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Your weekly random thoughts ... I grew up 20 minutes from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and when I got my first job after college as a sportswriter at the local paper, The Saratogian, I moved into an apartment there. I lived right down the street from ...

Blog | Conversation | June 12, 2008

When Kelly Pavlik of Youngstown, Ohio, then the No. 1 contender, challenged middleweight world champion Jermain Taylor in September in Atlantic City, N.J., the boardwalk was a sea of scarlet and gray. Everywhere you went that weekend, you were surro...

Blog | Conversation | May 30, 2008

For one last Tuesday night, my wife, Jenn, and I were on the reclining couch watching ESPN's "The Contender." Next week, I will be inside Boston's TD Banknorth Garden, where I assume my seat will be less comfortable, covering the season finale of the...

Blog | Conversation | October 31, 2007

When my wife, Jenn, told me she had something to do Tuesday night after work, my first question was: Will you be home by 10 p.m.? That, of course, is when we religiously watch "The Contender" each week on ESPN. She said she would be, so I was concer...

Blog | Conversation | October 24, 2007

If it's 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, it means it's time for "The Contender" around my house. Please, no phone calls. No text messages either. Normally, my wife, Jenn, a big fan, and I settle on the reclining couch to watch. We've done it each week since th...

Blog | Conversation | October 17, 2007

Another Tuesday night at 10 ET, another helping of "The Contender" on ESPN. One small problem: a 15-minute cable outage mid-episode meant I had to wait until the 12:30 a.m. replay on ESPN2 to catch what I missed. Thank goodness for replays. Here's a ...

Blog | Conversation | October 10, 2007

As you should know by now, don't call me on Tuesday nights at 10 ET. That's when my wife and I are on the new reclining couch watching "The Contender" on ESPN. We're now halfway through this season. Here's a look at Episode 5: Finally, Donny McCr...

Blog | Conversation | October 03, 2007

It was Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, so where was I? As you should know by now, on the new reclining couch with my wife watching "The Contender." Thank goodness for the invention of the DVR. I was recording "The Contender" and the Yankees-Devil Rays game on...

Blog | Conversation | September 25, 2007

I didn't like the first two seasons of "The Contender," but, yeah, I'm hooked on the third season, even though I already know the results of the taped fights. Regardless, you know where I was Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET -- in front of the TV with my ...

Blog | Conversation | September 19, 2007

Your weekly random thoughts ... • The Fight Freaks out there who have chatted with me each week for the past couple of years know that I have not been a fan of "The Contender" in seasons past. I despised the first season on NBC, whic...

Blog | Conversation | September 12, 2007

Your weekly random thoughts ... • Regarding Tuesday night's second episode of "The Contender," a few observations: 1. Sugar Ray Leonard, who is 51, dominated guest star Oscar De La Hoya, who is 34 and still fighting, in their improm...

Blog | Conversation | September 06, 2007

Super middleweight Peter Manfredo (27-4, 13 KOs), a star of the first season of "The Contender," loves being active, which is why he is going to fight for the third time in three months when he meets David Banks (14-1-1, 2 KOs) June 20 on "Friday Nig...

Blog | Conversation | June 08, 2007

While many American fans hope for a middleweight showdown between world champion Jermain Taylor and No. 1 contender Kelly Pavlik -- which is being negotiated between the promoters and HBO for the fall -- German fight fans hope to see a similar showdo...

Blog | Conversation | June 01, 2007

Although middleweight contender Edison Miranda of Colombia doesn't speak English, he has quickly emerged as one of the finest fighters when it comes to the art of trash talk, thanks to the crack PR team at Seminole Warriors Boxing, which has released...

Blog | Conversation | April 20, 2007