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Mats Seldom called me last night and asked to talk. Mats, I slurred, don’t you have something more important to occupy yourself with? Like a game? No, Seldom replied. I’m tired of you hounding me and questioning my commitment and (pause while he takes a bong hit) I won’t put up with it anymore. I care, I really care, and I’m a leader, damn it (dissolves into hysterical crying). Well we talked all night, and resolved little. Don’t worry Nucks fans, if he calls again I’ll hang up. After all, there’s a team that needs leading…Boston, Washington and Calgary are favoured in tonight’s shinny. Interesting as the Bruins and Capitals are on the road but one team is so dominant, the other so desperate. I’ll toss a few bones on the Blackhawks due to Nikolai Khabibulin’s long established dominance of the Flames…….the Buffalo News indicates there is anger in Buffalo over the Bills trade of left tackle Jason Peters. The addition of Terrell Owens was flashy, but the absence of a good left tackle is going to undermine Trent Edwards ability to get the diva the ball…Garret Gomez surprised many observers by deciding to give up the mount on Dunkirk in order to ride PioneeroftheNile. Evidently I’m not the only one quietly confident that the son of Empire Maker is poised for a big step forward on May 2^nd…there is an absolute gem of a telecast recently made available on You Tube. Some kind soul has posted the original ABC telecast of the Larry Holmes - Ken Norton 1978 classic, called at ringside by Howard Cosell. If you can find a couple of hours just let it roll and soak up the fashion and idioms of the seventies. It will also provide insight to the current state of boxing by underlining how steep the decline in boxing as mainstream entertainment has become. This was primetime! The preparation for the fight is luxurious with lengthy interviews featuring both fighters and an in studio session with Muhammad Ali (absurdly, Ali predicts Holmes will pull a mild upset with a split decision victory, the exact result). Cosell is opinionated and compelling, though his insights, such as his assertion that Earnie Shavers career is over, are often wrong (Shavers would go on to knock out Ken Norton and fight for the Heavyweight title against Holmes). Before the fight Cosell points out luminaries such as Joe Louis, Red Foxx, Sly Stallone, Roberto Duran and Tom Bosley (!). He then belts out, “Frankly, I’m filling. I can’t lie to you, I don’t know why the fighters haven’t come out”. It’s to die for! As an added bonus the poster has cut all the commercials, except one - an overwrought, hilarious promo for O J Simpson et al in the conspiracy theory film Capricorn One. The fight itself is fantastic with Holmes building a big early lead before Norton launches a stunning rally. The fifteenth round is generally considered one of the greatest of all time and is particularly enjoyable when viewed as the culmination of an epic battle instead of, as has generally been available, a stand alone…another gem I had been attempting to see for ages has also appeared; the first Aaron Pryor - Alexis Arguello fight is now on You Tube. I generally place that fight, along with the Thrilla in Manila, on the top of my list of favourite fights. I’ll watch it tonight and see if it holds up…one fan forum I went on after Oscar De La Hoyas retirement announcement lead off with a fan saying, “Its going to get emotional in here”. Uh, no. I was surprised as hardcore boxing fan after hardcore fan professed utter indifference to the Golden Boy’s career. Some mustered up praise for his eclectic and far reaching list of foes but no one termed him an all time great or gushed over his contributions. Oscar was a cross over (as well as a cross dresser) success and shined in the estimation of those who were casual observers of the game. He deserved to lose decisions to Felix Sturm, Ike Quartey and, possibly, Pernell Whittaker. He shamed himself with his performance in the last three rounds of the Trinidad fight, and he cozied up to the canvas when Bernard Hopkins started to close the distance. Still, he was resolute and magnificent in his beat down of Fernando Vargas and gritty and smart when being robbed in the second fight against Steroid Shane Mosley. Give the devil his due. I once heard Emmanuel Steward laugh when asked how Oscar would have done against Tommy Hearns and, certainly,an unbiased assessment of his abilities would leave him outside the top twenty welterweights of all time…