racingmeridian.com

PUG LIFE…Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz meet tonight in a rematch of their 2009 “Fight of the Year” encounter. In the interim Marquez has lost to Floyd Mayweather and Diaz split a pair with Paul Malignaggi. The stakes are still high, with Marquez angling for a Dec. date with Amir Khan and then, possibly, a third slugfest with Manny Pacquiao. Diaz is looking to put some life back into what was once a very promising career…Marquez, who turns 37 on Aug 23^rd, is a prohibitive -450 favourite (Diaz +360). In the first fight he needed every ounce of grit and determination at his disposal to rally and win. Can an older fighter be counted on to duplicate such heroics? I suggest taking the price on the Baby Bull. The momentum, the potential “big” fights, all seem to center on Marquez winning tonight. When does boxing ever cooperate? Diaz has been forgotten and is presumed to be nothing more than a stepping stone. At the hefty odds I’ll look for a disruptive upset…

…rumours of Floyd Mayweather Jr meeting Miguel Cotto in the fall appear to have been wishful thinking. Good. Cotto matches up abysmally with “Money”. He could never be expected to cope with the foot speed of Mayweather and would have been the recipient of another drubbing. His prospects in a rematch against Pac Man are far more favourable, particularly if he is allowed to fight at 154 (and not the 145 demanded in their first fight)…of course, Cotto needs the Margarito fight to fall apart, an unlikely prospect, for another chance at the Filipino…

…rumour that won’t go away has Cotto fighting Julio Caesar Chavez Jr on Dec 4^th in Las Vegas. That seems a bit rash on Chavez’s part but, well, after joining them miraculous Freddie Roach camp fighters just seem, I don’t know, bigger, stronger and impervious to fatigue…

ICE…Leaf fans can dream, can’t they? Could the Anaheim Ducks seemingly ludicrous decision to move their top offensive defenseman, James Wisniewski, to Long Island for a song be the first step in a Bobby Ryan - Tomas Kaberle deal?…

…could Philadelphia really be poised to go through another year with Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher as their netminders? A tepid offer to Marty Turco and an insult to Evengi Nabokov appears to be all the off season work the Black & Orange were prepared to do to address their most serious shortcoming…

…Dominic Moore is a very nice pick-up for the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Bolts Moore will be asked to perform third line duties, a role conducive to the best possible expression of his talents and abilities. It is Moore’s eighth team in a seven year career…

GRID IRON…is Washington’s Mike Shanahan enjoying his current status as the NFL’s most popular man? Shanahan is remaking the Redskins and his showdown with Albert Haynesworth resulted with a knockout win for the head coach. Haynesworth has been a “model” citizen after Shanahan humiliated the tackle by refusing to let him practice until he passes a physical…Shanahan’s son Kyle, the new offensive coordinator, crafted the Houston Texan aerial attack that was tops in the league last season. He should be delighted to be working with Donovan McNabb…the Skins open their season against Dallas, a match already looming as a dazzling Week 1 brawl…

…Randy Moss is in the final year of his New England Patriot contract. Think this will inspire the vacuous one? Moss is deigning to participate in “two a day” drills in Foxboro, instead of begging off, an indication he knows his chance of scoring a deal depends entirely on what he accomplishes this year…

RANDOM…the Miami Heat have been installed as 9-5 favourites to win the NBA Championship in 2011. The Los Angeles Lakers can be had for 3-1. Next in line are Orlando, Chicago and Boston at, respectively, 12, 16 and 18 to 1…the Toronto Raptors represent no value whatsoever, even at 125 to 1…

…the Indianapolis Colts and the San Diego Charges, at 9-1, are current co-favourites to win the 2011 Superbowl (how anyone could take those odds on the Chargers without knowing the status of Marcus McNeil is beyond me). Closing fast, at 10 to 1 are Baltimore, Green Bay and Dallas. The Cowboys are receiving a ton of hype, so their shortening price is understandable. The Ravens and the Pack, on the other hand, are being pounded by sharp action, including the bucks of yours truly. Those are two teams set for brilliant years, lead by their punishing and unforgiving defenses…the New York Jets are available at 12-1. That is a team that has massive potential on D but has made some shocking off season moves, dumping loads of character while adding high profile question marks. The core is solid but I’m predicting lots of distractions when the grind of the season begins…

…I’ve taken Mark Martin at 25-1 to annex the Pocono NASCAR event tomorrow. The increasing desperate Hendricks driver, 13^th in the overall standings and one spot out of The Chase, returns to what has historically been one of his favourite tracks. He represents value at that price…

My walk on the Danforth was interrupted when tires squealed and the JDawg pulled up. Get in, he yelled.

I noticed a brand new duffel bag in the back seat.

He smiled. That, my friend, is the answer to all my problems.

A duffel bag? JDawg is about to become a father for the first time, and I was becoming suspicious about his delight in the leather sack.

It’s like this, see, I can’t have my life interrupted by my new family member.

Wait, I stammered, grabbing the steering wheel to avoid hitting a pedestrian as the JDawg cruised through a red light.

I’ve got to golf, go to the track, play cards, I’s gots to be me!, he hollered.

Okay, you’ve got to be you.

He winked and nodded appreciatively. See, I figured it all out. That bag, he jabbed a meaty thumb in the direction of the back seat, is my investment in my freedom. A couple of towels on the inside, I puts Junior in the bag, give him a half pint of Guinness and, boom, the day is mine.

He was cackling uproariously, oblivious to the fact we had mounted the sidewalk.

I zip up the kid, he guffawed, and carry him around the greens, whose gonna notice? I can even pack him in an overhead bin and travel! I’m the frigging father of the year!

He was laughing so hard tears were squirting from his eyes. He slammed on the brakes as we approached The Rail. He was bent over in convulsions, laughing with such intensity that he began to vomit and choke.

I climbed out of the car, taking the duffel bag with me.

Flagging down a cop, I explained a junkie seemed to be having a seizure. The cop raced over to JDawg. It would only take a couple of seconds for her to observe the vial of coke I’d left on the dashboard. JDawg would be seeing the baby through bars.

I couldn’t help myself.

I love children.

The Bloor Cinema, at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor, was opened in 1941. Admission was 35 cents, with an extra dime purchasing admission to a smoking “loge”. The advertisements in the newspaper trumpeted the theatre’s “fireproof” status and noted all seats allowed full view of the screen.

Returning to the Bloor last night, after a 20 year absence, was a moving and exciting experience. It was once my favourite haunt, where I first watched Bunuel, Fellini, Kurosawa, Godard and Bergman.

I left after an unpleasant experience while watching Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. The crowd, all decked out in black, as conformist and intellectually dull as any suburban high school lunch crowd, took it upon themselves to laugh and ridicule the film. Of course aspects of the 1963 film appear dated, and possibly sexist, but to be unable to look past that and appreciate the work, generally considered an important part of the Hitchcock pantheon, struck me as appalling. I walked out and kept on walking…

The film “Labyrinth”, and my two decade long commitment to see the film, pulled me through the front door last night.

During my years of attending the Bloor, I never marvelled at its beauty. But after twenty years on a diet of square box theatres, where sticky neon signs represent creativity, the Bloor last night looked glorious. A large sprawling balcony, elegant architecture designed to both captivate and soothe the soul, plush curtains hiding the screen until show time, all spoke of a different time, and a pre-corporate ideology where money would be spent to captivate and amaze visitors. The geniuses of our time would certainly have constructed a cheaper and more utilitarian venue for the masses. The Bloor is now a place to be savoured and cherished, a potent slap at the “serviceability” and “functionality” features that mark the modern landscape.

The crowd was different. The young people of today seem different. I don’t sense the “bite” or desperate need to conform that, ironically enough, marked the Bloor crowd of the eighties ( the film studies ‘tards of the day would march around in “Conformity Sucks” t-shirts - everyone in the group wearing the same shirt, yeah…). Young people today appear more open minded and inclusive. When one person tried to pull that elitist, smarty-pants nonsense by hooting at David Bowies get-up, he was promptly told to shut up.

I loved Labyrinth. It was charming, funny, smart and, ultimately, exhilarating. You’ve probably seen it, so I don’t need to run through the plot; suffice to say it is a remarkably agile and clever allegory for the challenges a young person can expect to encounter on the road to adulthood.

It was worth the damn wait! A couple of lines were memorable, namely Jennifer Connelly’s characters admonition to David Bowie, as Jareth the Goblin King, “You have no power over me”, and the brilliant concluding lines, spoken to her well earned friends, ” I need you…every once in a while, for no reason at all, I need you”. Sob, sob, sob! The movie was soaked in brilliantly conceived sets and characters. It does not look dated, though one could definitely quibble with the synth rich eighties soundtrack pulsating through the film. Never mind, Bowie’s voice is deep and resonant as he warbles through songs written for the film.

A very special night.

And a medium popcorn (butter, as much as you want, is free) and a medium pop (what? 32 ounces?) are six bucks. Seven bucks admission. A steal and a chance to step into a more refined and human past.

I’ll let you know the next time the magic old building hosts The Birds and, together, we can reclaim the past…

GRID IRON…you can smell the pigskin in the air; the Sporting News team-by-team daily updates resumed this morning after a five month vacation…

…”I’ve got nothing new or original” - St Louis Rams head Coach Steve Spagnuolo inspiring the troops…

ICE…the Pittsburgh Penguins are considering making an offer to free agent Paul Kariya…

I love tumbling into a good film. Most times, a trip to the theatre leaves one feeling appalled or betrayed. For this reason, I like to select the directors and actors I trust carefully, and then wait for the correct bang on moment to watch their latest creations.

I was borne out of my body and deposited in the hot sand of a prisoner of war camp during 1983’s “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence”. I was surprised and delighted by the performance of David Bowie in what remains an unappreciated masterpiece.

When the erstwhile glam rock star appeared in the 1986 film Labyrinth, it immediately went on my “must see” list. But, again, I decided to wait for that elusive ethereal moment when you’re relaxed and open minded and ready to enjoy a good film.

It’s been a long wait.

It’s been 24 years and I never did get around to seeing the movie. Every conversation I’ve had which includes a discussion of my passion for Bowie inevitably includes a point where I’m asked what I thought of his performance as Jareth, King of the Goblins.

Never seen it, I reply.

Tonight is the night. The Bloor Cinema is showing the flick at 7 and I’m as excited as if I’m going to an actual Bowie show.

***

…Dennis Hopper is remembered in the current issue of Rolling Stone. It’s only a fair profile, focused on his domestic problems and copious drug use and not his prodigious talent.

There is one delicious moment, though. Hopkins is often credited with kicking off a “golden age” of American cinema with the release, in 1969, of Easy Rider. That period draws to an end with the rise of the horrific pair of Spielberg and Lucas, who corrupt and demolish American film. In the article it is mentioned that Hopper nurtured a hatred of the pair and the schlock they make, recognizing their lowest common denominator dreck had ruined the chances of his films ever finding a commercial audience again. Made me smile and reach for a copy of “True Romance”…

GRID IRON…I’m very bullish on the prospects of Kevin Kolb as the Philadelphia quarterback. Andy Reid and his Eagles staff have proven to be too consistently excellent for this to be an error in judgement. If they feel the time was right for a McNabb to Kolb transition, than I expect they will be proven correct…

…Terrell Owens is a very interesting pick-up for the Cincinnati Bengals. Carson Palmer fell apart at the end of last season and, at the minimum, his play creates concerns regarding his durability and consistency. Adding Terrell to the mix could be explosive if a litany of injury issues serve to limit Palmer’s effectiveness and ability to throw deep downfield…

ICE…very touching half hour special on TSN2 last night, entitled “The Choice”, ended with Alexie Ponikarovsky revealling he will be heading to Los Angeles and the Kings. The only celebrations were in downtown pubs in Toronto…kidding aside; this is a very bad signing by the Kings. Exchanging Frolov for Ponikarovsky is a deadly, momentum stopping blinder of a move. The kid is nothing more than a lukewarm body…

…Yann Denis always seemed like a handy sort, recording a .923 save percentage and a .205 goals against average while starting between the posts twelve times for the Devils last year, so it’s a bit surprising he has bolted to the KHL in search of employment. He’ll be starting for Amur Khabarovsk and, baby, even reading that makes me cold… 

PONIES…Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky are expected to meet again Sunday in the Haskell from Monmouth. ABC will be televising. Trappe Shot, a Monmouth Stakes winner, could be a young improving contender capable of toppling the high profile runners…First Dude and Uptowncharlybrown are also expected to contest the Haskell. It’s looking like a very a very hotly contested affair and should set us up nicely for the Travers at the end of August at Saratoga…Belmont winner Drosselmeyer will not race again this year…

GRID IRON…under the radar; Julius Peppers has the Chicago Bears dreaming of a return to the “Monsters of the Midway” days. Peppers could rejuvenate a defence that looked stale and uninspired last year…

…this is how Bears QB Jay Cutler sums up new offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s system, “You take your seven steps, you identify the coverage and you let it fly. The receiver is supposed to be there”…

…the New England Patriots can spin it anyway they want, but the bottom line is that they have not lived up to their commitment to extend Tom Brady’s contract. The situation is simmering but Brady is too classy to aggravate negotiations by holding out…

…I’m not a Cowboys fan yet can’t wait to see that platinum offence roll with Dez Bryant and Miles Austin manning the wideout roles. If Tony Romo can keep his mind off blondes and golf the dazzling array of talent assembled in Texas could take the Boys deep into the postseason. Concerns must revolve around firstly, coach Wade Phillips and his ability to manage a high pressure contest and, secondly, as stated previously, the use of a relatively untested left tackle…

…interesting; Peter King of S I offers the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals as two 2009 playoff teams that are going to struggle and regress in 2010…

PUG LIFE…the fallout from last week’s Danny Green - Paul Briggs fight continues (Briggs was knocked out 29 seconds into the fight by a soft left hand). The truth is best gleaned in a situation like this by following the money. A gambling site has reported they dropped the odds on a Green first round knockout from 7-1 to evens in the hours before the fight, so inundated were they by wagers on that specific eventuality. Centrebet stated flatly, “We’ve never in the history of boxing seen so much bet on a particular outcome”.  There can be little doubt that  members of the gambling community were given specific information indicating Briggs either could not, or would not, last a round with Green. Briggs reported he felt dizzy walking into the ring, but that could be a ruse to take attention off his blatant malfeasance.  Briggs should not be paid and he should be suspended indefinitely. The sport cannot tolerate this type of activity and authorities must act quickly and ruthlessly. A class action lawsuit on behalf of the fans in attendance should be designed to make Briggs bleed financially…

…I rue the day I began following Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. The pair are a disgrace; one a drug cheat and the other allergic to meaningful and challenging contests…the pair have crippled boxing and brought the sport to its knees…

PONIES…very interesting post by Steve Haskin concerns the physical appearance of Rachel Alexandra in the post parade before Saturdays Lady’s Secret Stakes. Haskin notes her tail was between her legs, so tightly wound that it laid across her belly. He notes animal behaviourists regard this of a sign of a concerned or “fretting” horse. Rachel has been a shadow of herself this year, showing none of the epic brilliance which saturated her 2009 campaign…

RANDOM…Ginner was right, this one just gets funnier and funnier every time you watch it…best clip of the year so far…meet Double Rainbow Guy…”http://www.youtube.com/v/0BRZkupyURw&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1″></param><param 

…Chris Bosh will be on the Jimmy Fallon show tonight (12.35am NBC)…

…the per diems given to professional athletes (NBA $114 per day, NHL $85 per day, NFL $90 per day) makes you wonder why they feel the need to even touch their salaries…

…bizarrely, this actually works; Mary J Blige doing a cover of Stairway to Heaven…”http://www.youtube.com/v/Z8ZJVZ9eHNI&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1″></param><param

ICE…Teemu Selanne was very effective for the Anaheim Ducks last year, registering 48 points in 54 games. Selanne has not made a decision yet on whether he will retire or come back for one more season…

…hey, Mr Tim Thomas, goalie with the Boston Bruins, did not realize you are a nutter. In a recent interview Thomas confessed to affection for Glen Beck and offered he would like to swap places with Barack Obama for a day so he could “restore the constitution of the United States to its rightful place” (code for a Tea Party member). A friend kindly printed out some of the political objectives of leading members of the Tea Baggers for my perusal. Astonishing stuff abounds, like the abolition of the Department of Education, withdrawal from the United Nations, an end to the Federal Reserve, a ban on all abortions, harsh sentences for all drug offences, a ban on all same-sex marriages etc etc. I hope my American friends continue voting Democrat…

GRID IRON…the many punters I meet who tell me New Orleans will fall apart this year need to review the Saints cozy and welcoming 2010 schedule. The Saints have three tough games this year. Three, mon amis (Minnesota, Dallas and Baltimore). There is no chance of the Brees Express being derailed anytime soon…

…Dez Bryant, rookie Dallas Cowboy wideout, deserves props for refusing to partake in some idiotic hazing rituals. Bryant refused to carry Roy Williams shoulder pads after practice and really, can you blame him? Mrs Williams would probably have the rookie washing his bras and girdles and painting his toenails if he had his way…

…the consensus states Matt Leinart is the NFL QB most under the gun as we prepare for the upcoming season. The fifth year pro is charged with replacing Kurt Warner and leading a still talented offence. But what about Jay Cutler? With a losing record as a starter (24-29), Cutler needs to silence critics before his stay in Chicago devolves into a debacle. New offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz has improved every team he joins by about six points a game. Cutler will surely benefit from the new mentor, but who on the Bear roster represents an enticing target for the new airborne attack? Shouldn’t the Bears be at least ruminating on Terrell? Devon Hester as your top receiver is very troubling…

PONIES…Rachel Alexandra notched her second win of the year (from four starts) with a win in the Lady’s Secret at Monmouth yesterday. It was a fairly easy win, but Rachel still didn’t flash the fire that made her the top performer of 2009. It’s spit or get off the pot time for the filly now, with her next start certain to be in a Grade 1…

…we’re seldom delighted with a race where we didn’t cash but the win of Golden Moka in the Prince of Wales Sunday represented exactly that circumstance. The colt, an 8k yearling, had not raced since a Nov 2009 sprint in Panama. The horse had never run two turns and was parachuted into a very tough spot for his North American debut. Under a heady ride by Fort Erie jock Anthony Stephens, the colt set relaxed fractions before finding another gear late and dusting a field of Canada’s preeminent three year olds. It was very exciting and a thrill to watch such a mysterious animal prove his mettle with such aplomb. Okay, here are the feel good aspects of the win; the jock, Anthony Stephens, is a journeyman who struggles with bills caring for his two deaf children. One of the owners of the colt is ex-jock Rene Douglas, paralyzed from the waist down after a horrific fall. Denis Savard is also a part owner. Best of all, we don’t have to endure forced “Triple Crown” talk concerning the very average Big Red Mike, the lumbering winner of the 2010 Queens Plate…

 PUG LIFE…James Toney, preparing for an Aug 28^th MMA fight with Randy Couture, has undergone eight weeks of tutelage concerning the fine art of grappling. Toney is taking the fight very seriously and, somewhat surprisingly, expects to get a fight with Brock Lesnar with a win. With “Lights Out” using four ounce gloves, it’s likely he represents the hardest puncher ever to engage in the theatrics of the MMA. If he lands it will be quite interesting to assess the resulting damage (to the unconcious Couture)…

…Ricky Hatton seems to be inching closer to accepting a mega-bucks fight with Amir Khan.  I’m not sure if this fight will be the roaring success expected by promoters. A rusty, shop-worn Hatton poses little threat to the young junior welterweight, and I expect most punters are not keen on watching the pride of Manchester City absorb another drubbing…

…Pedro Fernandez, at Ring Talk, has an interesting take on the upcoming Manny Pacquiao - Antonio Margarito fight; he believes the pair deserve each other. Fernandez has long posited that the PacMan is juiced, making him the perfect companion for El-Cheato. Margarito is still is not licensed in the United States, fall-out after being caught with plaster inserts in his gloves prior to his January 2009 fight with Shane Mosley…

I headed out to see Salt with McClin last night. I hate going to a movie on its opening weekend but, well, it is Angelina and my good mate insisted we go. We couldn’t find seats together, and I ended up in the fourth row aisle, looking straight up at Mrs. Jolie. Stupendous!

The film is a ragged disappointment, bouncing from one improbable twist to another, but Jolie really brings her A game to a script not quite worthy of her gifts. Jolie’s actions scenes are exciting and powerful, particularly a scene where she offs a boatload of Russkies, but ultimately not enough to earn the movie a recommendation.

Aw, who am I kidding? It’s bloody Angelina Jolie getting sweaty and violent…go ahead and spend your money.

Now, my pal views movies as an interactive experience. He was 10 rows behind me but by halfway through the film, with his incessant chatter filling the theatre, he was friends with the elderly couple beside him and the high school kids in front. Quite something. He yelled at one point, “we’ve seen Salt…now we need Pepper!” The crowd laughed but I turned around and told him to shut up…

….a reality check for Toronto Raptor fans; Las Vegas has the over/under for wins this year at a paltry 27.5. You can keep that in mind when the local media begins to pump what is a shockingly mediocre team…

…took the time to watch the 1977 Ron Lyle - Joe Bugner fight on You Tube. Grueling, vicious 12 round war served as a reminder of the potency of the heavyweight division during that decade. Bugner reports he nearly died after the fight, suffering from internal bleeding and requiring immediate post-fight hospitalization. Hmmm, never heard of anyone needing medical care after a Klitschko fight, unless it’s from boredom (oh, c’mon, you saw that one coming a mile away)…

…local heroine Biofuel was in Saratoga yesterday to compete in the prestigious Grade 1 Coaching Club Stakes. The beaut of a runner was amazing, finishing second to the best three year old, male or female, racing at the moment, Devil May Care. Biofuel was dead last for the first half of the race and then began a stout closing rally. While wide into the stretch, she would not have been the match of the winner regardless. Hopefully her next start will be in Rexdale. Watching her run is as comforting and refreshing as a morning shower for this cynical bag of bones…

…okay I’m hung-over after a night with Goose, Lex and the JDawg, so I’ll give you a paragraph to ponder. This is a quote from JMS (J Michael Straczynski), the creator of Babylon 5 and current writer of the Superman comic;

If you could only be remembered for one thing in your career, what would you want it to be?

It wouldn’t be for a book, TV project, or film. It would be for trying.

At conventions and seminars and speeches, I hear from people who want to do something with their lives. They want to be an artist. And then they chicken out. They listen to the tyranny of reasonable voices, and those want only to help to protect them from failure, and therefore do not try, which is the worst possible kind of failure.

I’ve always been one to embrace the possibility of failure. I’ve succeeded tremendously and I have failed breathtakingly at times. But I’ve tried.

If there is any message implicit in this conversation to those reading, it is to try. You don’t want to be 90 and look back at your life as a catalogue of missed opportunities. If you try and fail, at least you took your shot. I’ve always felt all the way down to my socks that if you believe in something and you’re passionate about it and at least try, the odds are that you are going to make a living at it. And it will work more than it doesn’t. Take a chance. Risk Something.

I follow my passions and my dreams, and I try. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes I succeed. But either way, it’s a hell of a ride and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

Clap, clap, clap…

GAGA…I was up bright and early this morning in order to find the five or six hours needed to go through Emily Herbert’s biography of Stefanie Germanotta aka Lady Gaga. I had a number of questions I wanted answered about the pop phenomenon, particularly after a recent Neil Strauss piece in Rolling Stone seemed, to these jaded eyes, to be indicative of a bit of myth making (I was also struggling with just how impressive she was as a performer ie how could a 24 year old have such a commanding presence?)

Assertions of poverty and living in “cockroach” infested apartments seem hard to square with the fact she attended a high school, Convent of the Sacred Heart (with Paris Hilton), that charged 30k a year in tuition fees. Also, Germanotta had attended the prestigious and expensive Tisch School of the Arts (Angelina Jolie, Woody Allen etc) and these playgrounds of the rich and elite hardly seem consistent with her tale of impoverishment.

The book, “Behind the Fame”, is the standard “quickie”, a rubbish collection of facts gleamed from various articles and interviews, but it does serve to give at least a quick overview of GaGa’s life.

Her father, a successful entrepreneur, was also a failed musician and he initiated a learning process with the young GaGa that emphasized the need to master the basics and also certainly rewarded her ardent pursuit of musical interests. The young Stefanie was taught piano from the age of four and was exposed to the absolute best in terms of her education, scholastic and artistic. She can compare the chord progression in Bach to her work on The Fame and not leave you giggling. This grounding is what separates her from most pop star wannabees.

At the age of 14 she began performing in jazz clubs in New York, on open mic nights, always with her mother by her side. The strength of her stage presence and ability to handle a crowd likely grows from exposure to non-receptive and occasionally hostile audiences throughout her formative years. GaGa also began writing her own material at this age and, before hitting 15, was committed to achieving success in popular music. The tools and support were both available and accessible based on a receptive and committed family, and due to the singers own ambitions and desires.

At 17 GaGa drops out of Tisch, a massive blow to her parents, and does, indeed, head out on her own (remarkably similar to Madonna, who turned her back on a Dance scholarship from the University of Michigan in order to initiate her foray into pop music). She becomes estranged from her parents. GaGa, in order to support herself, begins burlesque dancing and develops a massive cocaine addiction. Charmingly, she enjoys using drugs alone and always to (uh oh) The Cure. (stop - and I wonder why I felt this incredible connection to her - start).

During her travels in the New York underground she falls in love with gay culture and the underground clubs. She develops her theories of “performance art” while working the clubs and playing with various bands (You Tube has a treasure trove of her early performances, including a romping version of Led Zeppelin’s D’yer Maker). Early performances of unreleased songs are fascinating. She is a brunette, with none of the rock star accoutrements, but remarkably sincere and appealing.

She creates an act supported and guided by the outrageous Lady Starlight. The hair goes platinum and the pants disappear. Gradually she meets and impresses the quartet that will put her on the path to fame; the aforementioned Lady Starlight, Red One, Rob Fusari and Akon. Each greased the wheel and aided and assisted her climb. That it happened so quickly (”Just Dance” was released in 2008, when she was 22) is a testament to both her uncanny song writing skills and her disciplined workaholic approach.

She kicked drugs (hopefully not The Cure though) and reconciled with her parents.

It’s a very impressive story and one that, based on her training (Outliers, anyone? She easily had her 10,000 hours, the amount Malcolm Gladwell asserts is required before you master your field, completed before she hit twenty), her innate talent, ambition and work ethic, she stands as a virtual certainty to be the driving force in pop for the next decade.

My questions were answered and my cynicism punctured. The things we can accomplish when we get up a bit early on a Saturday, eh?

Lady GaGa encountered poverty as the result of personal decisions which lead to estrangement from her family and substance abuse issues but also intense creative growth. Her stories of meagre resources are based on fact. Her overpowering stage presence can be traced back to the backbreaking hours she put in performing in the New York clubs while honing and creating both her material and her image.

PUG LIFE…it’s a done deal; Antonio Margarito will challenge Manny Pacquiao on Nov 13^th , almost certainly in Las Vegas (if Margarito is not licensed in Sin City, then the fight will be moved to Mexico. That’s a threat. Las Vegas, anxious for the money that accompanies a PacMan extravaganza, will promptly reinstate the sleazy Margarito and the fight will proceed). Here’s the skinny; Arum has promotional control of Margarito and thus controls both fighters in this scrap. It’s why he did not consider boxers who would have made the night memorable - fighters like Marcos Maidana, Timothy Bradley, Andre Berto or Devon Alexander. Those top contenders are not Top Rank fighters and thus would have cut the pie for an impossibly greedy Bob Arum…

…this fight deserves recognition as one of the grossest and most despicable moments in the history of the sport. Margarito should be in a prison cell, not in the ring with the best fighter in the world. Since his drubbing at the hands of Shane Mosley, Margarito has served a suspension and fought just once, a bout where he looked utterly shot….

…how good is Antonio Margarito? Who can say? If, as is likely, he fought for a good part of his career with plaster inserts, then it is entirely possible that he is as limited as his last two fights indicate. So not only is it a seedy and squalid event, it also promises a lousy fight. People, you have to draw a line somewhere. There has to be some level of moral accountability. This is a fight that must be avoided if only to send a message of some sort to Arum and his ilk that there must be a modicum of decency and integrity if the sport is to continue…

…the internet is rattling with variations of this theme; if boxing and horse racing seem utterly incapable of producing the matches that fans want (in this case Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather and Rachel Alexandra vs. Zenyatta), then what is the point and purpose of their existence? Both have endeavoured to insult and degrade their fans and, ultimately, the diminished financial returns will prove monumental. As a fan of both, traditionally my two favourite sports, I’m just at a loss over the events of 2010. I’m disgusted with the self serving rhetoric, the lack of awareness of a greater communal good, the pervasive greed and the unfiltered filth of the sports main players. It’s just gross. It’s gross being a boxing fan and a horse racing fan in North America in the 21^st century…

ICE…it’s only a couple of years ago that Swedish free agent Fabian Brunnstrom was the subject of a feverish bidding war. Teams, including Detroit and Toronto, bid vigorously for his services. Yesterday, his reputation sullied by his mediocre performance in Dallas, he signed a one year 675k contract with the Stars. Brunnstrom had 2 goals and 9 assists in 44 games last year…

…ESPN is speculating the Ilya Kovalchuk pushed for excessive years from New Jersey in order to push his contract past the 100 million dollar  barrier. He felt he would be humiliated if he could not generate numbers that compared to the contract he declined from Don Waddell and the Atlanta Thrashers…

GRID IRON…before the Dallas Cowboys are awarded the Superbowl the team needs to finds a competent left tackle. The team released Pro Bowl veteran Flozell Adams and will move forward with Doug Free. It’s a serious gamble on a team loaded with first rate talent…

…cannot wait to see what Anquan Boldin is going to add to the Baltimore Ravens. With Ray Lewis showing his age last year and Ed Reed hobbled, it is time for a big push from the Ravens. Fair play to management, they appear to slamming the pedal to the metal in an effort to make 2010 count…

RANDOM…Bill Simmons has a new mailbag up and, as per usual, it’s hilarious. One letter is diabolical and deserves the attention of all sports fans; Mike in Boston suggests referring to a certain NBA franchise as “Dwayne Wade’s Miami Heat”, or “Dwayne Wades South Beach Heat”. Oh, that is to die for; I pray this catches on just to catch the confused and pissed looks on the visages of LeBron and Bosh…

PUG LIFE…Alex Povetkin has pulled out of his Sept fight with Vitali Klitschko. Don’t care why. The Klitschko camp is attempting to secure the services of Samuel Peter, a move which will result in an abominable fight. Peters is a fat, lazy moron who must be prodded and pleaded with on a daily basis to do even rudimentary training. Asking him to step in on less than two months notice is a deplorable move…

…Evander Holyfield announced he plans to fight at Joe Louis Arena in October. The Real Deal turns 48 that month but he still bristles at retirement talk. He claims he has verbal assurances from the WBC that he will be given a title shot in early 2011…the issue I’m facing is, if Commander Vander does appear in Detroit, do I get up off my rear and go see him fight? He’s certainly a legend, albeit one stoked on juice, and an October date would almost certainly represent the last chance to see him fight. I’m leaning to going, but I’ll wait to see the opponent and undercard before deciding. It would be nice to see Greektown and the Old Shillelagh again…

…the Manny Pacquiao camp appears to be throwing their weight behind an Antonio Margarito match-up on November 13^th. It is a morally indefensible decision and, as a fight fan, I’m ashamed such dissolute thinking is allowed to prosper in the fight game. Margarito deserves a lifetime ban for competing with plaster inserts in an untold amount of fights. The tremendous irony is, of course, he will now benefit, financially and otherwise, at the expense of the man he so shamelessly brutalized in 2008, Miguel Cotto…

…Kelly Pavlik turned down an opportunity to fight in Montreal in October. The coin offered, 100k, is apparently beneath him. Pavlik has lost recent fights to Bernard Hopkins and Sergio Martinez and is in serious need of a reality check…

PONIES…Rachel Alexandra continues her 2010 campaign tomorrow at Monmouth in the Lady’s Secret, a relatively nondescript affair. It seems a pointless exercise; she really has nothing to gain from a win. She may consider a start in late August in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign, at Saratoga, if she sizzles tomorrow, but I can’t shake the feeling she’s closer to retirement than to the long awaited showdown with Zenyatta…

…the Prince of Wales field was announced yesterday and its composition promises a dramatically different pace scenario than the July 4^thQueen’s Plate. There is speed and Hotep is going to benefit big time. Bet on it…

RANDOM…Conrad Black’s first meal after his release from prison? Chazz Delore, of Morgan’s Eatery in Palm Beach, Fla, reported the financier came in and ordered a big dish of boiled money. “He wanted everything, coins, twenties, hundred dollar bills; he ate everything and ordered seconds”. For dessert Lord Black requested, and was given, the heart of a busboy…

…Sarah Palin, in a tweet earlier this week, used the word “refudiate”. LOL! That’s brilliant! Here’s her answer to critics, “English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too! Got to celebrate it!” Palin comparing herself to The Bard? Are we all misunderestimating her?…a twitter account entitled Shakes Palin now offers witty recreations of Shakespeare’s words as voiced by Palin.

“As flies are to wanton boys are we to the Gods; they kill us for being all Mavericky”.

“Et tu, Bristol?”

“To be or not to be, what was the question?”

“Shall I compare ya to a summers day?”

“To be hope-y and change-y, or not to be hope-y and change-y, that is the gotcha question”.

“But soft, what light from yonder window breaks? It is the East, and I can see Russia from my house”.

GRID IRON…the Sporting News Scouts released their list of the top twenty quarterbacks in the NFL. It’s intriguing and, perhaps, informed by hype and political correctness. The top five are Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Carson Palmer and Aaron Rodgers. Hmmm. No Ben Roethlisberger? Really? A better list might be Manning, Brees, Roethlisberger, Brady (who deserves a touch of recrimination for a subpar 2009) and Philip Rivers.

…Tony Romo is ranked eighth and that has to be a case of wishful thinking. Palmer and Rodgers, at fourth and fifth, respectively, are overrated. Eli Manning, at 13^th, and Matt Schaub, at 18^th, are underrated. Matt Ryan, at 7^th, is a bit of a wildcard but with the Falcons poised for a big year we should quickly discover his worth in 2010…and, yes, it’s great to be debating pigskin after a such a long lull in that type of conversation…

…Jake Delhomme, the latest QB hope in Cleveland, didn’t make the top twenty. He probably wouldn’t make a realistic top thirty, meaning the Browns are in for another long year, this despite the presence of Joe Thomas, the consensus best left tackle in the league…

…also not in the top twenty; new team leaders Kevin Kolb (Eagles), Matt Moore (Panthers), Jason Campbell (Raiders) and Josh “The Milkshake Man” Freeman (Bucs)…

…Adam Kaplan of Fox Sports is a huge booster of Kolb, who is charged with replacing Donovan McNabb this season in the City of Brotherly Love. Kaplan indicates the Eagles coaching staff felt Kolb could have started last year and are confident the rookie will have a top ten type of season…

…the San Diego Chargers could be starting the season without their top receiver, Vincent Jackson, and their starting left tackle, Marcus McNeill. The two are embroiled in contract disputes and claim to be committed to holding out unless they are satisfied. The Chargers are gifted with a division of ease and comfort but still, asking Phillip Rivers to lead a team minus two of his most trusted teammates would represent an appalling start to the Charger season…

ICE…you don’t have to have a dog in every fight; I don’t intend to spend allot of time following the Ilya Kovalchuk contract imbroglio. It’s clear the NHL permitted contracts that were designed to circumvent the cap in the past; it’s not clear why they chose to draw the line with the Devils. Lou Lamoriello exploited a loophole and justifiably feels aggrieved at being singled out. I get it. But I don’t really care..and neither do you…they’re making battlin’ Lou an escape goat…

…do we start with the conspiracy talk if the Los Angeles Kings end up with Kovalchuk? Could the manoeuvres of the NHL really be about getting the high profile winger to the important Los Angeles market? If it happens, the whispers will start…

…CSNWashington has taken a nasty shot at Alex Ovechkin, comparing his playoff success to that of LeBron James. The Russian superstar has won a grand total of one playoff series in his career and is going to come under all sorts of pressure to achieve more post season success. The team’s loss to Montreal in 2010 remains an unmitigated disgrace…

PUG LIFE…a massive scandal has rocked boxing in Australia after Danny Green knocked out Paul Briggs in 29 seconds earlier this week. The fight was for some cruiserweight belt and Briggs, the challenger, was fighting for the first time in three years (after having left the square circle due to reported ”neurological” difficulties). Briggs is felled by, literally, a pawing left hand, not even a jab, that glances off the top of his forehead. The plot thickened when internet gambling services reported five figure bets on Green all keyed to a first round knockout. The tape is available on the net and it was either the worst dive in the sordid annals of the sport or the effort of a brain damaged combatant. Either way, it is clear the word was on the street, likely from the Briggs camp, that he would not be able to get out of the first round. A horrible rip-off of fans but, then, what kind of idiot would pay to see an impaired, inactive, overweight fighter contest a title? Okay, stop pointing at me, but you get my point. As always, you get what you pay for…

…Dan Rafael of ESPN has termed Briggs effort “a ridiculous tank job”…

…think Thomas Hauser is feeling cynical about pugilism in the 21^st century? This is a funny blurb he put up on Seconds Out after a prospect went through another overly easy fight; Fresh off his victories against Harry Yorgey, Joel Julio, and Joachim Alcine, Alfredo Angulo has signed to fight an Everlast heavy-bag on HBO’s Boxing After Dark.

“This will be another great night for HBO Sports,” senior vice president for sports programming Kerry Davis said. “To my knowledge, no one has been able to stop the heavy bag short of the distance, so it’s a real test for Alfredo.”

Angulo’s promoter, Gary Shaw, seconded Davis and added, “Alfredo has looked great in the gym against the heavy bag. But HBO expert analyst Max Kellerman warned, “The heavy bag takes a good punch and moves around better than some of the opponents that Angulo has fought recently on HBO. I think it’s a toss-up fight.”