Mach & Me: October 2009

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Verbal Sparring: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus R.A. The Rugged Man

This is Sirius talk.

R.A. The Rugged Man virtually whopped Floyd's sorry ass in their face-off on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Mayweather who has never lost a fight before this one took a serious beating and finally took one on a disqualification when he ducked the questions thrown at him and went off the air.

Listen to the verbal sparring below--

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Ice Queen melts in Moscow

Mao Asada’s continued decline in stature as a force to reckon with in figure skating hit rock bottom at the recently concluded Rostelecom Cup (Cup of Russia Grand Prix) wherein she placed a forgettable fifth in a field lacking in star power and participated in by up- and- coming figure skaters. The only other notable participant was her compatriot and 2007 World Champion Miki Ando who won the gold.

Once again, she failed to live up to expectations as she once again faltered both in her Short Program and Free Skate in a field devoid of elite competition to finish and record the worst result of her career.

What I saw in the rink was not the same Mao Asada that once dazzled the figure skating world and captured the hearts of fans worldwide but a mere shadow of her old self.

Gone are the smile and the cool demeanor on ice. Gone are the smooth and graceful moves. Gone are the care- free attitude and the spirit that endeared her to us. She simply looks tired, exhausted and lost out there.

There’s no question about her skills and talent but she needs to re-examine the events of the past year as it is obvious she is not her old self. She needs to regain her confidence and lift her morale to get back on track. She needs a new perspective and outlook regarding the direction of her career if she wants to be in contention for the Vancouver Winter Olympics next year.

Her teaming up with Tatiana Tarasova was a big mistake. They were never in sync at the beginning and there is no proof that their tandem will improve in the near future. Their partnership has produced nothing but frustrations and heartaches for the both of them.

Mao Asada really needs change; a coaching change, if you ask me. If Mao Asada wants to regain the Ice Queen title from Yu- Na Kim, then the time to start is NOW.

Now is the time to start with a clean slate. Now is the time to move on. Now is the time to let Ms. Tarasova go.