports, there is something for you at either of these sites. While I thank you again for still viewing what I have here, please head over to those sites for new and up-to-date information.

Dec 2, 2012

What is Jimmy V Week?

This year will mark the sixth time Jimmy V Week will be held across the various ESPN avenues in hope of raising money for cancer research. During the first five years of the program, it has raised nearly $5 million, including more than $1.2 million in 2010 and $1.3 million in 2011, setting a new record.

The festivities began on Nov. 27 with the infamous speech Jimmy Valvano gave when he was the first recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the 1993 ESPY Awards. The speech will be shown throughout the week before the event concludes with the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 4 featuring Texas, Georgetown, NC State and Connecticut at Madison Square Garden.

In 2011, the 10th annual women's showdown featured the NCAA Champion Texas A&M against the University of Connecticut at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. The Huskies easily dispatched the Aggies by 30 points, 81-51. In the 17th annual men's double header at MSG in New York City, Missouri defeated Villanova 81-71, while Marquette and Washington battled in a great contest that went down to the wire, with Marquette winning 79-77.

Valvano was a legend in the sport of college basketball before being diagnosed with bone cancer in June 1992. During his time as a coach in Division I, he had a record of 346-210 with one National Championship and nine tournament appearances.

Among the many things that Valvano will be remembered for is his infamous ESPY Award speech in 1993, just weeks before succumbing to cancer. He was also the owner of one of the most famous scenes from a college championship, when he went running across the basketball court in 1983 looking for someone to hug after his NC State Wolfpack defeated the University of Houston.

The Jimmy V Foundation has helped raise more than $90 million to help follow Valvano's dream of never giving up. Among the programs the foundation offers is the V Scholar award. This award is heavily sought after by young physician/scientists at the leading cancer centers in the nation.

Source:
ESPN.com

Jul 30, 2012

Jay Z's 40/40 Club Pictures

After visiting Jay Z's 40/40 Club for an article, here are some additional pictures that didn't make the cut of my Yahoo article.

Which piece of memorabilia is your favorite?

Jul 7, 2012

Khabib Nurmagomedov beats Gleison Tibau at UFC 148

After the first two fights from UFC 148 on FX went 15 minutes, Gleison Tibau and Khabib Nurmagomedov fought in a major international affair. For the sake on my sanity, I will refer to Nurmagomedov as Khabib in this write-up. Khabib was 17-0 in his career coming into the fight, including an impressive win against Kamal Shalorus in his UFC debut. Tibau, the UFC veteran came into the fight with a 25-7 record, including wins in three straight (Kurt Pellegrino, Rafaello Oliveira and Rafael dos Anjos).

First Round

Both fighters attempted strikes in the early going, but both fighters missed more than they connected. Midway through the round, Khabib worked at a takedown, but was unable to take the tough Brazilian fighter down. The younger Khabib attempted several wild strikes, but the technical Tibau avoided. The round ended with another failed takedown attempt from Khabib.

My scorecard: Tibau, 10-9

Second Round

The round began with both fighters taking it easy with strikes, as Khabib continued to work towards a takedown. Tibau prevented the takedown and kept the fight on the feet. Tibau then used his strength to get a takedown of his own, but was unable to hold the position. Once at the feet, Khabib went for another takedown, but Tibau once again blocked it. The referee separated them, allowing Khabib to attempt his wild strikes again, but Tibau danced around and avoided the contact.

My scorecard: Tibau, 10-9

Third Round

This round was more of the same from the first two. Tibau continued to block the takedown attempts from the Russian and neither fighter landed any serious strikes. In the final seconds, both fighters exchanged powerful strikes, but the round ended with both men standing.

My scorecard: Tibau, 10-9 and overall 30-27

Official Decision: Unanimous Decision (30-27x3) for Khabib Nurmagomedov

Costa Philippou defeats Riki Fukuda at UFC 148

In the second fight from UFC 148 on FX, the American, Costa Philippou took on the Japanese star, Riki Fukuda. Philippou had won three straight coming into the fight after losing to Nick Catone at UFC 128, while Fukuda came in a victor in his last fight after losing to Nick Ring in his UFC debut.

First Round

The first minute of the round was mostly uneventful as Fukuda used kids to try to keep Philippou on the outside. Fukuda quickly shot for a takedown and worked at taking the former boxer down. Philippou fought back and never went down. Once separated, Philippou started to find his stride and connected with solid strikes to the face. With about a minute left, Philippou seemed to really get comfortable inside the Octagon and finished the round with some more strikes.

My Scorecard: Philippou, 10-9

Second Round

As the round went on, Philippou began to slow a bit as Fukuda began to be more offensive. Fukuda used his kicks to keep Philippou away, which seemed to be a strategy that worked for the Japanese fighter. As the round ended, Fukuda and Philippou began exchanging strikes.

My Scorecard: Philippou, 10-9

Third Round

The round began with both fighters looking tired. They circled around each other with the occasional strike thrown. With two minutes left in the round, Philippou got poked in the eye and was in a tremendous amount of pain. He continued the fight and came at Fukuda with a newfound aggression and demeanor. In the final 10 seconds, Philippou used his striking advantage to attack Fukuda.

My Scorecard: Philippou, 10-9 and 30-27 overall

Official Decision: Unanimous Decision (30-27x2, 29-28) for Costa Philippou