David's Brain, the V.I.P. Section: Go Vote, Joe Frazier dies, and Top 5 boxing movies (Rocky not included)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Go Vote, Joe Frazier dies, and Top 5 boxing movies (Rocky not included)

So there are people standing downtown looking ridiculous as walking billboards, so that must mean only one thing: it is election day. I encourage you all to vote. Ever since I was 18 I have voted in every election I possibly could, presidential or not. If you don't vote that's okay, but I better never hear you complain about politics. You could have made a difference but you didn't go so you have to live with the results. Plus I don't like talking politics anyway so that's something I'm cool with. If you are in Ohio, voting is more important for you terrible drivers. You have to vote on that ridiculous street car thing or whatever and Issue 2 which we all know my stance on that from a previous blog. Look back in the archives if you want to see.

Smokin' Joe Frazier passed away from liver cancer last night. ESPN's story.

He will forever be known as the rival of one Muhammed Ali. Remember the, "Down goes Frazier" call? Yeah that's about this guy. Joe was one bad man. He is a legend in his own right and without Frazier Ali wouldn't be the legend he became. Larry Bird had Magic Johnson. Tom Brady has Peyton Manning (except for right now with that neck issue that may be career threatening). Ali had Frazier. Rivalries are what makes sports worth watching. I'm a Kentucky fan. Imagine if Louisville didn't have a team. Kind of boring huh? And what about the Bengals this week playing the Steelers. Imagine if it was just another week. You can't. That's how Frazier was to Ali. I used to always play this game called Greatest Heavyweights on Sega Genesis. It had all the legends from Foreman to Joe Louis to Ali to Marciano. I would always pick Frazier. He had a mouth on him in that game and he'd always call his opponent a pansy and as a kid I thought it was like a bad word so it was the coolest thing ever. The way the announcer called out "SMMMMOOKIN' JOE FRAZZZIER" was really awesome too. I remember creating people on that game was really cool because you could make green or purple people and the training in that game required lots of discipline. They need a game like this on one of the newer systems. Anyway rest in peace big guy. There is a ring with golden ropes in Heaven and you have a head start on training because you know Ali will be there trash talking before you know it.

In honor of Joe, my top 5 favorite boxing movies of all time (This list excludes all Rocky movies).

5. Ali. Will Smith thought he was the real Ali in this film. Not the best movie ever made but it did have its moments and Joe Frazier is featured a couple of times so I had to add it to the list.

4. Raging Bull. Robert DeNiro was in it back before he was in all of those stupid comedies. It's a real life story which most boxing movies are and is filmed in black and white to give it an artistic feel.

3. The Fighter. This I had high expectations for but it didn't really live up to them. We've just seen this story way too many times: boxer has rough life, hits some hardships, goes from being an underdog to winning the whole thing. Christian Bale is awesome in it, so that alone makes it worth seeing.

2. Cinderella Man. Remember all the stuff that I just talked about in The Fighter, well that all happens to this guy during the great depression. Russell Crowe thinks he's awesome too so just put him in a cocky boxer role. It's hard to watch with the ugliest woman in Hollywood being in the film (Renee Zellweger).

1. Million Dollar Baby. This is one of my top 10 favorite movies. Period. Heads and shoulders above all of the other boxing movies. It's a heart breaker. It's a Clint Eastwood film. Morgan Freeman is in the darn thing. Just watch it and you'll love it. It is a Best Picture winner.

Winner of the Day: Cincinnati Police. In Walnut Hills they threw a block party to encourage people it was okay to come out after the gang busts they had. One of the alleged gang members showed up, however. Read More Here.

Loser of the Day: Jerry Sandusky and the entire Penn State athletic department. I mentioned this yesterday but it's so grotesque it needs to be said again. The dude used to be a coach on the football team. He left in 1999, came back to run a child program or whatever and it was found he was raping boys in the shower and Penn State covered it up. Wow. Can't get any lower than that. Here's an article a former player of his, LaVar Arrington wrote.