Sports Predictions for 2012

Am I right a lot? Not near as much as I think I am. But, I did decide let me try to look into my crystal ball and make some sports predictions for the next 12 months. I hope to get 2 right.

* We will be on the path for the super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The two guys will fight in November, but each will take a tune up fight before then. Manny Pacquiao will take a tune up with Timothy Bradley, while Floyd Mayweather Jr. will take on a game Erik Morales.

* Concussions and injuries will force Sidney Crosby to retire from the NHL, with all of asking how good could he have been.

* Peyton Manning will retire before the 2012 NFL season, leaving the Colts no choice but to select Andrew Luck.

* Golf's Majors winners will include Tiger Woods (Masters), Rory Mcllroy (U.S. Open), Lee Westwood (British Open) & Mike Weir (PGA Championship).

* No man or woman will win more then one tennis major.

* Dale Jr. will win the Daytona 500. Denny Hamlin will win the Sprint Cup Points Championship

* Albert Pujols struggles, and hits no better then .280

* Robert Griffin III leads the Washington Redskins to the playoffs.

* Cowboys will fire Jason Garrett after the 2012 season, and replace him with Lovie Smith. Ron Rivera will leave Carolina and take over for Smith in Chicago.

* Miami Heat win the NBA Championship over the Memphis Grizzlies in 5.

* North Carolina wins the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship over Kentucky.

* Virginia will win the ACC Coastal in football in 2012.

* LSU beats Alabama for the National Championship next week.

* Green Bay & Pittsburgh meet in a Super Bowl rematch with the Packers winning 27-17.

* The Boston Red Sox finish 4th in the AL East. The Red Sox will be involved in a blockbuster trade with the Texas Rangers at the trading deadline, or in the offseason and will acquire either Elvis Andrus or top SS prospect Jackson Profar.

* The Yankees win the World Series over the Cardinals in 6 games.

* MLB Award winners include John Danks (A.L. Cy Young), Roy Halladay (N.L. Cy Young), Prince Fielder (A.L. MVP as a member of the Texas Rangers) & Troy Tulowitzki (N.L. MVP)

* With the success of Cam Newton & Robert Griffin III in the pro ranks, Logan Thomas will be a projected Top 5 pick after the 2012 season, but he will come back to Virginia Tech and win the Heisman Trophy his Senior Year and be the number 1 pick of the 2013 NFL Draft.

I think that's a good start, if you want to bet on any of these predictions, my advice to you is don't.

Boxing Returns to Lynchburg: Interview with Scott Sigmon

Boxing returns to the Hill City on Saturday August 29th to the Lynchburg City Armory. I recently had the chance to talk to Scott "Cujo" Sigmon, who will be headlining the card in Lynchburg. Tickets are going fast and can still be purchased by going to the Jamerson Y or Buffalo Wild Wings in Lynchburg. For more information about the card, visit Major League Boxing

Bob Alvis: First off thank you for your time today. You are a graduate of Staunton River High School, I don't know a lot of former Golden Eagles who have gotten into boxing. What led you to get into boxing?

Scott Sigmon: As a kid, I always wanted to be a superhero. In boxing, you can will yourself to victory and inspire people, much like a superhero.

BA: When you had the fight card in April in Lynchburg, what type of results were you expecting crowd wise, and did the crowd lead you to believe that you could have future success in Lynchburg with boxing?

SS: We brought in over a thousand people. For the first time in 27 years, that was not bad. I believe we will probably be in Lynchburg quarterly now.

BA: Okay, now let's get back to boxing. Take me through your training. What's your daily training schedule when you have a fight that's on the books and what's the training schedule for you, when you don't have a fight set up on the schedule.

SS: I stay in shape year round, you never know when a fight might pop up. When I have one scheduled I start 8 weeks out. The schedule is as follows:
Monday: 5 mile run, 500 sit-ups, 12 rounds jump rope, 12 rounds target mitts, 12 rounds heavy bag
Tuesday: 5 mile run, 500 sit-ups, 12 rounds circuit on weights
Wednesday: Repeat Monday
Thursday: Repeat Tuesday
Friday: 500 sit-ups, spar 20 rounds

BA: Your record is 6-1 right now, how hard is it to make a name for yourself and what are some of the things you have learned from fight one to where you are at now?

SS: You know, the politics in boxing are hard to get around so I just fight the best guys that will fight me. So far all but 1 of my opponents have had winning records. The thing I have learned since fight one, is a huge set of skills defensively. Even though I am extremely aggressive, the defense helps me land more clean shots.

BA: I am a huge boxing fan, but it doesn't seem like there are a ton of hardcore boxing fans nowadays. Why do you think that is? Is there anything that can be done to add more boxing fans?

SS: One thing that will add more boxing fans is a huge personality with an exciting fight style. (Muhammad) Ali, (Joe) Frazier, Sugar Ray (Leonard) , (Marvin) Hagler, (Thomas) Hearns, (Mike) Tyson. But do not worry I have arrived! Second, boxing needs to only have one champ per weight class. Third, boxing needs to get back on regular TV or some mainstream network. Fourth, boxing needs to get back in sports bars. They charge the bars like $ 3,000 to show the fights,that is ludicrous!. Finally, more youth need to get involved with boxing. They will have a respect for the sport,and it will help the sport's future in addition to the participant.

BA: Final question (for now, as we hope to be talking to you lots more in the future), tell me about the card and what people will get to see if they come out to the Armory on the 29th.

SS: There are always lots of punches in my fights. It is up to my opponent on how long it lasts.

Reminder, you can get your tickets at Buffalo Wild Wings or the Jamerson YMCA for boxing's return to Lynchburg on August 29th. For more information, visit Major League Boxing.

Boxing Fans in Lynchburg

If you are a boxing fan and you want to get your tickets when boxing returns to the Lynchburg Armory on August 29th. Go to Major League Boxing for all the details and get all the info. Front Row tickets and floor seats are sold out and general admission is going fast. Don't miss it when boxing returns to Lynchburg on August 29th at Lynchburg City Armory.

Boxing in the 'Burg

With "The Sports Buffet Podcast" set to return next month, I am excited to announce that we will hopefully be covering next month's boxing in Lynchburg. To check out info on it go to the website of Major League Boxing

More to come on this exciting event at the Lynchburg Armory on August 29th.

The Return of "The Sports Buffet Podcast"

The target date has been set. "The Sports Buffet Podcast" has set the target date for the podcast portion of "The Sports Buffet" to relaunch on Monday August 3rd. The features that I mentioned in a previous post on October 24th, 2008 are still the features that you will be hearing on "The Sports Buffet Podcast".

Until then, I will be updating my blogs on a regular basis. I have three blogs, one relating to high school sports, one dealing with the general sports world (non high school sports) and one that just deals with the general world and my thoughts as a whole. Also, if you are a Facebooker, you can type in The Sports Buffet Podcast in the search box in the top right and become a fan of the podcast.

I want thoughts and suggestions from you on what you want to hear! E-Mail me at TheSportsBuffet@verizon.net or leave me a message or post on Facebook. If you haven't contacted me and volunteered to help with "The Sports Buffet" whether it be as a reporter or blogger, you can offer your services to me there as well.

Look forward to serving you up some good things on "The Sports Buffet". Stay tuned for more exciting news and updates that will be coming to "The Sports Buffet".

The Future of "The Sports Buffet" podcast

To all my loyal listeners of "The Sports Buffet" podcast, I appreciate you first off. I would love more comments on the podcasts, what you like, dislike and so forth and so on. You can always reach me by e-mail at TheSportsBuffet@verizon.net

With that being said, "The Sports Buffet" is going to be on a break or hiatus until probably the first of 2009. The site I have been using for "The Sports Buffet" is just not user friendly anymore and it has been very difficult to upload files. I encourage you to still go to the site and check out some of the older podcasts, to easier search for an episode (you can search by school, name, sport, whatever, by clicking here and typing in the keyword.

There are some other sites out there, but I just want to make sure the next site I go with is long term (even though My Podcast lasted me for longer then a year). I still intend to post "older" interviews and games from my days with WKDE and more. I firmly believe people want to hear new and fresh content, but I believe honoring those and featuring those that I have interviewed in the past should be featured across the world wide web as well. The "New" site is going to feature much more then just a podcast (hopefully) with hopeful links for all high school and college and pro sports fans, as well as stats and schedules and everything else a sports fan could want. I hope to make "The Sports Buffet" one stop shopping for all sports fans.

So, if you are a coach or athlete, and see that your interview has not been posted, please be patient. No one, but no one, is more fustrated by the lack of podcasts then yours truly. I have not forgotten about anything, as well as scheduling interviews and such. Hopefully, my blogs will take a more active role while the podcast is rebuilding, and will continue to be active after the podcast is reborn.

Finally, I also would like to take this opportunity to thank all the coaches, athletes, athletic directors, sports information people, other media members and anyone else that I pester for interviews, information and requests on a random basis. Please know that I appreciate you all more then you think. Also, once again big thanks to the listeners to "The Sports Buffet". I know everyone might not be interested in every single topic I cover, but if I have conducted one interview that you have enjoyed, then I hope you will check back frequently and will tell others about an interview that you may have enjoyed.

Thanks for indulging me and any questions, comments or concerns, please address them to TheSportsBuffet@verizon.net