Giving Thanks

Well, I'm going to be off-line for the majority of the rest of the week. I'm going on a much needed two week vacation to West Virginia, Maryland, and central Pennsylvania to visit family and friends as well as celebrate my birthday this weekend away from home. I leave out on Wednesday, and I have tons to do tomorrow before I take off. So this will be my last post for sometime because of all the traveling I'm doing as well as having limited internet access for a large part of my trip.

Since it's Thanksgiving, we all should be thankful for what we have. I'm glad I have my family. I'm glad I have my friends here in town and abroad. I'm glad I have my health. I'm glad for many other things. But I'm also thankful for many on-line friends.

I want to give some shoutouts to those who I'm very thankful to have as on-line friends. If I miss anyone, I'm sorry. This is in NO particular order either.

Paul aka wwefreak: I have to say that you've been probably my best fan of the posts I've put out between here and Sporting News. It's uncanny how much we're alike, and even though you don't post often, you're one of the most creative people I've ever had the priviledge of reading on-line. You're also very level-headed, objective, and professional when it comes to dealing with people in general on-line. Thanks for following along the last three years between here and Sporting News. It's appreciated beyond words.

Lester's Legends: Ryan, I still remember the day when we both were honored to be featured in BusinessWeek magazine discussing the evolution of fantasy football. I've always been impressed with your all-around knowledge of sports because many people cover just one or a few. You've always spoke highly of those who have helped you along the way, and I appreciate the help and support for those times I had no clue on how to do things on Blogger. Thanks buddy.

CK0712™: Cindy, there's absolutely no way you get left off here. You're one amazingly sexy, knowledgeable FOOTBALL Chick. I'm extremely thankful that we crossed paths on-line in the spring, and your continued kindness towards me and others in general. You've been very helpful and supportive to me on-line more than you know. Thanks for being such a great on-line friend.

Loriebamafan: Lorie, I know we haven't talked much lately, but you're easily one of my best on-line friends. I appreciate the conversations about blogging and life outside the internet. You've had a very big impact on me because I was enjoy your blogs as well as those emoticons you always use, too. Thanks a bunch sweet lady!

Madman: There is absolutely no one like you anywhere on the internet. I always like those real-life entries, and I still would fully endorse you using them in a book as well as on television. I always liked that you were never afraid to speak about issues that most would not dare even touch at all. I'm thankful that I'm a big fan of your work, and all those fantastic entries I've had the priviledge of reading the last two years.

Texasadlerfan: If there's a more professional and positive person on-line than you, I haven't seen them. That's no disrespect to anyone else at all. However, I've never once seen you bash anyone, and you always address anything to do with NASCAR and related with eloquent and thought-provoking posts. I'm also thankful that we still communicate by e-mail, and that you have continued to be one of the sweetest women that you'll ever find on internet. Thanks dear friend.

Mojomike: Mike, you were one of my very first friends on Sporting News. We both have seen alot in those three years, haven't we? Well, I've enjoyed those conversations on IM and over the phone about sports as well as life matters, too. I've always been impressed with the fact you bring facts and sound reasoning behind any opinion you express. This is why you're an elite blogger and also an elite on-line friend. Thanks for support, and for being my on-line friend.

Tim aka 3peatTrojans: As you know, we had problems with one another before, but I'm glad that we both discussed and worked them out. There's absolutely no one that is more knowledgeable and passionate about college football than yourself. I'm glad to see that passionate writing back on Blogger. Thanks buddy.

3rdStone: I know we haven't crossed paths for very long on the internet, but I appreciate you stopping by as well as adding to good conversations. You're a very knowledgeable football fan as well as opinionated about your favorite sport. Thanks for the good words you bring to all those entries of mine.

Karmic Boomerang aka Oregon Tailgater: I know we haven't crossed paths much recently, but I still remember when you asked me to take part in your "Getting to Know the 50 States" when North Carolina came around. You've always been able to connect to readers in a positive way, and will continue to do so. We all could use more good karma, and thanks buddy.

fanofreds: I've got to say thanks for Nacho Cheesin' it over on your site! LOL! You're one of the good guys on the internet, and thanks for the very knowledgeable posts!

Rad: You've instantly become one of my good on-line friends even though we've not even known each other a month yet. You've been active in some very good debates, but you respect and value other's opinions so well, too. I'm glad you found my blog, and that you continue to follow along as well. You're another great all-around, knowledgeable sports fan.

Okay, I know I probably forgot some, but I'm signing off the blog for awhile. So I want to thank everyone else that has viewed this blog that I may have missed.

This site will be vacated by me for about two weeks except to moderate comments. Everyone have a safe and fun-filled Turkey Day and weekend. And thanks again. I'm out.

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What If? Magic Johnson's 1986-87 Season

Welcome to this fantasy basketball edition of What If? This is where I look back a player's season before fantasy basketball became prominent in our society.

Today, we look back at Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson's 1986-87 season. I'm using the default scoring for Sporting News and Yahoo! fantasy basketball games. So here's the scoring system for each:

SN Fantasy Basketball Default Scoring System:
Point Scored: 1 point each
Field Goal Missed: -0.5 points
Free Throw Missed: -0.5 points
Rebound: 1.5 points
Assists: 2 points
Steal: 2.5 points
Block Shot: 2.5 points
Turnover: -1 point
Triple Double: 10 points
Note: For those that are not familar with basketball, triple-double means reaching double digits in at least three of the following categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots.

Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Default Scoring System:
Field Goal Attempt: -0.45 points
Field Goal Made: 1 point
Free Throw Attempt: -0.75 points
Free Throw Made: 1 point
3-Point Shot Made: 3 points
Point Scored: 0.5 points
Rebound: 1.5 points
Assist: 2 points
Steal: 3 points
Turnover: -2 points
Blocked Shot: 3 points

Here's the SN scoring total for Magic Johnson's 1986-87 season:
Points Scored: 1,909 = 1,909 points
Field Goals Missed: 625 = -312.5 points
Free Throw Missed: 96 = -48 points
Rebounds: 504 = 756 points
Assists: 977 = 1,954 points
Steals: 138 = 345 points
Blocked Shots: 36 = 90 points
Turnovers: 300 = -300 points
Triple Doubles: 11 = 110 points
Total SN Points: 4503.5 points
SN Points Per Game: 56.29
Johnson played in 80 games in 1986-87.

Here's the Yahoo! scoring total for Magic Johnson's 1986-87 season:
Field Goal Attempts: 1,308 = -588.6 points
Field Goals Made: 683 = 683 points
Free Throw Attempts: 631 = -473.25 points
Free Throws Made: 535 = 535 points
3-Point Shots Made: 8 = 24 points
Points Scored: 1,909 = 954.5 points
Rebounds: 504 = 756 points
Assists: 977 = 1,954 points
Steals: 138 = 414 points
Turnovers: 300 = -600 points
Blocked Shots: 36 = 108 points
Total Yahoo! Points: 3,766.65
Yahoo! Points Per Game: 47.08

Source: basketball-reference.com

Magic Johnson had his best scoring season in 1986-87 in route to winning his first MVP award. He ranked 9th in the league in points, 10th in points per game, 1st in assists, and 5th in made free throws on the season.

He had a season-high in points with 46 against Sacremento on December 23. He scored 40 points or more in a game three times on the season.

He had a season-high 20 assists in only 28 minutes of play against Denver on March 10. He reached double digits in assists in 60 of the 80 games he played including at least 15 or more in 25 of those contests.

The Lakers had an 11-game winning streak from the end of March into April when he had five of his triple-doubles during that stretch. He had seven of his 11 triple-doubles in the last two months of the season.

He led his team to the NBA Finals with a 65-17 record where they faced off against the Boston Celtics for the second straight year. With the Lakers up 2-1 in the series, Johnson hit the famous sky hook shot over Kevin McHale and out of the reach of Robert Parrish which was the key to the entire series. The Lakers won the series in six games, and Johnson was named NBA Finals MVP. He averaged 21.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 12.2 assists per game in the playoffs.

Johnson won three league MVPs, three NBA Finals MVPs, two All-Star Game MVPs, and won five NBA titles in eight tries during his career. He was also on the famous Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

If anyone wants to suggest a past player, you may do so by commenting. I only ask that we try to keep it before 1995. Also, statistics are tougher to find in the early era of the game because they weren't tracked as well. Just something to keep in mind.

Thanks for viewing, and be sure to check the Blog List of friends to the right of this page for more great reads out there!

Past What If? basketball posts:
Michael Jordan's 1988-89 Season
Patrick Ewing's 1989-90 Season

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FSD History Flashback: November 23, 1984

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hello, I'm David Funk, and welcome to this edition of FSD History Flashback for November 23. The intro video for FSD Flashback shows a picture in the very beginning that tops today's FSD History Flashback. It's one moment that forever has been played over and over again, and one such player will forever be remembered for a miracle play that decided the outcome.

On November 23, 1984, a soldout crowd at the Orange Bowl in Miami witnessed one of the most memorable and incredible finishes in college football history. Boston College with a record of 7-2 took on Miami who was 8-3.

Originally, this game was to take place on September 29, but TV executives wanted to switch the game to November 23, the day after Thanksgiving. Miami was scheduled to play Rutgers that day, so the TV execs contacted both schools to see about rearranging the schedule. Rutgers did agree to cancel the date with Miami for $80,000. The execs paid that sum, and the Boston College/Miami matchup became the national telecast that day.

Boston College was fresh off beating Syracuse 24-16 with star scrambling quarterback Doug Flutie leading the way. Their only losses on the season had come in narrow defeats to West Virginia and Penn State. Jack Bicknell was in his fourth season as head coach.

Miami was coming off a loss to Maryland, in which they blew a 31-point halftime lead to lose 42-40 at home. They were led by star quarterback Bernie Kosar, who as a red-shirt freshman, led the Hurricanes to their first ever National Title in 1983. Kosar was having a great year as he followed up his freshman year in good fashion. Jimmie Johnson was in his first year as head coach for Miami.

The score is 28-21 at halftime in favor of Boston College when a rainstorm arrives. Miami gets backed up to its own 4-yard line to start the second half, but drove the ball down the field to tie the game.

The two teams entered the final quarter with the score tied 28-28. Then Boston College takes the lead on a field goal to go up 31-28. But Miami answered with a 52-yard touchdown run by Melvin Bratton to put the Hurricanes in front 35-31. Each team trades field goals, and Boston College goes up 41-38 on a 82-yard drive.

Miami then faced a 3rd-and-21 on their own 10-yard line with 2:30 remaining in the game. On that play, the Eagles missed tackling Kosar on two occasions before he completed a pass to receiver Darrell Oliver to pick up the first down. The Hurricanes also faced a 4th-and-1 later in the drive which they converted before Bratton scored his 4th touchdown of the game as Miami led 45-41 with 28 seconds left to play. Miami celebrates wildly on the sidelines thinking that they pulled this game out.

After a touchback, Flutie tells his teammates that he wants to get the ball to midfield. Starting on their own 20-yard line, Flutie completes his first pass of the drive to receiver Troy Stafford for 19 yards to the 39-yard line. Flutie completes his second pass to Scott Gieselman for 13 yards to the Miami 48-yard line with ten seconds left to play. Flutie then had an incomplete pass on the next play, and now six seconds remained in the game. Flutie then calls a "Flood Tip on Two" as he prepared for the last play of the game.

The Flood Tip play is where three wide receivers flood one side of the end zone and they wait for the QB to hail mary the pass to them. Boston College had tried this play three times during that season, and were successful one time against Temple in which Gerry Phelan caught that pass in the first half in a 24-10 win. The play is designed for Phelan, and if he can't catch the pass, he tips it up in the air.

Flutie scrambles away from All-American defensive lineman Jerome Brown, and also has Lee Broughton coming in fast on him as well. Flutie retreats to his own 37-yard line, and throws the ball as far as he can into a stiff wind in Miami. Miami is in a prevent defense as they have three defenders that straddle around their own 10-yard line.

The Hurricanes had no idea that Flutie could throw a ball over 60 yards, and also let Phelan slip behind them because of it. Miami defensive backs Darrell Fullington and Reggie Sutton bump into each other at the 3-yard line as the ball was coming on their side of the field. They still leap to try and tip the pass, and just miss as the ball falls right into the hands of Phelan in the end zone for the game winning score. Boston College won 47-45.

Flutie was unaware at first what had happened as Broughton brought him down to the turf. Flutie then rises to his feet and realizes that Phelan caught the ball for a touchdown! Flutie races down to the end zone with his arms flapping and the rest of the Boston College players began to celebrate. This play is now referred to as the "Hail Flutie."

The teams combined for 1,282 yards of total offense, 919 passing yards, 15 total scoring drives, and not a single drive was shorter than 55 yards. The game took 3 hours and 45 minutes to play as both teams put on an offensive show with a very memorable ending.

Flutie finished 34-for-46 with 472 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. Phelan had 11 catches for 226 yards.

Kosar was 25-for-38 with 447 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Bratton had 134 rushing yards to go with those four touchdowns. Receiver Eddie Brown had 10 catches for 220 yards in the air.

Boston College earned a trip to the Cotton Bowl with that win to take on Houston. They won the Cotton Bowl matchup 45-28 to finish 10-2 on the season.

Flutie went on to win the Heisman Trophy while Kosar finished 4th in the voting. Flutie later played briefly in the NFL with the Chicago Bears before starring in the CFL. He would return to the NFL to play for the Bills, Chargers, and Patriots.

Miami would end up losing three in a row on the season, and lost to UCLA in the Fiesta Bowl 39-37. But they would win three more titles by 1991 as well as another in 2001. They have won the most national titles since that period of time.

Here's a video of that classic play. Brent Musberger has the call, so enjoy one of sports most famous moments as the legend of Doug Flutie was cemented on this day:



Thanks for viewing, and I hope you enjoyed today's FSD History Flashback!

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The Sooners Lower Boomer on Red Raiders

In one of the most hyped college football matchups of the year, the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners defended their home turf in a very lopsided affair. For Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, Owen Field in Norman continues to be his little house of horrors. But his worst nightmare of all took place on Saturday night in their 65-21 loss.

As a Sooners fan, I loved what they did in this game even though I was hoping for more a thrilling finish. Texas Tech was cinderella story going into this game, and had to go to the one place where they have struggled in order to stay in the BCS Championship race. But it was not to be.

I've watched many Sooners games on television, and I haven't seen a fired up crowd at Owen Field like last night in sometime. It all started when Oklahoma forced Texas Tech to punt on their first possession. Oklahoma then scored on their first possession.

The Sooners running game couldn't be stopped, and Sam Bradford had all day to throw with the way the offensive line played. I replied to a post by my friend Tim over at Broken Facemask about things to look for in this game. As it turns out, we were actually both right about how the outcome of the game was to be decided.

He pointed out the same thing Lou Holtz did on ESPN about Texas Tech's defense struggling with tackling ball carriers at times. This turned out to be problematic in a big way for the Red Raiders in which they seldom had their first would-be tackler making a play. However, the Sooners have been one of the best teams in the nation in making plays after the catch, and it showed in this game.

The main thing I pointed out was the play of the offensive lines in protecting their quarterbacks in this game. The Sooners brought pressure all night with different packages while seldom having to bring more than four people pass-rushing at a time. The secondary also made some big hits and plays as well.

One also has to wonder if the week off actually didn't do Texas Tech any favors. I think Mike Leach was right when he was asked at halftime as to what was wrong with his team and he said they were too hyped up and needed to calm down.

At any rate, this win by Oklahoma has now created a mess in the Big 12 South as well as BCS Rankings. I have no trouble with seeing Texas at No. 2 this week. I do not think Florida should be the one to jump to No. 2 after beating a D-1AA opponent this week. It should come down to Texas and Oklahoma, and you really wouldn't be wrong to put either of them at the No. 2 spot. For right now, I'll let the rest of the season unfold before getting too much into detail on this.

Anyway, the Sooners played their best game at the right time of the year. DeMarco Murray ran as hard and well as I've seen him since coming to the school last night. Chris Brown also ran hard and scored three times. The offensive line made sure Bradford never had to get up off the ground with them only allowing a meaningless sack in the second half. And Sam Bradford more than made a statement for his case in the Heisman Trophy race last night, too.

I like that the Sooners maintained their level of intensity throughout this contest. This is a game that vaults them back into the BCS Championship picture which is anyone's guess as to how the outcome will turn out. But they're not out of the woods just yet.

Playing in Stillwater against the Oklahoma State Cowboys will be a test for the Sooners. Oklahoma State is still one of the better teams in the country with a dangerous and balanced offense. They also know each other well, and the Cowboys have given them trouble in Stillwater during Stoops' time at Oklahoma. They have to win this game before anything else with the Big 12 tiebreaker and BCS Championship implications with team is a discussion.

I can't say enough about the job the coaching staff did preparing for Texas Tech, and the players executing the gameplan like they did. The Sooners were ultra-aggressive in manhandling Texas Tech, and they beat a team that was just too over-matched on the road in this one.

The season is far from over, and there's still plenty of football to be played before we begin to figure out how to sort out the potentially bad mess in the BCS!

I'm a Sooner born,
And a Sooner bred,
And when I die,
I'll be Sooner dead!

BOOMER SOONER!

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Go OU Sooners

In case you're wondering, the game against Texas Tech takes place tonight and will be on television. Go Sooners!

And if you're not down with that, I've got two words for ya: BOOMER SOONER!

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David's Award & Tag Case

AWARDS

Fabulous Blog Award from my good Indonesian friend tripzibit:


Premio Dardos Award from my good Brazilian friends Helena & Greta Poltronieri, and good Filipina friend Lainy:


Noblesse Obligue Award from my good Indonesian friend tripzibit:


Friendly Blogger Award from my good Indonesian friends Dewa and Obing, and good Filipina friends Tammy, Lainy and Meryl:


Perpetual Smiling Blogger Award from my good Filipina friend Ria and good Malaysian friend Sharon:


Let's Be Friends Award from my good Filipina friends Arnie and Star:


Kreativ Blogger Award from my good Filipina friends Tammy, Meryl, and Star:


I'm Glad We're Friends Award from my good Filipina friends Tammy, Meryl, and Star:


Friends Forever Award from my good Filipina friends Tammy, Meryl, and Star:


Friends Award from my good Filipina friends Tammy, Meryl, and Star:


Uber Amazing Blog Award from my good friend Amy:


Neno's Award from my good Filipina friend Jennie, good friend Brilliam, and good friends Paul H and Titan:


Sweet Brigaderio Award from my good Filipina friend Meryl:


Friendship Award from my good friend Star:


I Love/Heart Your Blog Award from my good Filipina friends Meryl, Stacey and Madz:


Smart Blogger Award from my good Filipina friends Amy and Stacey:


Blogger Friendship Award from my good Malaysian friend Lily Arbee, good Indonesian friend Obing, and good Filipina friend Madz:


I Love Your Blog Award from my good Indonesian friend Obing:


Super Follower Award from my good Indonesian friend Obing:


Blogger Trophy award from my good Filipina friend Meryl:


International Bloggers Community Award from my good friend Bloggista:


Best Blogger Award from my good Filipina friends Meryl, Grace, and Chuchie:


Friendship Badge from my good Filipina friend Amy:


Kawaii Award from my good Filipina friend Jennie:


2009 Friendship and Best Blogger Award from my Filipina friend Grace:


Blogger Buddy Award from my good Filipina friends Grace and Cecile:


Over The Top Award from my good friend Bill and good Filipina friends BLoGGiSTa and Twinks:


Friendship Chain from good Filipina friends Shydub and Krislea:


Interesting Blog Award from my good Filipina friends Jennie and Tammy:


One Lovely Blog Award from my good Filipina friends Jenny and czaroma:


My Favorite Blogs Seal from my good Malaysian friend Lily Arbee and good Filipina friend BLoGGiSTa


Best Blog Award from my good Filipina friend Meryl:


A Lovely Blog Award from my good Filipina friend Jenny:


TAGS:

25 Things About Me Tag from my good friends morrisseyweb(via Facebook) and Amy which you can find here: 25 Things About David Funk

Aloha-Right Now Tag from my good Filipina friend Ria:


Seven Facts/Quirks Tag from Arnie found here: Two More Tags.

Five Facts Ballon from my good Filipina friends Amy, Jane, and Yen:


Handwriting Tag from my good Filipina friends Arnie and Maxi(who currently lives in Sweden):


Heart Tag from my good Malaysian friend Sharon:


Right Now Nokia Tag from my good Filipina friend Meryl:


Birthday Wishes Tag from my good Filipina friend Meryl:


Happy Easter Tag from my good Filipina friend Jennie:


Captured Tag from my good Filipina friend Tammy:


Q&A Tag from my good Filipina friend Jane:


Six Unimportant Things Tag from my good Filipina friend Tammy which can be found here

15 You's Tag from my good Filipina friend BLoGGiSTa which can be found here

My 8 Tag from my good Filipina friend Jane and good Indonesian friend Denani which can be found here

Plagiarism Tag from my good Filipina friend Tammy:

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List of Wrestler Sites

This is a list of pro wrestling figures, both past and present, and their offical and/or fan sites. WWE, TNA, and other organizations of wrestlers are listed. Note: These are sites that are accessible at this time. If there's problems with any links, then contact us. Also, you can request links to have wrestlers not listed here by letting us know as well. Special thanks to Mid-South Wrestling's website for many of these links.

Wrestling Promotion Sites:

WWE
TNA

Wrestler Pages:
Andre The Giant
Dave Batista
B. Brian Blair(Killer Bees)
Steve "Sting" Borden
Bushwhackers
Christian Cage Fan Site
John Cena News Site
Adam "Edge" Copeland News Site
Cryme Tyme
"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase Jr Fan Site
Ric Flair
Dory Funk Jr
"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert
"Superstar" Billy Graham
Jeff Hardy Fan Site
Matt Hardy
Bret "Hitman" Hart Info Site
Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig
Hulk Hogan
Honky Tonk Man
Iron Sheik
Chris Jericho
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Kamala
Mr. Kennedy Fan Site
Ivan Koloff
Jerry "The King" Lawler
John Morrison Fan Site
MVP 24/7 News Site
Rey Mysterio Fan Site
Kevin Nash
Randy Orton Fan Site
Diamond Dallas Page
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper
CM Punk
Harley Race
Road Warriors/Legion of Doom
Tito Santana
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
George "The Animal" Steele
Lance Storm
A.J. Styles
Triple H Fan Site
Undertaker News Site
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Jimmy Valiant
Rob Van Dam
Von Erich Family
Wild Samoans
Steve "Dr. Death" Williams
Ultimate Warrior

Diva websites:
Bella Twins Fan Site
Kara "Cherry" Drew Fan Site
Amy "Lita" Dumas
Fabulous Moolah
Lilian Garcia
Jillian Hall
Christy Hemme
Miss Elizabeth Hullete
Mickie James News Site
Kelly Kelly
Stacy Kiebler Fan Site
Gail Kim
Maria Fan Site
Debra Marshall
Sherri Martel Tribute Site
Maryse Fan Site
Michelle McCool Fan Site
Candice Michelle
Natalya Neidhart
Melina Perez Fan Site
Beth Phoenix
Trish Stratus
Victoria
Torrie Wilson Fan Site

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FSD History Flashback: November 21, 1976

Hello, I'm David Funk, and welcome to this edition of FSD History Flashback for November 21. Today, I'm reposting an entry about a movie that not only changed the lives of those in the movie, but gave America one of it's most popular fictional heroes ever. Many of you probably read this on Sporting News or wherever else I've posted it, but I've added some more facts and numbers to this post. Enjoy.

The movie Rocky was released in theaters on November 21, 1976. This movie not only grabbed the attention of so many fans, but it changed many lives as well. This movie was a classic one in a million shot for a little known boxer to fight the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

The original idea for this movie came on March 24, 1975 in Cleveland, Ohio. It was on that night that World Heavyweight Champion, Muhammad Ali, took on a virtual unknown in boxing, Chuck Wepner. In attendance at this fight was a guy trying to make a name for himself in Hollywood: actor Sylvester Stallone. In the fight, Wepner was able to last into the 15th and final round against all odds, and even knocked Ali down at one point in the match. Ali was able to win by TKO in that final round to successfully defend the title for the first time since regaining it from George Foreman in Zaire. Although Stallone appeared in a few films, he had struggled financially in trying to establish a name for himself. The idea he had was to write a story of an underdog fighter getting a shot to fight for the World Heavyweight Title after what he had witnessed in the Ali/Wepner fight.

Stallone then began writing the script about this underdog fighter. It took him three full days to write the original script after he painted all the windows black so he could focus completely on writing it. Stallone then was offered thousands for the script with someone else to play the lead role for his film. Stallone wanted to play the lead role for this film though. Finally, Stallone was in attendance at a casting call for Irwan Winkler and Robert Chartoff. Stallone told them about the script for Rocky, and Winkler was impressed. Winkler then was going to have well-established actors like James Caan, Burt Reynolds, and Ryan McNeal being the leading candidates to take on the lead role. Stallone auditioned for the part of Rocky, and Winkler then gave in and let the then-little known actor play the lead role as long as the cost of the film was $1 million or less. The original script that Stallone wrote was a darker tone.....

In the original script, Mickey Goldmill(Rocky's trainer), was portrayed as a racist. Also, Rocky was to throw the fight against Apollo Creed because he had decided that he didn't want any part of being in that business as the fight went on. The script was changed during production as they feared this would not make it as compelling of a story to viewers. However, another problem came up.....

The production team had a tough time finding cast members to fill key characters in the story. The first character that they were able to get was for the part of Paulie, played by actor Burt Young. Then the part of Rocky's trainer, Mickey Goldmill, was filled by established actor, Burgess Meredith. They then were trying to fill the role of the wife of Rocky, Adrian. Originally, actress Carrie Snodgress was to play the role, but a contract dispute between her and the producers forced them to look elsewhere. They offered the part to Bette Midler, but she turned it down. Then they had another audition for the part. Actress Susan Sarandon was one of those who auditioned for the role. Talia Shire, who garnered fame from The Godfather and its sequels, also auditioned for the part. Stallone and the producers were very impressed with Shire, and Stallone had often said that her voice fit the character perfectly. So Shire was given the role of Adrian.

Then the production team had offered the part of Apollo Creed, the World Boxing Champion, to real-life fighter Ken Norton. Ken Norton then pulled out of the part, so it left producers looking to fill that void, too. They held an audition for that part as well. Carl Weathers, who had retired from the NFL in 1974 to pursue an acting career, auditioned for the part. Stallone liked Weathers' attitude, voice, and that he had the boxing body to play the role of a Heavyweight Champion. Stallone insisted that the production team have Weathers play the part, and they agreed with him. Both the parts of Adrian and Apollo Creed were finally filled on the same day, but it was very late in normal production standards. So the film was set to be released in theaters on November 21, 1976, and producers were hoping it was going to be a sleeper hit. I will have more facts and numbers later in the show.

The Plot

Rocky Balboa was a dim-witted, but good hearted loan shark for a guy named Gazzo. He boxed in his spare time to keep his boxing skills sharp and he was out to beat up the deadbeats in town. However, Gazzo thought that Rocky was too soft for the business. Rocky had boxed under the training of Mickey Goldmill, but that evaporated after Mickey told him he could have been great had he worked harder for it.

Then one day while going to a local pet store, Rocky runs into a very shy woman named Adrian Panina. Adrian could not talk to men, but Rocky befriended her anyway. Adrian later surprised Rocky by giving him a dog named Butkus, that he had befriended earlier. Adrian's brother, Paulie, a cold storage worker, is excited for Adrian. Adrian then goes to Rocky's place for Thanksgiving, where they became lovers, and later married afterwards in the next sequel.

In the meantime, Apollo Creed, who's character was heavily influenced by Muhammad Ali, was set to defend his World Heavyweight Title against the top challenger, Mac Lee Green, in the Bicentennial Fight on January 1, 1976. However, Green broke his hand during a sparring session, and had to withdraw from the fight. This left Creed to find a replacement for Green in the Bicentennial Fight. He wanted to give a virtual unknown a one in a million shot at the title. After looking at a book of available fighters, one name stood out for him: "The Italian Stallion" Rocky Balboa. So after all that, the promoter gets the fight going.

Rocky then asks Mickey Goldmill to train him for the biggest fight of his life. Mickey refuses at first, but then gives in after he liked how Balboa attacks the body of a boxer to wear them down. Paulie then lets Rocky train at the cold storage by punching carcasses. After the intense training of Goldmill, Rocky says that he wants to go the distance with the champion.

Apollo finally meets Rocky at a press conference, and takes him for a joke although he respects his capabilities. The trainer for Creed named Duke noticed the intensity of Balboa's training when he was interviewed on television by a reporter. Also, Duke noticed that Balboa was left-handed which according to the storyline, Creed had never fought a southpaw boxer. Creed is at the peak of his career, and has not had one fight go longer than 12 rounds as the champion. So the odds were literally one in a million for Balboa to go the distance with the champion when no one else has.

The fight approaches, and Creed is not taking it so seriously. Before the fight, former boxing champion Joe Frazier shakes the hand of Creed in the ring. Creed responds to Frazier by saying he is next.

In the opening round, Creed taunts Balboa by dancing around the ring. He lands jabs to the face of Balboa, but his taunting backfires when Rocky sends him down to the canvas with a left hook. Creed had never been knocked down in any fight before this either. Creed gets up very quickly, and is furious by what just happened!

Apollo takes the fight seriously from this point on as he begins to control things. Creed won the next several rounds by hitting numerous punches to the head of Balboa. However, Balboa keeps coming at Creed, as he could not put him away. Creed knocks down Balboa in the 14th Round, and most thought the fight was over. But Balboa managed to make it back to his feet, and urged the champion to come at him again. Balboa then nails Creed with a vicious body shot that breaks his rib! Creed begins to cough up blood as the 14th Round comes to an end. Balboa was able to fight off Creed in the final round, and the underdog survived 15 rounds with the Heavyweight Champion which no one has done before. Creed said at the conclusion of the final round that he wasn't going to give him a rematch, and that Balboa did not want one anyway. The underdog survived against all odds.

Creed later changed his mind about fighting Balboa after receving numerous death threats about him being a disgrace to African-Americans, and that he fixed the fight. So the rematch for the two was on in the sequel.

Facts and numbers:

-The total cost for the making of the original Rocky was $1.1 million. The film grossed $117 million in the U.S.

-The original film only took 28 days to shoot.

-The fight scene is shot in reverse order than it was shown in the theaters. The 15th Round was shot first with both Stallone and Weathers in heavy makeup. The makeup began to wear off as the fight progressed all the way to the 1st Round. This technique earned the movie an Oscar for Best Film Editting.

-The original ending of the film was to have fans of Creed, and fans of Balboa to carry them out of the ring at the end of the fight. The production team only had a few extras, and both Stallone and Weathers were getting punched by fans so the scene was scrapped.

-The scene in which Rocky kissed Adrian in the kitchen was not scripted that way. Talia Shire had contracted the flu, and was worried about getting Stallone sick, which made her hesitant to kiss him. That scene was an improvement from the scripted one, so they kept it.

-The original movie saw the Steadcam that was invented by Garrett Brown, being used for the first time during a major motion picture. It was used during the scene with Rocky running up the steps of the museum.

-The photos of Balboa that are seen on the mirror before his fight were actual photos of Stallone as a young boy.

-Stallone actually did punch the frozen meat during his training scenes. This caused him to get flat knuckles, which he still has to this day.

-The musician on the street in the original movie that said, "Get a job, you bum!," was played by Frank Stallone, the brother of Sylvester Stallone. Stallone's father, Frank Sr, was the one who rang the bell before the fight.

-The scene in which Gazzo uses an asthma inhaler was not planned when talking to Rocky. Joe Spinell, who played Gazzo, suffered from a real-life asthma attack during this scene. Since the scene looked so natural they kept it.

-The original film earned 10 total Oscar nominations. Among them were Best Actor(Stallone), Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editting.

-The soundtrack with the hit theme song, Gonna Fly Now, was rated as the best soundtrack of all-time by VH1 in 1999 beating out the Grease soundtrack.

-A bronze statue of Rocky was commissioned by Stallone for Rocky III. Three statues were created with the third one being placed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. After furious debating, the statue was placed at the Wachovia Center in South Philadelphia. It was later moved back for the filming of Rocky V. It was returned back in front of the Wachovia Center until September of this year. The statues weigh two tons and are ten feet tall. One of the statues was listed on EBay to raise funds last year.

-Rocky IV, where he fights the powerful Russian Ivan Drago, is still the highest grossing Sports Drama and Boxing movie in history as it grossed $300 million(domestic and foreign) worldwide.

Here are the sales, release dates, and rankings for all the Rocky films. Note: Rankings are according to gross sales.

Rocky:
November 21, 1976
All-Time Gross Sales: $117,235,417
All-Time Movie Ranking(Domestic): 296
Sports Drama Ranking: 4

Rocky II:
June 15, 1979
All-Time Gross Sales: $85,182,160
All-Time Movie Ranking(Domestic): 486
Sports Drama Ranking: 7

Rocky III:
May 28, 1982
All-Time Gross Sales: $125,049,125
All-Time Movie Ranking(Domestic): 259
Sports Drama Ranking: 2
1982 Ranking: 4

Rocky IV:
November 27, 1985
All-Time Gross Sales: $300,473,716
All-Time Movie Ranking(Domestic): 243
Sports Drama Ranking: 1
1985 Ranking: 3

Rocky V:
November 16, 1990
All-Time Gross Sales: 119,946,358
All-Time Movie Ranking(Domestic): 1,274
Sports Drama Ranking: 24
1990 Ranking: 32

Rocky Balboa:
December 20, 2006
All-Time Gross Sales: $155,721,132
All-Time Movie Ranking(Domestic): 664
Sports Drama Ranking: 10
2006 Ranking: 38

Overall, four of the movies are in the top 500 of all-time in sales, and sports movies traditionally haven't faired well financially in theaters. It has five movies in the top 10 of the Sports Drama list with three of them in the top five.

Here is what happened to some of the careers of those associated with the Rocky original, and its sequels. This is sort of like a where are they now since this movie:

-Sylvester Stallone: Unless you were imprisoned the last 32 years, it is impossible to not know who he is. But believe it or not, producers had no clue who he was when the film came out. Stallone then sent the producers a copy of his previous movie, Lords of the Flatbush. Producers mistakened him for Perry King, who co-starred in that same movie. When the producers saw who Stallone really was, they almost passed on producing the movie. This movie put Stallone on the map. Not only was the character of Rocky Balboa an underdog, so was Stallone, who was struggling badly as an actor before this film came about. He made successful sequels that drew big at the box office. Yes, he has had bad films(some really bad), but he was a highly sought after actor when this movie became a hit. This movie forever changed America, and Stallone.

-Carl Weathers: For those who did not know, Weathers played for the Oakland Raiders as a linebacker in 1970-71 under head coach John Madden. He later played for the B.C. Lions in the Canadian Football League before retiring in 1974 from the game. He wore #55 and John Madden was quoted as saying that he was notorious for hitting the punter during special teams play on the field. He wanted to become an actor, and he was struggling to make it as well. After Ken Norton left the set when being given the role of Apollo Creed, Weathers seized the opportunity to fill the void. He played the role of the arrogant and trash-talking champion to near perfection. He was brought back to the next three sequels - eventually getting killed off in the fourth movie. His acting career has seen it's ups and downs, but he has had alot better life since this movie came out. He was able to land better roles as a result of this movie, and is now a member of the Big Brothers Association and U.S. Olympic Committee that handles the careers of gymnasts, wrestlers, and swimmers. He also currently assists the U.S. military with Iraqi villages in California. This movie changed his life as you can see.

-Hulk Hogan: Hogan played the role of Thunderlips in Rocky III. Hogan was a wrestler in the WWWF at the time, and he was personally approached by Stallone for the role. Vince J. McMahon, father of Vince K and owner of WWWF, fired Hogan after he took the role fearing it would hurt his business. Hogan then signed with the rival AWA. Hogan took the role, and it made him a household name. How so? He was the leader in the Rock 'N Wrestling era that put wrestling back on the map in the mid-80's. He is easily the most popular wrestler in history, and this movie made that possible for him as he forever changed the wrestling business after the film was released. Yes, this movie changed his life, too. It was Stallone who later inducted Hulk Hogan in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 as a result of the mainstream success he received for this film.

-Laurence Tauread(aka Mr. T): Believe it or not, the famous mohawking Mr. T was not supposed to play the role of Clubber Lang in Rocky III. The part went to former boxer Earnie Shavers, but he broke two ribs on Stallone during a sparring session in production for the film so they searched for someone else. Mr. T was spotted at a club by Stallone in 1982(the year the movie was released), and was asked to audition for the tough guy role. He was only supposed to have a few lines, but Stallone felt that he needed more to help the character and movie. His famous catch phrase, "I pity the fool!" was first used in this film. He said, "I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool!" before their rematch. Mr. T was actually a successful body guard for some famous celebrities before getting the role that changed his life. This helped him land a role for the successful A-Team sitcom as he played the character of B.A. Baracus. This also propelled him to make several appearances for the WWF as he was part of the first WrestleMania event teaming with co-star Hulk Hogan in 1985. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, and has donated his famous jewelry to help in the relief of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. His celebrity status has inspired cancer patients and victims of Hurricane Katrina as well. He has also made inspirational speeches in recent years since being a born-again Christian. This film is a big reason why his celebrity status helps bring hope to so many as this is where he became known.

-Dolph Lundgren: Okay, he has not had the most stellar acting career. In fact, far from it. However, I think most would agree that anyone who knows who Lundgren is will always associate him with the character he played in Rocky IV - the powerful Russian, Ivan Drago. He beat out 5,000 other hopefuls to win the role of the Russian. This Swedish actor can speak four different languages, and this helped him land the role as well. He was an established full contact Karate champion in various areas before he landed a small part in the James Bond movie, A View To Kill. At first, they declined to offer him the role of Drago because he towered over Stallone(Lundgren is 6' 5" while Stallone is 5' 8") as they were looking for someone shorter than 6' 3". However, his background as a karate fighter helped him along with speaking many languages. Yes, Lundgren experimented with anabolic steroids to improve his physique for the film, and that was heavily rumored when some scenes were shot with him injecting himself with a needle. He was able to land roles later on after winning the part of Drago, even though his career never got going afterwards. Still, he has a name for himself with his appearance as the Russian fighter in this movie. I am sure he still gets hardcore fans of the movie that still say, "Hey, there's Ivan Drago!"

Other real-life boxers who have appeared in the Rocky movies:
-Tommy Morrison appears in Rocky V as Tommy "The Machine" Gunn. He uses Rocky's fame, and then later lands a deal with the hated promoter, George Washington Duke. He and Rocky have a street fight at the end of the movie which sees Rocky beat him in the end. Morrison was 46-3-1 as a pro boxer. He tested HIV-Positive in 1996 which forced his early retirement. His troubled out-of-ring lifestyle is more documented. He spent time in prison for weapons and drug possessions as well as admitting to taking steroids throughout his life. He gained mainstream popularity with this role despite the movie performing terribly at the box office and being panned by critics.
-Boxer Antonio Tarver stars in the Rocky Balboa film. He plays the role of Mason "The Line" Dixon, who is the Heavyweight Champion at the time.
-Former Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson makes a cameo appearance in Rocky Balboa taunting Dixon when he's making his way to the ring.

My take: Rocky Balboa is the classic, persistent, and determined underdog fighter who makes the most of the one in a million opportunity to take on the World Champion and become a household name. Balboa is the symbol of an American figher who inspires us all. Rocky Balboa is exactly what Sylvester Stallone was - an underdog looking for one big break. Stallone got it, and he ran with it in the same manner that Balboa did. I was just turning two years old when the original came out, but I did go to the theaters to see the third, fourth, and unfortunately the fifth movie. The Rocky movies changed the lives of many, and those guys will always be associated with these films. This is my favorite sports movie of all-time because of how great it is to witness the underdog achieving what many thought could or never would happen.

Video courtesy of LisaLou on YouTube. The pictures and video were awesome!

Photo courtesy of Cyber-Cinema.

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