All Sport Report

The Atlanta Thrashers had a pretty big lead, poised at the top of their division almost assured of an easy playoff berth, their team full of talent being led by the likes of Marion Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov… So much for a sure thing.

The Thrashers began a devistating downward spiral including 9 loses in eleven games coming into this past weekend, falling to sixth in the Eastern Conference struggling to stay above the teams breathing down their necks in the playoff hunt.

The trade deadline was rapidly approaching, something needed to be done for this team to turn around. The Thrashers have a dismal 5-12 record during regulation since the start of the new year, their powerplay is among the worst in hockey. They were in a position where drastic measures were required to fix whatever had broken and GM Don Waddell took those potentially drastic measures.

First up, the aquisition of veteran defenseman Alexei Zhitnik from the Philadelphia Flyers. Waddell sent 21 year old Braydon Coburn, the 8th overall pick in the 2003 draft to Philadelphia to make this deal happen. Zhitnik is 34, but proven, he was the most solid player on the Flyers defensive corp. This trade is a potential win for both teams, the Flyers are in a stage of rebuilding and Coburn certainly has the potential to be a solid defenseman when he gets some more games under his belt, while Zhitnik will sure up Atlanta’s defense and adds a lot of playoff experience.

Forward Kieth Tkachuk was the number two on the drastic moves list. Waddell sent Center Glen Metropolit and a couple draft picks to the also rebuilding St Louis Blues for the veteran forward. In my opinion this was a much better move for Atlanta than the Zhitnik deal, Metropolit isn’t any spring chicken at 32 years old, he may bit a little above average, but he’s not likely going to get a whole lot better as the years go on. Tkachuk is a big, rough forward who not only throws the body and plays physical, but can put the puck between the pipes, he’s got twenty goals this year eight of which have come on the powerplay.

Tkachuk, like Zhitnik is thirty four years of age, neither one is going to be around into the too distant future, but all things considered they only need to be at their best for a few months for these trades to work out.

Thrashers, Tkachuk, Zhitnik

Standing at six foot five inches tall, Christian Cantwell is a mountain of a man, who put up an insurmountable throw to walk away the top shot putter of 2007 Indoor Track and Field Championships and twenty-five thousand dollars richer as the top performer in the Indoor Visa Championship Series.

Cantwell was the number two ranked shot putter in the world coming into the ‘07 championships as well as the leader in points for the Visa Championship series. Cantwell admitted that he came to the event in questionable form, he’d been throwing inconsistently since the Millrose Games at the beginning of the month.

Cantwell wouldn’t have much margin for error, he needed a big throw to secure both the finals of the indoor, with a slew of great shot putters throwing against him; and the Visa Championship, with other competitors breathing down his neck and capable of passing with solid performances if Christian were to falter.

He didn’t… Cantwell wasted no time, putting up his big throw on the first attempt - 21.72 meters, no other competitor would even come close. Last years world champion Reese Hoffa put up a throw of 21.21 meters to take second place and Dan Taylor nabbed third with a throw of 20.32 meters.

The Visa Championship and the twenty-five thousand dollars would come down to the final event, if sprinter Marcus Brunson could manage a time of 6.45 in the 60 meter, he would over take the point lead from Christian and walk away with the green and the glory.

It wasn’t out of the question, Brunson had run a 6.46 earlier in the season, but this night belonged to the strong rather than the fleet of foot. Christain Cantwell secured the Visa Indoor Championship after Brunson crossed the finish line in second place with a time of 6.58.

Brent “Sgt Rock” Howard is a deadlift specialist who has one of the most dynamic personalities and energetic stage presences in the world of strength sports. He got his start in powerlifting as a “skinny 145 pounder” in high school, Gary Viles who was Brent’s high school strength coach saw something special in him and decided to give him a shot…Viles proved to be a very smart man, Brent pulled 335 lbs in his first attempt at the deadlift.

Since breaking into the sport Brent has gone from that skinny kid with a very impressive first attempt to be at the pinnacle of the sport in the deadlift, incredibly managing to pull more than three times his body weight in each of the following weight classes: 148,165,181,198,220 and 242!

Where did the nickname come from?

Brent joined the Marine Corps in 1995, “I wanted to be the best so I joined the Corps.” The nickname comes from the fact that Brent was the only recruit of the Corps, ever, that couldn’t float. After countless jumps into the pool for swim qualification, and countless hours of one on one practice with instructors the Marine Corps brass came to the conclusion that it just wasn’t going to happen, Howard was a freak of nature, a rock - so from boot camp up through the ranks Brent was LCpl Rock, then Cpl Rock and finally Sgt Rock, since then the name has just stuck.

Sgt Rock will again be lifting in “the Cage” at the Arnold Classic in March, “being involved in the Arnold every year is a true blessing for me.”

For those of you that don’t know about the Arnold, it’s a pretty prestigeous event, with a bodybuilding competition and the Arnold Sports Expo that includes a variety of events - strongman, arm wrestling, and for the first time this year sumo. You don’t just walk in and fill out a form to be involved in Arnold, it’s invitation only, and Brent being asked back each year shows not only his tremendous dedication to the sport but the fact that he drastically improves what he’s capable of, enough to where he can continually impress the thousands and thousands that attend the Arnold each year.

For a man who’s so charismatic in competition and who’s done so many very impressive things on the platform, Brent Howard is incredibly humble, “of all the things I’ve accomplished in powerlifting, having the opportunity to help people is the most important to me,” this coming from a man who has deadlifted 600 lbs for ten reps, been on the cover of Monster Muscle Magazine and graced the pages of Sports Illustrated. Sgt Rock is willing to spend more than two extra hours in the gym each day to help other lifters get ready for their competitions, I don’t know of very many, if any, other professional athletes that are willing to go to such lengths in order to help someone else reach their goals.

After putting on what I’m sure will be a very impressive show in the Cage at Arnold, Brent will be heading to the Riverfest in Gadsden Alabama, “a lot of my close friends live in Gadsden, I always put up big numbers there. I love that show, you can look for a big pull there this year.”

If Brent Howard calls for a big lift you can almost bank on it, he’s not one for disappointing the crowd.

Brent Howard is a mere thirty six years of age, which means he’s got a lot of pulls left in him. He’s managed to work through two torn pectoral muscles and a torn bicep without so much as missing a beat. He’s looking to hit an official deadlift of 895 lbs at a weight of 242 before moving up a weight class to 275 to “see what happens.” I personally can’t imagine, but judging from his track record I can tell you that the sky is the limit.

For more info on Brent “Sgt Rock” Howard go here.

powerlifting, deadlift, Sgt Rock, Brent Howard, Arnold Classic

It’s finally happened, the All England Club has gotten it’s act together and evened the playing field, or court as it were. For the first time in nearly a century and a quarter the women competitiors at Wimbeldon will earn the same amount of money as the men.

Wimbeldon is the biggest, most prominent tennis tournament and one of the most popular sporting events in the world and though the margin in difference of pay has slowly decreased over the years the women weren’t being treated as equal. Other major events already had an equal pay structure in place including the US Open and Austrailian Open.

The French Open still has a little ways to go, the overall winners are awarded the same money, but the men’s purse overall is larger than the womens, so the secpnd and third finishers among the men would take home more than their female counterparts.

It’s reported that it will cost in the neighborhood of one million dollars to make the men’s and women’s purses for Wimbeldon even across the board, but it’s certainly going to be money well spent and for those of you who site the men’s best of five sets workload to the women’s best of three as your reasoning behind why you feel men should earn more here’s a few thiongs to think about:

Roger Federer won the Australian Open in three sets, that’s less work than he could have done. Should he have made less money for having been so much better than his opponent that he didn’t work for as long as he could have?

Raja Bell of the Phoenix Suns plays an average of 37 and a half minutes to Steve Nash’s 35 minutes. Nash averages four more points and 9 more assists per game, should Bell earn more because he “works” more?

Center Brad Richards of the tampa Bay Lightning spendes more time on the ice than team mate Vincent Lecavalier, despite Lecavalier having 19 more goals and ten more assists, just because Richards plays more per game does it mean he’s worth more?

Okay maybe these examples are a bit extreme but I’m trying to illustrate a point - the women who play professional tennis at this level are every bit as talented as the men and in my opinion often offer more entertaining matches, so it’s only right that, espescially on the biggest stage tennis has to offer, they make the same amount of money - even if the men have a chance of being out there a little longer.

Boxer Tommy Morrison, who tested positive for HIV over a decade ago has now passed the test with a negative result and been cleared to fight.

Fighters who test positive for HIV or Aids are not permitted to compete in the US, fighters must have a negative result in order to compete in boxing, kick boxing, mixed martial arts - essentially all combat sports where both parties could end up with opens wounds thereby increasing the chance to pass the virus.

Morrison tested positive in 1996 and was prohibited from fighting in the US, he did fight professionally one more time on foreign soil before what everyone thought would be his early retirement, until just recently when Morrison was licesned to fight in West Virginia after receiving a negative result on his latest HIV test conducted in Arizona.

If it’s been so long since you’ve seen Tommy Morrison in the ring that you can’t remember if he was even worth watching you can take a look at this:

In his hay day Tommy was an exciting fighter to watch, a fighter that could bring a bout to a close by way of knockout in a matter of seconds, but I’m really not sure about this whole situation.

Morrison maintains that the original test was a false positive, the people present at the time of the test in question stand by the original results - So what happened?

I’ve been saying for quite some time that the Heavyweight division has needed some new blood, and I meant new blood, not potentially tainted blood. In my opinion, if there is any question as to whether Morrison has HIV he should be kept from the ring for the safety of all parties involved. In all likelyhood, no title holder or top contender would agree to step into the ring with him after the original test more than ten years ago came up positive.

If Morrison’s 1996 was incorrect I feel bad for the fact that it ruined what could have been a pretty decent boxing career, but if there is even the slightest doubt then all necessary precautions should be taken to maintain the safety of the fighters and unfortunately for Tommy that means continued retirement.

It happens from time to time in hockey, two players will be focused on getting someplace without really seeing what’s coming in front of them, in this case Brendan Shanahan was trying to get to the bench for a line change, Mike Knuble skating up ice - the result, a bone crushing meeting, literally.

The wicked accidental collision between the Rangers Brendan Shanahan and the Flyers Mike Knuble that came in the third period of Saturday’s game is going to impact both teams for what could be quite a while.

Often, seemingly violent collisions on the ice appear much worse than they actually are, that was not the case in this incident. Ranger forward Shanahan lay unconcious on the ice for nearly ten minutes before being fitted for a neck brace and being wheeled off on a stretcher. He sustained a concussion and would end up spending Saturday night in the hospital for monitoring.

Mike Knuble’s injuries were more extensive, he suffered a broken cheek bone and a broken orbital bone. Knuble will undergo surgery to repair the damage and is expected to miss at least four weeks of action, and though he’ll be missed by the Flyers, his absence won’t have much of an effect on the Flyers playoff hopes, which ended shortly after the season began.

Shanahan’s injury will be much more painful to his team. The Rangers are fighting for position for a playoff spot, they are currently sitting in eleventh place, a few points away from a berth with just over twenty games left. Shanahan who leads the Rangers in goals will definitely miss the two upcoming games with the rival New Jersey Devils, and he may very well be out beyond the end of the month.

If New York doesn’t get some players to step up in a big way through this Shanahanless stretch of very tough opponents they could very well find themselves on the golf course with the Flyers come the post season.

The official start of the FIVB World Tour season is almost two and a half months down the road, but that didn’t stop the action this weekend in Rio De Janeiro. This weekend marked the first international challenge series match pitting Brazil against the US.

The set up for this match actually began last fall, with Todd Rogers securing a spot on the tour by winning God of the Beach in Las Vegas in September. Rogers picked big Phil Dalhausser as his partner to keep together the team that ran rampant and ended up tops on the AVP tour in ‘06.

Then last week Fabio Magalhaes won the King of the Beach in Brazil and selected Marcio Araujo as his partner…

The stage was set, this would be the fifth meeting between the two teams, the Brazilians were victorious in the first three matches while the US cleaned up with a win in the final meeting of last year in Acapulco.

The Brazilians just proved to be too much for the AVP tour champions, dominating the first game 21-15, and though Rogers and Dalhausser stepped up their play in the second game keeping the score close, they couldn’t manage to force a tie break, the second game ending in a 23-21 score.

Magalhaes and Araujo are coming off an incredible ‘06 season where they had a record of 72-19 and they don’t seem to have skipped a beat coming into ‘07. This is not, however the last time they will face the Americans in FIVB play this year and you can bet Rogers and Dalhausser will have revenge on their minds come the next meeting.

Rogers has been the defensive player of the year in the AVP for the last three years, Dalhausser was selected last years offensive player of the year and he led the AVP in blocks with more than 400. When they are on their game they are a very scary team. I look for them to do a little more studying on this exciting Brazilian team and come back with a win in their next meeting, after all they’ve got almost three months to figure Magalhaes and Araujo out.

Standing at five foot five inches tall and checking in at a powerfull 220 lbs, Ox will look to grab hold of his first major title(WPO) at the Arnold Classic next month. It would be a pretty nice birthday present for the veteran lifter, Mason will be thirty-five on March 16th.

Ox has been lifting weights since the age of twelve, first as a bodybuilder before making the switch to powerlifting in 1997, “I was tired of all the politics involved with bodybuilding, one of my training partners was a powerlifter and he just seemed to be having more fun, so I made the change. I’ve kept lifting all these years because I haven’t won a world title yet - I have a burning desire to be the best, no matter how long it takes.”

Mason, who had an impressive competition totalling 2199 lbs at the WPO World Semi Finals in Lake George in November of ‘06 despite being injured, will get another crack at being the best at Arnold. Mason has put up some serious numbers at 220 lbs, his biggest official lifts put him at a world class level: bench press - 628lbs; deadlift - 704 lbs; and squat - 948 lbs and a total of 2204 lbs, couple that with his drive and determination and we could definitely see Chris on the podium at Arnold.

Ox wants to be a part of powerlifting for as long as he can, “I’ll compete as long as my body lets me perform at this level, but as soon as I start to slip I’ll bow out gracefully.” I don’t think upon seeing Mason compete there’s a whole lot to worry about as far as him leaving the competitive side of the sport anytime too soon:

But when the time comes for Ox to call it quits as far as competition is concerned he will still be knee deep in the sport with his business Oxsportz. Ox is not only at the top of the field as far as being able to move tremendous amounts of weight, he is also a visionary when it comes to performance and training and he is bringing all that to the public through Oxsportz.

Ox’s company manufactures three types of lifting belts including the ‘big bench belt’ which helps a lifter shorten the stroke of the lift and create more interabdominal pressure allowing for, as the name implies, a bigger bench press. Oxsportz is nearly ready to unleash the ‘mechanical ox’ on the market as well, the ‘mechanical ox’ is a revolutionary piece of equipment that will allow a lifter to train the squat, deadlift and goodmorning all at the same time - this will mean a more intense workout which will require less time to complete thereby allowing more time for recovery. The ‘mechanical ox’ could be the invention that let’s Ox realize the American dream and leave the rat race and his pharmacuetical sales job behind.

“I’m always going to lift, I met all my closest friends through lifting, hell I even met my wife in a gym thirteen years ago, but after I win a world title I would like to concentrate on my business more. I have a full line of strength equipment in mind, I’d like Oxsportz to be able to compete with Hammer Strength someday.”

I hope Ox wins his world title in March, but I don’t think I’m alone in hoping that he doesn’t leave the competitive side of the sport too soon. He’s got a lot to offer the lifting world through his business, but the ten year veteran still has alot to offer fans of the sport by being up there on the platform.

To learn a little more about Ox and to see some of his incredible products go here.

The Flyers have taken my advice and traded Peter Forsberg. I’m glad someone in a Philadelphia sports organization is finally listening. Forsberg is officially flying south to Nashville, y’all.

After having a very impressive 9 year stint with the Avalanche organization, Peter the Great spent the last season and a half in Orange and Black. My visions were filled with images of Lord Stanleys cup being escorted down Broad Street, playing hookie from work to be present at the first parade in Philadelphia in a long, long time.

But Peter’s tenure in Philly wasn’t all that I’d hoped, in fact it was injury plagued and not very impressive at all- he missed over twenty games last season and only managed 75 points; and he’s missed more than ten by the halfway point of this year. Now 75 points may seem like nothing to complain about, but we’re talking about a guy who’s supposed to be tops in talent in the NHL.

This trade could potentially accomplish two things for the Predators - firstly, the team is already good - number one in the West, adding Forsberg to the mix with other big talent like Paul Kariya(pictured below) and Jason Arnott can only make them better. If Peter can stay on the ice this team has a chance of going very deep into the playoffs. Secondly, and also very important to the franchise it will put rear ends in the seats - the team needs to make money to stay in Nashville.

There are two potential negatives as well - Forsberg could continue to suffer from the bizarre skate related injury and spend most of his time off the ice not really helping the cause; and he refuses to talk about next year until this year is out, making for what could be a very costly and potentially unproductive rental.

So what does this trade do for Philadelphia - well for starters it gives them Ryan Parent, the Predators first round pick in ‘05, he’s a young defenseman with good potential. The Flyers also get 23 year old forward Scott Upshaw as well as Nashvilles 1st and 3rd round picks in the upcoming draft.

This works two fold for the Flyers as well - they are potentially putting together a team that could remain together far into the future with a chance to develop as a cohesive unit, and secondly it will force them to pick a captain and give the team identity. The Flyers haven’t lacked talent over the course of the last few years, they’ve lacked leadership, no one has taken the reigns since Kieth Primeau was injured. This trade not only gives someone the chance to step up it requires it - Mike Richards, are you listening - this is your time to shine!

It’s become evident that Bernard Hopkins not only has trouble deciding on when to retire, he also has trouble deciding who to fight. His last fight was in June of ‘06 against Antonio Tarver, Hopkins was going to retire - for real this time, after winning the light heavyweight belt from Tarver.

The latest plan had been to settle the score with and opponent of old - Roy Jones Jr, which though it would have made for a boring fight, it was one that Hopkins probably would have won. Jones isn’t the fighter he was five years ago, he’s lost a step and some confidence and despite winning his latest fight the three prior were losses by way of very convincing KO’s. Hopkins could have played it safe and taken a decision from his former nemesis, closing that chapter of his boxing career.

Rumors abounded as to who was next for 42 year old Hopkins, bouts with fighters from several different weight classes were considered, B-Hop reportedly even pondered a big jump up in weight to challenge Heavyweight champ Oleg Maskaev, then the fight with Jones seemed all done but the doing. Until the Executioner decided he wanted a fight against the biggest name he could attract, and in boxing right now you don’t get a whole lot bigger than Winky Wright.

Wright is coming off a banner year, he is one of the most impressive specimens in all of boxing today. Winky has beaten up some of boxings best in Tito Trinidad, Sam Soliman and Shane Mosely(twice), and even though the result was a “draw”, he beat Jermain Taylor too.

If Bernard Hopkins isn’t careful, Winky make just whip him into retirement this July.

Recently retired New York Giants All Pro running back Tiki Barber didn’t have to spend any time standing in the unemployment line, in fact he’s landed two jobs with NBC.

Tiki will be a correspondent on “Today” where he’ll be a part of the news team and contribute human interest stories, and come the fall he’ll be a part of NBC’s Sunday night football highlight show “Football Night in America”.

Barber is fresh, one week fresh if you count the pro-bowl, off a very impressive ten year NFL career where he rushed for over ten thousand yards, had more than five thousand yards receiving and scored 67 regular season touchdowns.

Why would Barber leave the NFL in his prime to take a broadcasting job? Tiki is no fool, I’m sure he loves the game just like everybody else, but he understands the punishment his body undergoes week in and week out, so in lieu of being in a wheelchair by his forty-fifth birthday Barber is opting for a broadcasters chair before his thirty second.

In my opinion this is a very good move, Barber leaves the game before he’s even had the chance to lose a step. He leaves his fans wondering what else he could have done rather than suffering potential disappoinment for what he didn’t do. It’s better to leave the game a year too early than a year too late, and Tiki has proven to be just as hot a commodity off the field, having turned down jobs with ESPN and Fox before accepting the two positions with NBC.

This past Saturday Shane Mosley dominated a fighter ten years his junior, winning a unanimous decision over twenty-five year old Luis Collazo. This was Mosley’s first fight in the welterweight division since 2005 and only his third since 2003.

Mosley has held titles in three divisions and was at one time to be one considered to be among the best pound for pound fighters in the game looked like he was the younger man in the ring at Mandalay Bay on Saturday.

Sugar Shane took a few rounds to get used to Collazo’s southpaw stance, but around midway through the fight he took command, hitting Collazo at will and ultimately putting him on the mat once in the eleventh round in the bout for the interim WBC title temporarily vacated by Floyd Mayweather JR.

Mosley improved his professional record to 44-4 and implied after the fight that it was good to be back fighting at 147 lbs and that he had plans to keep himself conditioned and fight at welterweight again mid-year.

The welterweight division is heavy with talent, and Mosley coming back full time makes it one of the most exciting divisions in boxing. This could lead to some very exciting matches in the near future, if Mayweather decides to come back to the division after his fight with Oscar De La Hoya, a Mayweather/Mosely clash is almost certain. Just the potential for this fight will have true fight fans salivating as it would pit a hall of fame caliber fighter in Mosely against a fighter considered by many to be the pound for pound best in the game at the moment. If you’ve been waiting a superfight look past the upcoming Hopkins/Jones fight to this one, this is where the best boxing is going to be!

Apparently there is no rest for the weary, as Andy Reid, the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, hadn’t even had time to put his feet up after the long season had come to an end when he found himself facing a much more dire situation than a potential Quarterback controversy could bring.

About two weeks ago Reid’s 23 year old son Garrett was the cause of an automobile accident that left the driver of the other car seriously injured. Reid’s son was found to have been on heroin at the time of the accident. Garrett will be charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance.

As if that weren’t enough as the old saying goes “when it rains, it pours”, on the very same day Reid’s 21 year old son Britt was involved in an intense road rage situation in which he allegedly pulled a gun on the other party involved.

The charges against Britt are a bit more extensive, upon a search of the vehicle the twenty one year old was driving the police found not only the weapon in question, but cocaine, oxycodone and marijuana. The younger Reid will undergo a preliminary hearing later this week, he is being charged with assault, possesion of controlled substance, carrying a firearm without a license and making terroristic threats among other things.

Coach Reid has announced he will be taking a break from his duties with the Eagles in order to tend to the issues at hand with his family. The team reports that the leave will continue into mid March and that Reid will resume his duties with the team before the NFL Draft in April, Couch Reid’s absence however will probably require someone to step in and fill his shoes as Head of Football Operations for the start of free agency.

It’s good to see a Coach, especially one so involved in the internal workings of the team, to put the game aside and turn his attention where it belongs at this very difficult time, with his family. There have been a lot of questions in the past regarding Coach Reid’s decisions on the field, but I for one certainly respect this decision to put football aside and consider his family first.

It’s the questioned faced by anyone who has ever been involved in lifting weights, anyone who has spent any amount of time in the gym, anyone who has any kind of musculature, “How much can you bench?”

There was a time not long ago that Big Shawn Lattimer could have answered that question with “935 pounds”, he put up nearly half a ton in a lift during training.

Shawn was a BIG kid, in his teens standing six feet and tipping the scales at close to three-hundred pounds. He was a district wrestling champion as a junior in high school, training for wrestling was Shawn’s introduction into the world of weight lifting.

Lattimer’s first steps into the world of competitive lifting were taken in 1997 at a bench competition he went to with some buddies from the gym, “I benched around four-twenty that day, I was hooked.”

Despite his training slowing while attending college and developing his career, the weight did keep piling onto his bench press: 540 in ‘99, 600 at the 2002 WNPF Worlds. “I started to really learn about training methods and worked my way up to 645 in the spring of ‘03.”

After Shawn became a part of the Metal Militia his benchpress really started to grow, he broke the 800 lb barrier at the WPO Bench Bash in Fall of ‘03 and was invited to the Arnold Classic in 2004 where he placed 2nd, putting up 859 lbs. Guys associated with the Metal Militia are notorious for being able to put up enormous numbers and Shawn Lattimer was certainly no exception, “my best competition lift came in August of 2006: 865 at the Iron Asylum APF Backyard Bench Meet.”

Shortly after his 865 lb bench press, Shawn was diagnosed with diabetes. It’s pretty amazing that he’s been able to move the incredible amounts of weight that he has - Shawn has a veritable grocery list of injuries that have plagued him over the course of the last few years: He’s had tears in both triceps and both pectoral muscles, 7 herniated discs, a substantial right shoulder injury in 2003, and a bone spur in the left elbow that may require a surgical procedure.

In 2005 Shawn dealt with a frightening series of heart related issues stemming from stress, asthma and sleep apnea that resulted in him having two minor heart attacks, and ‘06 brought on the diabetes. The illnesses and injuries caused a drastic change in Shawn’s lifestyle particularly diet, bringing his bodyweight down from about four hundred and twenty pounds to around three-fifty.

Shawn’s last meet was in December of ‘06, it was his first since he’s “slimmed down” and he managed to put up 750 lbs, which is pretty impressive all things considered. “As of right now I pretty much have my health together, and am recovered from most of the injuries. I don’t really take the sport as seriously as I did before, I love competitive lifting and will probably do until the day I die - If it’s not fun, why do it?”

Shawn’s next meet is just around the corner on February 17 in Tribes Hill New York, he’s looking to get back up over the 800 lb mark. I for one would like to see Shawn stay healthy and competitive for as long as it takes him to conquer his quest of the ever elusive 1000 pound bench press.

For more info on Shawn, and to find out how you can get a personalized training program from one of the most impressive bench press specialists go here.

I know I said before that I wished Mike Tyson would go into hiding for a while, but I’ve reconsidered Iron Mike has become the cunsummate entertainer for me. The man who brought us countless thrilling knock-outs in the squared circle, then the 1992 alleged rape, then had Evander Holyfields ear for an evening snack, then the misdimeanor assault of 1999 has checked himself into rehab.

That’s right, after pleading not guilty on felony drug and paraphernalia possession charges, Iron Mike has checked himself into rehab to get help with his “various addictions”. I wish I could have a constant feed to the Iron Mike Tyson Channel, a Fox or VH1 reality show has got to be in the works, if they’ll do a show with Sizemore and Bonaducci they should be foaming at the mouth to talk to Tyson.

In late December in Arizona police pulled over Tyson for driving erratically. Officers found bags of cocaine in Tyson’s pocket and another bag inside a cigarette pack inside Iron Mike’s Beamer. Officers reported that the former champ informed them that he uses cocaine whenever he can get it.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for later this month, if convicted on all charges Tyson could spend the better part of a decade in the slammer.

If Tyson can be convincing enough to evade the drug charges after having been found with cocaine on his person and in his car, admitting his frequent use to police and doing a stint in rehab for addiction problems, I don’t see why he couldn’t convince the general public to vote him into office.