Mark Mattis / Merth

Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin rule!

Pro-Wrestling
This Thursday on TNA iMPACT, we will FINALLY reveal the contents of the cases from the Turning Point PPV. Speaking of this past weeks' iMPACT. Kevin Nash and Samoa Joe hated each other at the PPV on Sunday night. Why did they look so chummy on iMPACT? I don't get it.

Have I mentioned that Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, the Motorcity Machineguns are the future of tag team wrestling?

Youth Wrestling
Mini-Mattis wrestled when he was 5 years old. He did pretty well for himself. He wrestled most of the season in a facemask with a broken nose. He earned a trip to the "state" tournament where he placed fourth.

He did not wrestle when he was 6 years old. He did not wrestle when he was 7 years old. It is safe to say, he has forgotten everything and is starting back at square one.

Mini-Mattis has a couple of practices under his belt. He is looking forward to wrestling this year. We will see how long that excitement lasts. Amateur wrestling is about as barbaric and intense as athletics can get.

Different but same...
I am very strongly leaning toward keeping Mini-Mattis out of football in 2008. To be honest, Mini-Mattis has not learned anything at football practice for the past 3 years. In many areas, Mini-Mattis has a deeper understanding of football than his coaches. That is not me trying to be mean. That is just reality.

My wife thinks opting out of football in 2008 is a bad idea, as Mini-Mattis will lose momentum. I think playing soccer in 2008 will help him develop better footwork. I think playing soccer in 2008 will make him better rounded.

But, to address the "losing momentum" notion...
Mini-Mattis has not wrestled since he was 5 years old. This season, he has only a few practices under his belt. Last night they began wrestling short practice matches. Mini-Mattis was paired against two kids who are entering their fourth year of wrestling. One of the kids is twenty or thirty pounds heavier than Mini-Mattis and happens to be the head coachÕs son. In the sparring, Mini-Mattis won 4 out of the 5 sessions.

I am not too concerned that changing sports for a couple of years is somehow going to set him back. At age 8, it is important that Mini-Mattis learn how to use his body. He needs to learn proper technique. He needs to focus on developing proper motor skills and muscle memory patterns. When the time comes everything else will take care of itself.

Football
The college football season is all but over as only the bowls remain. After the bowl, the next piece of the puzzle is national signing day. The recruiting process is fascinating to me. I recently read an excellent book, Meat Market, on the topic of college football recruiting.

Over the past decade, the college football playing field has become less lopsided. Appalachian State is getting enough good athletes to compete against Michigan. But, it is still nothing short of a miracle for these smaller budget/exposure teams to compete.

As of today, scouts.com shows Ohio State with fifteen players committed. Ten of those fifteen players rank in the top ten nationally at their position. Twelve of the fifteen players are considered 4 or 5 star recruits.

By contrast, Kent State shows only two committed players. Both players are considered 2 star recruits and not nationally ranked at their position. The Ohio University Bobcats have a total of three commitments. All three players are considered 2 star prospects.

Just interesting... that is all.