Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto

Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. followed up with their own intense battle, but neither underdog was able to quite pull off the upset in the end.
Cotto and Mayweather didn't really provide much entertainment until the middle rounds when Cotto was at his best. Mayweather frustrated Cotto early with his unique defensive style. Blocking his body with the same defensive posture perfected by "The Mongoose" Archie Moore, Mayweather leaned back with his shoulder up and twisted out of the way of the worst shots from Cotto.
Cotto landed a few great shots to the body, but Mayweather kept a sharp jab in his face and found the right hook-left uppercut combo frequently. Cotto went back to his corner in the first with a welt already visibly forming near his left temple.
Cotto began finding more holes in the second round, but Mayweather thwarted his advances by ducking down to Cotto's waist and clinching to a break. Cotto caught Mayweather against the rope at one point and picked him right up off his feet at another. Still, nothing seemed to really hurt Mayweather. Rounds 3 and 4 went to Floyd due to his ability to land more accurate shots and stay out of Cotto's effective range.
Cotto unleashed his best on Mayweather in the fifth round to no avail. Mayweather won most of the exchanges working behind a nice mix of quick jabs and power jabs. Cotto did manage to bloody Floyd's nose, though. His aggression might have been enough for at least one judge to give Cotto the round.

Arguably the pound-for-pound greatest boxer in the world, Floyd Mayweather, returned to the ring last night (Sat., May 5, 2012) to do battle against Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the super welterweight championship on the line.

Mayweather came in with a jail sentence hanging over his head and a 42-0 career record to protect against a younger, stronger and hugely dangerous fighter in Cotto. He would need to dig deep into his bag of tricks to pull out victory number 43 but ultimately, that's exactly what he did.

The two pugilists engaged in a classic war that needed all 12 rounds and 36 minutes to be decided. "Money" shot out of the gate early with his usual stick and move style that gave Cotto trouble, enough to put him down on the scorecards in the first few rounds.

But as the bout wore on, the Puerto Rican started taking pages out of his opponents book, playing defense and staying loose on the outside. It worked, too, flustering Mayweather and leading to a few lost rounds in the middle of the contest. The seemingly inevitable happened, though, as "Money May" stepped on the gas pedal and got to counter punching, dipping his head behind his shoulder and avoiding the majority of Cotto's big punches.

Ultimately, the outcome was never in doubt ... not really. Cotto had come to fight and put his best foot forward, providing perhaps the toughest test of Mayweather's career. Ultimately, though, the best boxer in the world maintained his spot as the king of the sport with a unanimous decision victory by scores of 117-111, 117-111, 118-110.

White House Correspondents' Dinner 2012

One of the best recieved jokes of the night were Kimmel's quips about recently ousted Current TV host Keith Olbermann.
Jimmy Kimmel's half-hour speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner Saturday evening had a few targets--Kim Kardashian, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Newt Gingrich, Lindsay Lohan, Mitt Romney. But not everyone can take a  joke.

Olbermann, who did not attend the dinner and had instead been tweeting throughout the night about baseball ("Confirming: I would not, and have not voluntarily, attended the WHC Dinner since 1998. This conforms with my anti-torture stance," Olbermann wrote), didn't appreciate Kimmel's jabs. He took to--what else?--his Twitter account to explain why he felt Kimmel targeted him.

In response to his followers saying he shouldn't take it personally, Olbermann tweeted, "I'm not complaining about the Kimmel jokes - I'm fair game. I'm complaining about the revenge element. It reminds me of O'Reilly #nerdprom."

Where else can you see Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan rubbing shoulders with Rick Santorum? See Michelle Obama go head-to-head in a fashion battle against Martha Stewart... and Kate Upton? See Jimmy Kimmel make cracks about the president... with the president sitting right in front of him?

Then again, it was President Obama making the best jokes of the night. Looking at ease at the podium, he acknowledged his newly-cool, meme-tastic peer Hillary Clinton ("She won't stop drunk texting me from Cartegena!") as well as Miss Kardashian ("Why is she famous anyway?") He also poked fun at his graying image, dedicated a full video segment to Bo Obama (!) and made more than a few digs at Congress, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and even Donald Trump.

We swoon. Below, see POTUS, FLOTUS, and all the glamorous stars -- Reese, Charlize, Diane, Kim, Claire, and Alicia among them -- who came out for Washington D.C.'s "prom."

Small Earthquake In California

U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 4.1 Earthquake In California struck 8:07 a.m. Saturday. It was centered along the San Andreas Fault near Devore, in San Bernardino County. Some buildings swayed in downtown Los Angeles, about 60 miles to the west.

The Geological Survey says a small 2.0 magnitude aftershock hit about a half-mile away about two minutes later.

A San Bernardino County Sheriff's dispatcher in nearby Rancho Cucamonga said the station shook for a few seconds, but there were no calls about damage or injuries.

The USGS says a small 2.0 magnitude aftershock hit about a half-mile away about two minutes later. That was followed by a 1.8 magnitude shock at 8:14 a.m.

Dr. Lucy Jones with the USGS said the quake was located in an area where three faults come together. Early reports that the quake occurred on the San Andreas Fault were incorrect, Ms. Jones said.

Some buildings swayed in downtown Los Angeles, about 60 miles to the west, and residents reported shaking along Los Angeles County's beaches.

Paul Harrington was reading in bed at his home in Hesperia, about 20 miles north of the epicenter, when he felt the quake hit.

A clerk at an Albertson's market in Rancho Cucamonga said the store shook for several seconds but nothing fell from shelves.

The epicenter was approximately near the junction of the 15 and 215 freeways at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains below the Cajon Pass.

Kirk Cousins On Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will be a starter within a few years on Saturday morning.
Cousins – the winningest quarterback in Michigan State history – said he had some contact with the Redskins at the Senior Bowl in January, when he played for the North team. The Redskins coaching staff coached the South team, but during that week, Cousins spoke to Mike and Kyle Shanahan often.

Actually, if history repeats itself in the place from which most American history emanates, maybe Cousins will be the starter.  After all, Frerotte ended up supplanting an ineffective Shuler.
Yes, it’s highly unlikely that it will happen with Cousins and Griffin.  But not as unlikely as it would have seemed in 1994, when Shuler was the can’t-miss prospect and Frerotte was the seventh-round afterthought.

The Redskins are set for starting linebackers with three-time Pro Bowl pick London Fletcher and third-year man Perry Riley inside and two-time Pro Bowl pick Brian Orakpo and 2011 rookie standout Ryan Kerrigan outside in coordinator Jim Haslett’s 3-4 scheme. However, Fletcher turns 37 next month and Washington lacks depth beyond jack-of-all-trades Lorenzo Alexander.

Mike Shanahan described Griffin as a franchise quarterback Thursday, but he is fond of competition, and now there will be a talented young passer to push Griffin. The Redskins re-signed veteran Rex Grossman, who knows the offense well, and also have John Beck under contract. But Beck, who went 0-3 as a starter for Washington, now faces a very uncertain future with the team.

Bryce Harper Make MLB Debut Tonight With Washington Nationals'

Bryce Harper is heading to the major leagues today with the Washington Nationals, who are recalling the 19-year-old outfielder from Triple-A Syracuse and putting third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the disabled list..
Harper was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft. He hit .286 in spring training this year. The Nationals wanted him to get some more time in the minors, but with their top two hitters — Zimmerman and left fielder Michael Morse — sidelined by injuries, the team decided to bring up Harper.

When Bryce Harper was 13 and 14, which is not so long ago, he traveled across the country, without his parents, to play baseball in the best tournaments, the best leagues, for 15- and 16-year-olds. The other kids teased him. The other parents were jealous. Harper could gain acceptance if he played baseball well. Then he would fly to another tournament, put his uniform on in the car on the way from the airport to the field, and start over. That was a challenge. That was pressure.

Saturday night, Harper will be where he believes he belongs. Does he? We’ll have to see. “There’s no better place to get groomed than the big leagues,” Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth said. If Harper fails and gets sent back down to the minors, he will still believe he belongs. It will not ruin him. “He needs to be challenged,” one person close to Harper said.
There is no downside for it to happen now. If he’s ready, great, the Nationals have added offense to a team that desperately needs it. If he is not, he will handle it. His world will not end.

In that regard, Harper will benefit by being more famous than pretty much everyone on the field. He calls Albert Pujols by his first name. He wore a hat with an uncommon logo this spring, and when asked for an explanation, Harper said, “Kobe and Beckham wear it.”
He’ll walk to the plate Saturday night at Dodgers Stadium. He may or may not be ready. He will have handled tougher situations on a diamond. What will happen? Who knows?

Delmon Young arrested, accused of hate crime-related assault in New York

Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young was arrested and faces a hate crime-related charge in connection with a dispute outside a hotel along New York’s 6th Avenue early this morning, a New York police spokesman told the Free Press.

According to the report, the victim called 911. Cops quickly responded to the scene and arrested Young for aggravated harassment. Investigators are considering charging the athlete with a hate crime.
Young reportedly was taken to Roosevelt Hospital to sober up before he was booked and charged with assault in the third degree.

He was the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, and in recent years finally rounded into a very solid major league contributor. Young played a key role in the Tigers' near-run to the World Series last season, hitting three home runs as the Tigers beat the Yankees in five games in the Division Series, and two more in their six-game loss to the Rangers in the AL Championship Series.

Young is not in the lineup for tonight's game against the Yankees. It was unclear what triggered the incident at the Hilton New York at about 2:30 a.m., though it began with a group of four men and a panhandler wearing a yarmulke.
The detective said police interviewed witnesses, and Young was still “being processed” at mid-morning.
Young faces an “aggravated harassment hate crime” charge and will be processed through central booking later today, Cavitolo said.

The charge is a misdemeanor.
The victim, described as a 32-year-old male, was “knocked to the ground, and an arrest” was made outside the Hilton New York. He suffered an elbow injury and refused medical attention, Cavitolo said.

History Of The Arbor Day

Arbor Day 'April 27' is holiday celebration on appreciate trees.  Arbor Day, first observed in 1872, seems like an appropriate time to celebrate these early adopters of green living.

Learn how to recognize the trees in Martinez using the Arbor Day Foundation's interactive tree identification tool.

My father was part of a generation that left the South en massege, though what they knew about the earth never left them. Even as a child in Los Angeles, I could spot them. They were like my dad who, in the 1980s, long before the "urban farming" trend, seemed intent on turning our South Los Angeles backyard into a Farmville. He grew greens, onions, okra, cucumber, tomatoes and, for a time, sunflowers. The practice wasn't so strange; other people did it too. The neighbor a few doors down had chickens.

The trees and the school were born in the mid-1950s when my dad was a teenager. In those days the color line divided everything, even earth love. On Arbor Day, white students planted over here, African Americans over there.

This is Arbor Brewing's fourth year of hosting a fundraiser for Arbor Day.

David Borneman, Natural Area Preservation Manager, said the donations will go toward a variety of things for the program, including more trees, shrubs flowers and other native plants to help beautify Ann Arbor’s parks.

The Adopt-A-Park program helps to organize volunteers looking to enhance area parks with things like tree and shrubbery plantings, litter cleanup and general caring to the parks.

Today we have options that Carver and previous generations never had. In our high-tech world, soon anybody with a smartphone equipped with a tree identification app can stand in front of a tree and know it. Snap a photo of a leaf and the phone will function as an electronic field guide, providing vital information about the tree. Today, iPhone and iPad users in certain parts of the country already have this ability through the app known as Leafsnap. Imagine what Carver would say if he could see us now!

Brandon Weeden

Brandon Weeden At 28 years, 195 days, he became the oldest player ever taken in the first round of the modern NFL draft. He was selected in the same MLB draft as Prince Fielder, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, Curtis Granderson and one of the main characters from "Moneyball".

Once the NFL draft got past quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, it was like a day on Wall Street. Everybody wanted to make a trade.

The wheeling and dealing started even before the Colts opened the proceedings as expected Thursday night by taking Luck and the Redskins followed by selecting RG3.

Behind closed doors, general managers around the league were gabbing away, jockeying to position their teams to land the most coveted player on their draft board.

When it was over, there were eight trades involving 12 of the league's 32 teams and draftniks breathlessly trying to keep up with the organized mayhem. It all started when Minnesota swapped its No. 3 choice for Cleveland's No. 4 pick. The Browns, who also gave up a fourth, fifth and seventh-rounder, desperately wanted Alabama running back Trent Richardson. The Vikings still got the guy they sought in Southern California tackle Matt Kalil.

Weeden was selected with the No. 22 pick by the Browns. He'll join third-overall pick Trent Richardson as rookies likely tasked with getting Cleveland back to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Weeden is expected to enter training camp as the team's starting quarterback, especially in light of recent quotes from Browns GM Tom Heckert in which he said the team would consider trading McCoy.

The Oklahoma State quarterback didn't make our list of the 50 best draft prospects, but he earned praise from scouts for his quick release and accuracy.

Browns fans scared off by Weeden's age can take solace in one fact: He's not as old as Chris Weinke was when he was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2001. The Florida State quarterback was older than Weeden by three months, but went in the fourth round, not the first.

A third quarterback went eighth where Miami stayed put. The Dolphins took Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, who played wide receiver for most of his time in college. His coach at A&M, Mike Sherman, is the Dolphins offensive coordinator.

Carolina selected Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, the nation's leading tackler. Buffalo chose cornerback Stephon Gilmore of South Carolina and Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe went to Kansas City before the next trade occurred.

Philadelphia moved up from 15 to 12, giving Seattle two later picks, then took Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd went to Arizona, then the Rams finally got involved, taking LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers.

New England's first deal was with Cincinnati to get Syracuse DE Chandler Jones at No. 21, and the second was with Denver to draft Crimson Tide linebacker Dont'a Hightower at No. 25.