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Memos from Palookaville
Memos from Palookaville
With February nearly one for the books, Sherdog.com readers were
considerate enough to take the time to comment on recent op-eds.
Topics include UFC 67, the debut of EliteXC, promotional report
cards, and why I shouldn't be trusted with a keyboard. (In Spanish,
no less.)
Some choice missives appear below. Letters may be edited for length, clarity, and greetings that address me as "Josh."
Oh, and an FYI to Canadian pharmacies: Thank you for your efforts, but I have all the Percodan I need.
[Editor's Note: Jake filed this prior to Saturday's PRIDE — he's not ignoring the results, just being lazy.]
EliteXC
Although I disagree with many of your opinions, they are yours and I'm intelligent enough to make my own … but I have absolutely NO idea where in the world you came up with EliteXC getting a B-. That was the single worst MMA event I've ever watched.
The only thing that was even remotely mentionable was Gina Carano (Pictures) and I was not all that impressed. I'm going to judge her on the same basis that I judge men, she's just another fighter to me. I saw someone who had little ground game and couldn't finish her opponent off. I'm giving much more credit to the other girl for taking a pounding like that and not giving up or getting knocked out.
The whole dragon theme was disgusting. It insults every fan that watched the show and really demeans MMA. Goldberg announcing was a joke, and although he did fine on the stick, he has no place announcing at a MMA event.
And CABBAGE!?!?!?!? The only thing missing was Tank Abbott. Not only was it a bad show with bad fights, it just plain stunk. The only way I would watch that again would be if…hmmm, I can't seen to think of any reason to watch that again. I give it a D but only because they seemed to put a lot of effort into it. – Matt
If the reasonably agreeable EliteXC debut was "the single worst event you've ever seen," I implore you to seek out some of the earlier UFC knock-offs. You can't define "worst" until you've seen Mr. T conduct the post-fight interviews.
I do agree that women shouldn't be given a free pass when it comes to evaluating their technical ability. Carano's dimples shouldn't be an excuse for her lack of offensive skill on the mat.
Dana White
I love Sherdog.com, but your coverage of the UFC is about as fair as the NY Times' coverage of George Bush. I don't know the history between you guys and Dana White, but I've never seen such animosity toward an organization that is sending a lot of users to your website to learn more about MMA (myself included).
The fans have spoken, and the UFC should get an A-. They market their product with amazing effectiveness — they are the NFL of MMA. Pride and the IFL are basically the XFL & the USFL. The UFC is the only organization that consistently puts out innovative and fresh ideas. TUF builds an instant fan base for unknown fighters: that is why we care about guys named Koscheck, Griffin, Leben, Swick, Florian, and Evans.
Watching a Pride fight show on FOX Sports is usually a mixture of fights that are between 1-5 years old. Is that any way to market your product? Why not a live fight? – Bryan
To label the UFC as having "innovative and fresh ideas" on the eve of Griffin-Ortiz II was spectacular comic timing on your part.
You make a good point about PRIDE'S anemic U.S. presence. Until they get regular programming in a steady timeslot, they're not going to be a player in the States. Trying to juggle the disparate needs of two wildly different cultures is only going to serve to weaken the product.
Next to the Spike executives that gave a green light to the UFC, no one has done more for the sport in North America than Dana White. I've never failed to give him his due, but I certainly don't feel he's above reproach. And neither should you.
Grading on a Curve
I see you gave no more than a 'B' rating for any group, so am wondering what your basis for comparison is, in relation to an 'A' organization. What I mean is, while you (and everyone) will always have your personal views and agenda on what is missing in each org to make it an 'A' product via your own liking, you surely must also realize that since you've covered all the big orgs here, you feel none are top quality.
Without getting into your personal list of "change this/change that," do you not feel that at least one of these productions should be considered an 'A' grade by comparison? Certainly you'll always have your personal thoughts for improvement, but as a whole, should one organization not be considered an 'A' grade upon which to compare your subsequent grades? – John
I have yet to see any single promotional entity marry compelling production with top-notch talent and a logical title hierarchy. Most promotions — like most athletes — can do one thing very well and most other things only marginally well. PRIDE has the pageantry but not the logic; the UFC has the logic (at times) but not the elite talent; and so on.
Maybe HBO's history of impeccable production values and critical commentary, coupled with the established template of the UFC brand, will give us that elusive "A" presentation.
Speaking of Production …
I have to ask myself whether you are trying really hard to not see the non-existent UFC production.
Consider the following problems: Cameramen stand on stools to get their cameras over the fence. As a result, the camera angles are irregular. Sometimes it seems they miss some of the action because they can't find a good angle.
The sound system: With the money UFC is making off of their "we-buy-into-the-hype" fans, it's truly amazing how they can keep something this important so unbelievably abysmal. Just how many years does it have to take to realize that some fans might actually want to hear when a punch lands? Do people really like that the crowd sounds like background noise?
No bell at the start of a round, either, and what's up with that damn horn/signal they use to denote the end of a round? Boxing has a bell when the round starts, so does Pride. Hell, even WWE has it. But UFC? Nope, too hardcore for that. (Or too cheap?)
And Takada in diapers may look like Takada in diapers to you, but not necessarily to the Japanese. – chr
I respect the Japanese traditions, but I can only speak from my perspective as an American. Whoever makes the decision to leave in a grown man's buttered butt banging a drum on a U.S. telecast needs their head examined.
I've never noticed a serious problem with the UFC's camera angles, but you're right about the Octagon not being wired for sound. The Ultimate Fighter bouts are, and it makes a tremendous difference in immersing yourself in the action.
Shooto
I was reading through your article, which made me laugh at points, but I was wondering why you didn't bring any attention to Shooto. I believe it's the most exciting organization in the world and has produced some of the world's top fighters. I think Shooto needs a lot more credit producing the likes of Yamamoto, Crusher, Ishida, Shields, Aoki and Hansen. That organization has found some of the greatest fighters in the world and gets barely any credit in my opinion. – Matt O'Brien
Shooto has never expressed any interest in porting their product over to an American audience. I don't think they'd do well on pay per view, but I would like to see a licensed DVD series targeted toward the devout fan base. We're missing some great fights.
Some choice missives appear below. Letters may be edited for length, clarity, and greetings that address me as "Josh."
Oh, and an FYI to Canadian pharmacies: Thank you for your efforts, but I have all the Percodan I need.
[Editor's Note: Jake filed this prior to Saturday's PRIDE — he's not ignoring the results, just being lazy.]
EliteXC
Although I disagree with many of your opinions, they are yours and I'm intelligent enough to make my own … but I have absolutely NO idea where in the world you came up with EliteXC getting a B-. That was the single worst MMA event I've ever watched.
The only thing that was even remotely mentionable was Gina Carano (Pictures) and I was not all that impressed. I'm going to judge her on the same basis that I judge men, she's just another fighter to me. I saw someone who had little ground game and couldn't finish her opponent off. I'm giving much more credit to the other girl for taking a pounding like that and not giving up or getting knocked out.
The whole dragon theme was disgusting. It insults every fan that watched the show and really demeans MMA. Goldberg announcing was a joke, and although he did fine on the stick, he has no place announcing at a MMA event.
And CABBAGE!?!?!?!? The only thing missing was Tank Abbott. Not only was it a bad show with bad fights, it just plain stunk. The only way I would watch that again would be if…hmmm, I can't seen to think of any reason to watch that again. I give it a D but only because they seemed to put a lot of effort into it. – Matt
If the reasonably agreeable EliteXC debut was "the single worst event you've ever seen," I implore you to seek out some of the earlier UFC knock-offs. You can't define "worst" until you've seen Mr. T conduct the post-fight interviews.
I do agree that women shouldn't be given a free pass when it comes to evaluating their technical ability. Carano's dimples shouldn't be an excuse for her lack of offensive skill on the mat.
Dana White
I love Sherdog.com, but your coverage of the UFC is about as fair as the NY Times' coverage of George Bush. I don't know the history between you guys and Dana White, but I've never seen such animosity toward an organization that is sending a lot of users to your website to learn more about MMA (myself included).
The fans have spoken, and the UFC should get an A-. They market their product with amazing effectiveness — they are the NFL of MMA. Pride and the IFL are basically the XFL & the USFL. The UFC is the only organization that consistently puts out innovative and fresh ideas. TUF builds an instant fan base for unknown fighters: that is why we care about guys named Koscheck, Griffin, Leben, Swick, Florian, and Evans.
Watching a Pride fight show on FOX Sports is usually a mixture of fights that are between 1-5 years old. Is that any way to market your product? Why not a live fight? – Bryan
To label the UFC as having "innovative and fresh ideas" on the eve of Griffin-Ortiz II was spectacular comic timing on your part.
You make a good point about PRIDE'S anemic U.S. presence. Until they get regular programming in a steady timeslot, they're not going to be a player in the States. Trying to juggle the disparate needs of two wildly different cultures is only going to serve to weaken the product.
Next to the Spike executives that gave a green light to the UFC, no one has done more for the sport in North America than Dana White. I've never failed to give him his due, but I certainly don't feel he's above reproach. And neither should you.
Grading on a Curve
I see you gave no more than a 'B' rating for any group, so am wondering what your basis for comparison is, in relation to an 'A' organization. What I mean is, while you (and everyone) will always have your personal views and agenda on what is missing in each org to make it an 'A' product via your own liking, you surely must also realize that since you've covered all the big orgs here, you feel none are top quality.
Without getting into your personal list of "change this/change that," do you not feel that at least one of these productions should be considered an 'A' grade by comparison? Certainly you'll always have your personal thoughts for improvement, but as a whole, should one organization not be considered an 'A' grade upon which to compare your subsequent grades? – John
I have yet to see any single promotional entity marry compelling production with top-notch talent and a logical title hierarchy. Most promotions — like most athletes — can do one thing very well and most other things only marginally well. PRIDE has the pageantry but not the logic; the UFC has the logic (at times) but not the elite talent; and so on.
Maybe HBO's history of impeccable production values and critical commentary, coupled with the established template of the UFC brand, will give us that elusive "A" presentation.
Speaking of Production …
I have to ask myself whether you are trying really hard to not see the non-existent UFC production.
Consider the following problems: Cameramen stand on stools to get their cameras over the fence. As a result, the camera angles are irregular. Sometimes it seems they miss some of the action because they can't find a good angle.
The sound system: With the money UFC is making off of their "we-buy-into-the-hype" fans, it's truly amazing how they can keep something this important so unbelievably abysmal. Just how many years does it have to take to realize that some fans might actually want to hear when a punch lands? Do people really like that the crowd sounds like background noise?
No bell at the start of a round, either, and what's up with that damn horn/signal they use to denote the end of a round? Boxing has a bell when the round starts, so does Pride. Hell, even WWE has it. But UFC? Nope, too hardcore for that. (Or too cheap?)
And Takada in diapers may look like Takada in diapers to you, but not necessarily to the Japanese. – chr
I respect the Japanese traditions, but I can only speak from my perspective as an American. Whoever makes the decision to leave in a grown man's buttered butt banging a drum on a U.S. telecast needs their head examined.
I've never noticed a serious problem with the UFC's camera angles, but you're right about the Octagon not being wired for sound. The Ultimate Fighter bouts are, and it makes a tremendous difference in immersing yourself in the action.
Shooto
I was reading through your article, which made me laugh at points, but I was wondering why you didn't bring any attention to Shooto. I believe it's the most exciting organization in the world and has produced some of the world's top fighters. I think Shooto needs a lot more credit producing the likes of Yamamoto, Crusher, Ishida, Shields, Aoki and Hansen. That organization has found some of the greatest fighters in the world and gets barely any credit in my opinion. – Matt O'Brien
Shooto has never expressed any interest in porting their product over to an American audience. I don't think they'd do well on pay per view, but I would like to see a licensed DVD series targeted toward the devout fan base. We're missing some great fights.
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