Dome Pondering

When IMPACT ended this past Wednesday. I could not believe this is what pro wrestling on pay-per-view had become, and yes, to be completely honest, I wondered what TNA had succumbed to. It felt like everything was geared toward this upcoming week's "Bell to Bell" episode and Slammiversary, their anniversary show, didn't seem to matter. That's just how it came off to this fan.  Then we got the Jeff Jarrett return, the announcement of the return of the King of the Mountain match, a personal favorite, a few other matches that looked like blow offs to feuds, and things seemed, well, alright. Still, it didn't feel the way it used to, but that's wrestling these days. And quite frankly, that's a glaring result of the pay-per-view business more than anything else.  Who needs a build up?!!! This ppv has been tremendous. #Slammiversary #13YearsStrong — Dome Pondering (@DomePondering) June 29, 2015 Anyway, after watching tonight's

3 Up 1. Caught Prisoners - Finally, they caught those suckers! One is dead, and one is in custody. Kudos to the men and women of the New York State police for their efforts over the past three weeks. Now let's put Joyce Mitchell away for good. What a moron she is.  2. President Obama - Well done on the eulogy for the parishioners of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Everything about it was amazing, especially the impromptu singing of Amazing Grace.  3. Miguel Cabrera - Only baseball provides these moments, and him giving this kid who was heckling him a bat and some gloves was really awesome. Great stuff by Cabrera.  3 Down 1. Confederate Flag Outrage - Look, I get the sudden push to remove the flags, and they should be, but it's just typical of our recent "outrage" movements to take such a stand AFTER nine lives are taken. Only then are local state governments looking to amend their handling of the stars and bars being represented

(Courtesy: NYTimes/Richard Perry) Alright, fire up the rant machine after this one folks.  "What's understood doesn't need to be spoken upon" #DestiNY #TheFutureIsNow — Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) June 26, 2015 Carmelo Anthony really hasn't been winning any points with me lately. None. I've been indifferent on him even as the years have gone on and the Knicks fanbase continues to split on supporting him. Lately, I've been creeping over to the negative side. For me, a big deciding factor was when he decided to play in the Knicks game in London and in the meaningless All-Star Game to continue "building his brand", and thus delaying his needed knee surgery to the point of affecting his return for this upcoming 15-16 season.

Alright, cue the rant...because let's be quite frank, that's usually what my posts become when they involve my beloved New York Knicks.  Ohhhhh - sigh - my New York Knicks... I'll begin by getting it out there, clear and out there for all of you - I actually like this year's Knicks draft. Yes, that includes Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant.  Quite frankly, I find the booing and exaggerated "anger" displayed at the draft tonight to be nothing more than media hype and sensationalism. The "Angry Knicks fans" have become a caricature of the fan base on draft night, and those in attendance do so just to have their moment on television or on social media. I truly believe that.  Look, Porzingis was becoming the smart basketball fan's pick over the last week and rising on every mock draft board there was. Everyone raved about him...UNTIL the Knicks selected him. Then he became you know (fill in the blank of any European player con

We live in a very forgiving society, especially when it comes to our sporting culture. We've offered the extensive olive branch to various athletes who have owned up to their short comings in some mysterious indirect way, or just outright apologized for their grievance to our society. Of course, as always, performance and/or some type of past equity plays a role here. Just ask Alex Rodriguez. But when it comes to Pete Rose, his plea to be reinstated in Major League Baseball, and possibly a induction to the Hall of Fame, I'm all out. I'm done. No. No. No. And again, no.  Yes, Pete Rose is the all-time hit king at 4,256 hits. That's a whole lotta hits! And it is such a shame that baseball's two biggest records (hits and home runs) are tied up in controversy. I also understand the some who want Rose in the Hall of Fame for historical and educational purposes.

3 Up 1. Max Scherzer - We'll let the Jose Tabata hit-by-pitch slide, although, yes, I believe he could have gotten out of the way. Regardless, Mad Max was super filthy and is probably the best pitcher in the world right now. A one-hitter and a no-hitter on back-to-back starts? Yup, you've earned this top spot. 2. Jay Lethal - Congrats to Lethal, a true grinder and fan of the pro wrestling business who captured his first World Title this week. Lethal is a throwback to the wrestler who truly paid his dues and earned his way to the top in a gradual and organic way. Kudos! 3. Soca River - This Slovenian River is actually really beautiful. Sometimes an uncovering like this is just needed to reinvest us in life. 3 Down 1. Charleston, SC Shooting - So sad. Oh, so sad. I'm not even sure what else to say in regards to this. 2. Racism in Dominican Republic - The issues between Haiti and the Dominican Republic are well known. However, lately, the rampant racism and beati

There has been oh so many issues regarding race, and how we as a nation tackle the issue together. We've gone through quite a bit lately, a lot of it disheartening, and much of it strong enough to raise some serious issues that plague us as a community. And of course, there are some others that were purely race baiting issues that devalue the serious topics and concerns - nonetheless, issues are before us and in front of us. And quite frankly, it's clear, something just is not right.  Obviously, we can all take race relations and talk and in this case, for me, write about it for hours on end. However, the recent shooting in Charleston, South Carolina is one that has really bothered me. While the issues of police/authority and it's relationship with minorities is of concern, especially after watching the issue regarding those children in Texas who were at a pool party, there is just something about this incident that really concerns me. Almost angers and saddens

What is it about?  A woman journeys 1,100 miles through the Pacific Coast Trail to help deal with her recent issues and life occurrences.  Who is in it? Reese Witherspoon - Cheryl Laura Dern - Bobbi Thomas Sadoski - Paul

Chillin' in Chicago for a few days. A beautiful city which I now root for among all of it's political and social issues.

3 Up 1. Chris Heston - Throwing a no-hitter is no easy feat. Throwing one as rookie just makes the super difficult game of baseball look really easy, which it is definitely not. Congrats to Heston on the no-no of the New York Mets!  2. The Internet - What?! Yes, often the internet is the bad guy in life and is the cause for many reasons for the detoriation of human existence in several ways. However, let's give one to the internet this week for allowing this story to occur. Hooray internet!  3. Andre Iguodala - Alright, we're giving love to the second "AI" coined by Philadelphia. Sure, he is the focus for Cleveland's intentional fouls, but Iguodala has been an amazing piece to the entire NBA Finals. His defense and competitiveness on the greatest player in the world (Hint: It's LeBron James) has been praise-worthy. Even when James is racking up triple doubles.  3 Down 1. Joyce Mitchell - You are a moron. Seriously. Helping these clowns es

There I was in an airport terminal gate awaiting my flight to board when the news that came across my Twitter feed caused a certain life-stand-still kind of pause to my travel day - Dusty Rhodes dead at 69.  Non-wrestling fans often don't get why the death of these larger than life figures affect us so greatly. What they don't understand is that these are characters, men, and synonymous figures who represent childhood, growth and fandom for wrestling fans. For years, they've grown with us on screen, and have provided years of memories for us throughout the years.  Wrestling fans understand that. We get it. For the non-wrestling fan, I hope that sheds a bit of light on the perspective.

3 Up 1. Serena Williams - Her epic and emotional third set against Lucie Safarova this weekend  to capture another French Open was awesome. Serena continues to be such a joy to watch, and is easily one of the greatest athletes of this generation. And oh yeah, how about the fluent French in her post-game speech? Wow!  2. American Pharaoh - Sure, I may not appreciate it wholly, but it still is a momentous and rare feat. The Triple Crown accomplishment was one for the memory books and still cool to witness.  3. NBA Finals - Two games in and this has been really, really fun. I can't wait to see what lies ahead.  3 Down 1. Texas Pool Party - Everything about this story really makes me sad and and really angry at the same time. Cops being called for black kids in a neighborhood where white parents were telling them to "return to Section 8 housing" and cops who are pinning them on the ground and pointing guns at them is beyond excessive. It's just so sa

Well, this obviously is going to be a first here on the DP. I'm talking horse racing, folks. Yup, horse racing.  Dude, you're only thirty, but you're losing your mind.  Fair point. But of course, history was made today in American sports as American Pharaoh became the first horse in thirty seven years to win the Triple Crown. A rare occurrence, obviously, and one that has been celebrated outstandingly here in our nation.  I'll be honest, I'm supremely happy for the owners, the trainers, and all of the investors within the American Pharaoh camp who made this feat a reality, however, I'm still struggling with the heights to which we hold horse racing in our culture. Again, I'm being nothing but honest as I am usually am here.

I wonder what Carmelo Anthony is thinking? It must be tough for him to sit at home and watch these former Knicks play on the game's biggest stage, the stage he has yet to reach, a stage many didn't think was possible, especially when those "pieces" that surrounded him as the centerpiece of the New York Knickerbockers are now household names.  "The Knicks let these guys go?" "These guys play so much better with LeBron than they ever did with Melo" I've made it quite known already that Alex Rodriguez is the most fascinating athlete in my lifetime - at least for me, anyways. Check the DP Page of Fame to see that. Regardless, there is something about Carmelo Anthony that is headed in that same direction. Fascinating? Not really. But, frustrating? Absolutely!  I'll be honest, I'm lukewarm on Anthony. Always have been. He seemed like a terrific player from afar with the Denver Nuggets. However, sometimes the ESPN/media hy