While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
Stipe Miocic made a successful UFC debut: Miocic won the first round, taking down [Joey] Beltran a couple of times and edging him in the stand-up. The second round was much closer as both men went toe-to-toe as Miocic tired as the fight went on, both men landing shots. The slugfest continued into the third, although both men were gassed to a point in which many of the blows had no effect. Miocic finished the round in top control, taking down Beltran late to secure the dominant win.
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Miocic was ranked #5 on BloodyElbow.com’s 2011 World MMA Scouting Report. He entered tonight’s contest with a perfect record of 6-0, nearly all of those wins coming under NAAFS in Ohio. He trains out of Strong Style Fight Team with UFC veteran Forrest Petz and Bellator’s Chris Lozano. He also ranked nationally in wrestling at 197 lbs. alongside Nik Fekete, Ryan Bader, and Muhammed Lawal. [Leland Roling/BloodyElbow.com]
RIP Oakland Raiders Owner, Al Davis: Of the people I’ve met covering sports in the last 31 years, Davis was the most interesting personality. Easily. He challenged me a couple of times over things I’d written — one time months later deep in a story that even I didn’t remember. Time after time, on issue after issue, Davis would abstain from voting at league meetings, often times his way of voicing his silent protest over a bylaw he considered short-sighted. And sometimes I’m convinced he did it just to be a contrarian, just to say, “I never want to be in lockstep with the NFL — or with anyone. I’m my own man.”
Davis loved to take the new owners in the league and spend time with them one-on-one, to talk about how they could work in common and to tell them how he viewed the present and future of the sport. One of those men was Jerry Jones, who became close to Davis over the years. It was that relationship, in part, that helped embolden Jones to go outside the league’s exclusive advertising deal with Coke to make a deal with Pepsi in the Dallas area. The league sued Jones, but eventually adopted Jones’ contrarian way of selling and marketing beer and soft drinks both nationally and locally in separate deals. Jones, through Davis, saw the league was a collective entity, but also saw that each owner should be allowed to pursue deals in his own best interests.
Once, columnist Dave Anderson of the New York Times described Davis, raised in Brooklyn, as “cunning.” When Davis saw Anderson he said, “Come on Dave — don’t call me ‘cunning’ in the New York Times.”
“But you are, Al,” Anderson said.
“I know,” Davis said. “But my mother reads the New York Times.” [Peter King/Sports Illustrated]
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That had to be a fun game for Nebraska:
What exactly did we see through the rain on Saturday night?
Was it Nebraska’s baptism into the Big Ten Conference?
The transformation of a young, awkward quarterback looking for his leadership license?
The arrival of the 2011 Huskers, flailing, flawed and youthful, waiting for a spark to find their destiny?
Nah. Nebraska 34, Ohio State 27 was much more dramatic than that.
This was a night for the ages. The folks who saw it will never forget it.
They’ll remember the awful start, the reality, the sinking feeling, and how the sins seemed to be washed away in the rain. They’ll remember Lavonte David’s strip, and Braxton Miller being helped off, and Taylor Martinez dealing, and that time the kid finally checked down to Rex Burkhead. And what a gallop in the rain.
They won’t be able to remember the last time they had so much fun in the rain. [Tom Shatel/Omaha World Herald]
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‘Twas a big loss for the Buckeyes: The men in expensive suits and shiny shoes can kick up their feet, cackle and declare themselves the victor:
Ohio State’s football program is officially a mess.
That’s what the nameless, faceless decision-makers of the NCAA seemed to want all along. And they probably felt pretty vindicated after watching the Buckeyes self-destruct in a 34-27 loss at Nebraska on Saturday.
It’s clear the NCAA stripped Ohio State of more than just several key players and its most celebrated coach since Woody Hayes. In the event the near-lynching of Jim Tressel wasn’t enough, the NCAA also stole the Buckeyes’ dignity and resolve, making sure they have absolutely no reason to hold up their heads and live to fight another day.
This is the NCAA we’re talking about, and nothing but the wheels coming almost completely off will suffice as punishment. [Sam Amico/FoxSportsOhio]
