The Main Event.

Hey sportsfans,

Years from now when local boxing fanatics reflect on the events of  last evening some will certainly speak with fondness that Gloria Estefan’s “Conga” was the highlight in a historic night featuring the sweet science. Kept under wraps for weeks leading up the event, Conga* was the quite surprising, but yet completely appropriate, intro song of Phillip “The Cuban Sensation” Barrocas at The Main Event. Yes, there is video. Yes, that’s me following Phillip into the ring. (I was his corner man.) Yes, that’s me attempting to dance the conga between two natural born Cuban, salsa dancers - the Barrocas men. No, I will never do that again. Even at home.

Barrocas and several other boxing upandcomers took part in The Main Event, a fund-raiser that benefited the Levite Jewish Community Center, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. The Main Event was the brainchild of Martin Juarez (above, middle), the boxing trainer at the LJCC. Juarez, who as the 1991-1992 Alabama Golden Gloves Champion, has been training in the art of pugilism for several years in Birmingham. Great event. Super turnout. Fun night.

Prior to starting the evening’s bouts, before a packed house of more than three hundred spectators, our own Sid the Kid belted out a super rendition of the National Anthem that ended in a very loud ovation. Very proud of our Siddy! Watch her sing, here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcT4WLAFqQo

The Main Event featured four main bouts with three exhibitions mixed in. For the first bout, Ben “The Bone Crusher” Weil took on David “Kid Dyn-O-Mite” Campbell. With his two sons, Adam and Aaron, as his corner men, Weil was destined for glory during this humid evening set within the four corners of a warehouse in the Magic City's historic Southside. Displaying superior conditioning, Ben showed finely tuned skills and cat-like quickness to wear down his opponent. In a close one, Weil was the fans' choice as winner. Nice job, Bennie! Here is the video link to Ben's fight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtwb1bODZJU

After their bout was an exhibition by Caroline “Lights Out” Leak, a local tenth grader who showed some mad skills in the ring. The second match featured Michael “the Blade” Bailey boxing against Barrocas.  Once the conga line died down and Phillip stopped shaking his tush for the swooning gals, Barrocas showed why he has the reputation as a real street brawler. He landed punch after punch in a hurry to Bailey's midsection. Fighting like there was no tomorrow (partly due to Simmy yelling that he could not come home if he lost), Barrocas, using pounding right jabs, kept exposing Bailey's inside weaknesses that led to the crowd eventually awarding him the three round victory.

With seasoned cut man, Harry "The Original Cuban Sensation” Barrocas and Lyle "The Next Cuban Sensation" Barrocas in his corner, Phillip was carrying on a family tradition of never losing a bout in the state of Alabama.  I must admit I contributed very little as Barrocas's corner man, but at least I had fun doing it. Thank you for including me, Philly. Proud to call you my friend. (You too, Bennie.) Here is the video link to Phillip's match: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGYkCCgY1mQ

After Phillip's bout, there were two more exhibitions and two more outstanding bouts, one of which including former Alabama Governor, Don "The Governator" Siegelman going old school in tuxedo tops and bow ties. Nice touch. I hope they organize this type evening again next year.

*Largely considered to be the signature song for Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, it was released worldwide in 1985 (About this same time, way before he met his lovely bride Simmy, Barrocas was perfecting his latino dance moves on unsuspecting high school co-eds in New Orleans.) and became a smash success around the world, providing the band worldwide mainstream popularity, reaching #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and winning the Grand Prize at the 15th annual "Tokyo Music Festival" in Japan.


Signing off for a few months to soak in the summertime.
Thank you for putting up with us/me this school term.
Have a great week and summer everyone!
The Sports Guy   

Sid's big weekend. Knights are State Champs.

Hey sportsfans,

The weekend Sid has been working toward all school term finally arrived. Voice and dance recitals in full.

On Saturday, Sid sang a beautiful rendition of a difficult song in the spring voice recital at Birmingham Southern College. She sang "Learn to be Lonely," a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Phantom of the Opera. This is difficult song was also sung by Beyoncé at the 2005 Oscars with Webber accompanying on piano. Voice lessons will continue in the fall, but Sid was not finished performing for the weekend. Far from it.

Sunday night Sid danced in the "I've Got the Music in Me" spring recital at the BJCC theatre. She was in several numbers, including "Proud Mary", "Anything Goes", "Things that Make You Go Hmmm" and The King of Rock, Lion King medley. Grace, poise and beauty are words that come to mind. As a parent, it brings me much joy and happiness to see my child doing something that brings her true happiness. Sunday night was one of those nights. Way to go, Siddy G!

Sid has yet another performance coming up. She's been asked to sing the National Anthem before a fundraising event next weekend. Our buddies, Phillip and Ben, will be boxing along with many others in exhibitions to raise money for heart health. Should be a fun night.

Hats off to the Altamont boys soccer team for capturing the 1-4A State title this past weekend. The Knights knocked off two previously unbeaten teams before dropping Randolph in the finals. Several of these fellows are two time State soccer champs. The Knights also won titles in 2003 and 2009.

Altamont's Steven "Tin Man" Cochrun races (above) past Randolph's Robert Chappell in the first half of their AHSAA Class 1A-4A championship game at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala., Saturday, May 12, 2012. (The Birmingham News/Mark Almond)

(kad photo credits)

There is no better feeling in high school team sports.

I thought I was a baseball fan until I read about this fellow's quest to visit all 30 parks in 30 days. Oh, and he happens to be blind.  http://mlb.mlb.com/cutfour/article.jsp?content_id=31057530

Having a good week:  The Miami Heat's LeBron James has been named this year's NBA MVP, becoming the first player since Michael Jordan to win the award three times. Since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September, Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg has a 1.59 ERA with 75 strikeouts through 68 innings. Jackie Robinson "42" movie starts shooting in Birmingham this week. Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey. 

Not having a good week: Accused Auburn tree poisoner Harvey Updyke was removed from a SEC softball tournament game in Tuscaloosa last weekend. University of Alabama officials had previously banned Updyke from coming to campus.

Finals week is here. The girls are grumbling while they put in the hours.

Dance, theatre and sports camps galore are on the calendar.

Have a great week everyone!

The Sports Guy



Lax is over. Varsity letter winner. Soccer boys are heading to State. Confirmation on confirmation. Demolition of the BCS system? "Shake & Bake!" Lilly on the big stage.

Hey sportsfans,


The Spartans (#5 seed) took on Vestavia (#4) in the first round of the league playoffs Tuesday night at Rathmell fields. Having beaten Vestavia twice earlier in the year, the Spartans were looking for a season sweep and chance for redemption against top seeded Oak Mountain. Just wasn't in the cards this year. In a heart breaker, the Spartans lost in overtime, 8-7. Em took eight shots on goal, scoring just once. However, .... 


Not one for sour grapes though it must be pointed out that Em's score with two minutes remaining in regulation was disallowed due to a phantom "dangerous follow through" yellow card call by a ref standing thirty yards behind her. That score would have put the Spartans in the lead with a good chance to close out the game. Supposedly after she rifled a laser in the upper right corner of the net her stick touched the goalie which is a no-no. Em did not realize what she had done.

With the regular season closed out, the Spartans will play in a season ending tourney in Roswell, Ga. next weekend. Em will not be joining the team due to her father's insistence on she being prepared for final exams the following week. Sucks for her. The team's season record stands at 6-11. Good season. Em learned much. Looks to improve even more at a skills camp this summer. I see her playing on the junior varsity level next spring.


For many, many years professional and amateurs, alike, have argued, prayed, and begged for the demolition of the BCS system. Well, it looks like they are heading that way. This past week the 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and independent schools have started discussions to incorporate the existing Bowl Championship Series bowl games into a four-team playoff, the sites of the two national semifinal games might be determined by the conference affiliations of the two highest-ranked teams. Under a plan proposed during BCS meetings this week in Hollywood, Fla., BCS officials discussed having the Fiesta, Orange, Sugar and Rose bowls serve as rotating sites for two semifinal games. This could be the most significant change in college football, well, ever. Stay tuned! 


Just in case you were wondering: This week the baseball that went through Bill Buckner's legs in the 1986 World Series has been sold at a Dallas auction for $418,250. Charlie Sheen once bought it years ago for $90k.

Several Altamont athletes participated and did very well in the State Finals track meet down in Selma. Although Em did not qualify this year, she did learn that she lettered for the varsity team. Not bad for a seventh grader in her first year of organized track! Nice job, Em. Can't wait to see how much she improves next year. 

What a game! Saturday night we watched the Altamont varsity soccer boys take on No. 4 Westminster-Oak Mountain in the second round of the 1A-4A playoffs at Lily Field. In a physical game throughout, the Knights played outstanding defense for more than eighty minutes. Shadi (middle photo, below), Sam and Brindon were very tough defending their goal with many timely saves and quick feet to maneuver the ball away from the visiting ruffians. Cochrun, PK and Smoke put pressure on offense and had several attempts on goal. In a 0-0 thriller with about ten minutes gone in the second half, the winning goal was scored on a booming kick from forty yards out by midfielder by Keith Adler. What a bomb! Very exciting score.

The win knocks out Westminster from the previous ranks of the unbeaten. Sporting a 20-0-1 record heading in to this game, they were favored over the Knights who were 17-3-4. The Knights move on to the semifinals in Huntsville next weekend.

Speaking of PK, the Harvard bound Superstar won two individual State races in Selma earlier in the day. Then, he hauled butt up I-65 as they delayed the game so that he could start for the Knights. What a guy! The track team placed several runners in the awards at State. Great showing by both teams and Coach Tim.

Siddy G and her buddies were confirmed this weekend. As graduates from the religious school at TBE, she must know it all now, right? Way to go STK. She and Mack did a beautiful job leading a good portion of Saturday morning services.

Race fans at the Talladega Superspeedway might have been  doing a double take this weekend when one particular car zooms by. 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch unveiled a tongue in cheek paint scheme for this weekend's race, which is also going to support a good cause.  Busch was booted from his ride with high profile Penske Racing at the end of last year after an angry run-in with a reporter was captured on film and uploaded to YouTube. Since then, he's been racing with a much smaller-budget team at Phoenix Racing. This weekend, he came to Talladega with no sponsor lined up. With the prospect of a blank car looming, Busch decided to have some fun. Kurt Busch's Talladega car Fictional NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby found himself in a similar situation near the end of the comedy "Talladega Nights", and designed his own car with the words "Me" all over it, saying he was racing for himself. He also put a big cougar named Karen on the hood of his car as his logo.   "Shake & Bake!"

Having a great week:  Paralyzed football player Eric LeGrand tweets after being signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "This is honestly a blessing from above. I love you all keep following people believe we will make this happen." The following video helped DIII QB Alex Tanney from Monmouth College receive a tryout with the Buffalo Bills:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDJb03a0yo&feature=player_embedded

Not having a great week: A week ago, Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young was arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom, accused of a hate crime. Police said he used an anti-Semitic slur against four men and tackled one of them. Young, 26, was intoxicated during an early morning physical confrontation with the men outside the Hilton New York along Sixth Avenue. What a dope. Ugh. Greatest closer in MLB history, NY Yankees Mariano Rivera, might be done. The 42 year old first ballot Hall of Famer tore up his knee this week shagging fly balls in pregame. However, on Friday, Rivera tweeted the following: "I'm coming back. Write it down in big letters. I'm not going out like this." What a shame. Sad about the loss of another sure Hall of Famer, Junior Seau, R.I.P. Ex-Ohio State QB Art Schlichter has been sentenced to 10 years and 7 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges involving a million-dollar ticket selling scheme.

Lilly "Twinkletoes" Nomberg (below, right) was awesome in her dance recital this weekend.  She was just beautiful as she fluttered, tiptoed and pranced around the big stage at the Alabama Theatre in front of hundreds of fans and family.

I have been told we have a new athlete in the family. Be on the look out for photos soon. I hear she's very competitive but claims not to be such.
Sid's recital week is upon on us. "I've Got the Music in Me" looks like it will be the best dance recital yet (and promises to be less than two hours). She will also be singing at Birmingham Southern for her voice recital next weekend.
Then, it's on to finals for both girls.
Have a great week everyone!
The Sports Guy