Claressa Shields Strengthens Position as 'GWOAT' After Title Unification Bout

That is some serious gold she just won.

Congrats to @Claressashields on her victory tonight!#ShieldsDicaire pic.twitter.com/jtD6RyRihY

— FITE (@FiteTV) March 6, 2021

In just her eleventh professional fight, Flint's own Claressa Shields has now become the unified super welterweight champion after defeating IBF belt-holder Marie-Eve Dicaire. Shields, the self-proclaimed GWOAT (Greatest Woman Of All Time) has added to a growing list of accolades: 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medals, Middleweight unified champion, and Super welterweight unified champion. She is now the only male or female boxer to be a unified champion in two different weight classes. 

While women's boxing hasn't reached the popularity of other women's sports, Friday night was truly groundbreaking. Taking place at the Dort Event Center in Flint, Michigan was the first all-female pay-per-view boxing event in the U.S. and it was headlined by the hometown star Claressa Shields. She has continued to promote herself as the GWOAT and Shields may find herself considered the Serena Williams or Mia Hamm of boxing by the end of her career. What may have appeared to be a close matchup coming closely became a rout as the 17-0 Canadian Marie-Eve Dicaire lost 100-90 (that's ten rounds to zero). Shields delivered a worth show for the hometown crowd of 375.

So what is next for Claressa Shields? Her plans for the rest of 2021 include 1 more boxing event and 2 trips into the octagon as she attempts to break into MMA. Shields will make her MMA debut in June but it is certain that she has unfinished business in boxing. In her post-fight interview Shields called out Savannah Marshall, who handed Shields her only amateur loss. The 9-0 Brit holds the WBA middleweight title. Many eyes will also be on this month's Jessica McCaskill-Cecilia Braekhus rematch with the four major middleweight belts at stake. This means the winner could fight Shields in the biggest blockbuster fight women's boxing has seen. If we haven't all agreed that Claressa is the GWOAT yet, she may prove it soon enough.

⚽️🇺🇸U.S. qualifies for the 2019 FIFA World Cup as eighteen out of twenty-four spots are clinched

The U.S. women's national team has punched their ticket to France after a 6-0 clobbering of Jamaica in the CONCACAF Championship semifinal. There were two goals apiece from Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan as well as scores from Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz. It was not much of a match as Jamaica could not keep up as the Americans found the net easily. But all the credit is due for Jamaica as they have made their first World Cup.

⚾️Hamtramck Stadium: That other old baseball stadium

Click the images to enlarge...
It's been 18 seasons since the Detroit Tigers had moved from Tiger Stadium to their new modern grounds at Comerica Park. The old stadium was torn down and the site was left unkempt for several years before a volunteer group, the Navin Field Grounds Crew, came in to clean up the ballpark. Plans are currently in place for a redevelopment of the Tiger Stadium site that is, "expected to include 111 multifamily units and 26,000 square feet of commercial space."

⚽️The (Continued) Growth Of Soccer In America

Soccer has rapidly grown in a popularity in America. In 2014, an ESPN poll showed that professional soccer ranked second to pro football in popularity among 12- to 17-year-olds. Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-level soccer league in the United States, was founded in 1996 off the success of the 1994 World Cup. Currently a twenty-team league, MLS teams' attendance are threatening baseball and hockey teams in their respective cities.

⚾️🎙Voice of The Turtle

For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth,
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
-Song Of Solomon 2:11-12 

It is one of the best times of the year for a baseball fan, as today marked the start of Spring Training games. Longtime time radio announcer Ernie Harwell once uttered a bible excerpt that become synonymous with the start of Tigers baseball. You could say that Harwell was the "Voice of The Turtle" heard on the radio throughout Michigan for nearly 50 years. Ernie announced the last two World Series titles for the Detroit Tigers, and called numerous playoff games nationally for CBS Radio and ESPN Radio. Nowadays commentators mostly receive negative attention, but the great ones make the games even better than they are.

⚽️🇺🇸US vs. Germany Women's World Cup Semifinals Preview

World Cup Semis:
Tu. 6-30-2015: 7p - USA vs. Germany (FOX)
W. 7-1-2015: 7p - England vs. Canada (FS1)
I think that the American team has a strong attacking force, but Germany is led by their leading goalscorers Celia Sasic (6) and Anja Mittag (5). US has kept the backline intact and the defensive effort is what has kept us in the World Cup. But, Meghan Klingenberg and co. will face their toughest challenge yet against Germany.

🏈My Picks of some of the Super Bowl XLIX props

How long will Idina Menzel take to sing the National Anthem? Over/Under 2 min. 1 sec.

Idina Menzel is a widely successful Broadway performer and the voice of Elsa in “Frozen”. Enough reason to expect her the draw out the key notes of “The Star Spangled Banner”

Will Menzel omit or forget to say at least one word of the National anthem?  No ⅙, Yes 4/1

No, her experience in theater should mean she won’t make a mistake.

How many times will "Deflated Balls" be referred to during the game? Over/Under 2 ½

NBC’s top-of-the-line NFL broadcast should stray away from talk of Deflategate.

⚾️Don Kelly to Marlins + Scherzer is gone too

Don Kelly has signed with the Miami Marlins on a minor-league contract. Over the last six years, Kelly served the Tigers as a super-utility player. He played every position at least once, including catcher and even pitcher. Kelly is known for coming up in the clutch or just coming in to pitch when we are getting smoked by the Mets. Here are some of his greatest moments with the Tigers:

Some Soccer Thoughts On This Chilly October Day

Arsenal GK Emiliano Martinez make a save while training in
Belgium for Wednesday's fixture against Anderlecht

Who is this guy?

Yes, an injury-plagued Arsenal squad turns to 3rd string goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for their Wednesday tilt against the Belgian side Anderlecht.

Tigers Talk: Sure as Scherzer

14 K for Max Scherzer yesterday! All is good for Detroit! We're going undefeated in the playoffs! (Thus concludes this overreaction.)
The Tigers are on a two game winning streak after losing 7 of 9 on the road trip, and I'm going to the Mariners game tonight!!

Why should Americans watch soccer?

Millions of American kids play organized soccer every year. But will Dad watch it? Will your Great Aunt Suzy watch it? People who grew watching their favorite baseball, football, or basketball team refuse to enjoy soccer because it will eat away their sports popularity. Well, we already have four big televised sports and NASCAR, and the population is only growing. I believe the following people and events are key to increasing soccer interest and recruiting other fans:

• People age 34 and under
• Hockey fans ~ It's kind of the same concept
• The soccer players and teams themselves ~ Do more community work, partner with other sports teams in the same city, etc.
• STOP FLOPPING SO MUCH! ~ Lots of people hate the NBA because of this, but in soccer it's even worse
• Bring the top international club teams to the US
• ICC
• Friendlies
• 2022 World Cup
• Recruit more of the top international players into Major League Soccer
• People don't want to get up for a 7am EPL game on a Saturday
• People want to root for an American club team, but the quality of MLS play isn't on par with the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Primera Division, etc.

Luis Suarez is a Psycho and Other Excitement From Match Day 13 of the 2014 World Cup

Yesterday was an interesting day at the World Cup. To begin we had the final games in Group D:

Giorgio Cheillini shows his bite marks from Luis Suarez / Reuters

Uruguay and Italy came into the day at three points a piece and Costa Rica with six. Italy has the superior goal differential so Uruguay had to win to advance. It was a defensive battle in the first two-thirds of the game, leaving fans craving for some more excitement. But in the 79th minute, it was the bite heard round the world. The notorious Uruguay striker Luis Suarez bit Italy defender Giorgio Cheillini in the shoulder. You could clearly see the bite mark!!! Even worse, he did it two times before, in a 2010 game with the Dutch side Ajax, and a 2013 game against Everton with Man U.  

Weekend Viewing Picks 5-31 and 6-1

Soccer:
Friendly: Mexico vs. Ecuador at AT&T (Cowboys) Stadium, Dallas 3p Saturday Univision/ESPNEWS
Friendly: U.S. vs. Nigeria at Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ 2p Sunday ESPN2/Univision
NBA:
ECF: Pacers (2w) vs. Heat (3w)
Game 6 at MIA Friday 8:30p ESPN
Game 7 (If nec.) at IND Sunday 8:30p ESPN
WCF: Spurs (3) vs. Thunder (2)
~Ibaka is back!
Game 6 at OKC Saturday 8:30p TNT
Game 7 (If nec.) at SAS Monday 9p TNT

Weekend Viewing Picks for 5-17 and 5-18-14

It's the weekend. Relax! Only a few more weeks of school! 
NHL Playoffs:
Game 1: New York Rangers at Montreal Canadians 1p Sunday NBCSN
~Looking for intelligent hockey analysis, click here: cbsprt.co/1gbQp4q or here: bit.ly/RJifK3 Canadians win in 6