REPORTING FROM THE JOCK-OSPHERE
by Ryan Corazza and Evan Bartsch
Getty Images
Rousey (left) represents our best chance for gold in Judo.
Twenty-one-year-old Ronda Rousey is America's best chance to bring home gold—the first ever—in women's middleweight judo. She also pens an entertaining blog. Last week, she used that blog to bring to light sexual molestation accusations against a judo official in a post. After AOL's FanHouse reported on it, she removed the post and still seems a bit miffed by the whole ordeal. (We've been there.) The Mag.com talked with Rousey about the situation while she trains in Spain, as well as her one-time Pokemon fanaticism and yes, buffalo wings.
MAG: You came under a little heat for a post you wrote about an official who you wrote had "DOZENS of documented accusations of molesting young girls." That post has since been taken down. Why did you take it down? Do you regret writing it?
ROUSEY: My coaches didn't want me to have any distractions before the Olympics, so I took it down at their request. It's really sad that these days people care more about staying out of trouble than doing the right thing. People may not agree with my methods, but you can't say I don't have good intentions. I don't believe in regret. It's a waste of energy.
You seem outspoken and candid in your blog posts.
My blog started just as a way to let my family and friends know how I was doing while traveling, cause I was tired of writing so many letters. I write journals all the time so I write my blogs like journal entries, not politically correct updates on what I ate that day. It's not my fault people care what I think. And yes, to my close friends, I am that opinionated ALL the time.
Into some lighter stuff: We hear you used to be a bit of a Pokemon fanatic.
Well, so much traveling leads to a lot of time for handheld games. I was even a Pokemon forum moderator at one point on Gametalk.com, but after a while I couldn't believe how much useless Pokemon knowledge was stored in my head and decided my time would much better be spent reading or something.
And there was a Queer as Folk obsession somewhere within there as well?
Haha yeah for a while I was living with a family in upstate New York and our big activity together was to watch as many Queer as Folk episodes as we could stay conscious for. After moving out though it wasn't really the same.
If there were 300 buffalo wings sitting in front of you now, are you confident you could finish them all?
Hmmmm … not breaded?… 60 is my record but there were only 60 on the table. If you buy me 300 wings we'll see how it goes, I've never been one to shy away from a challenge!
This is your second Olympics and you are ranked as one of the top three in the world. Does it bother you that it's in a sport that's largely unrecognized in the States?
No it really doesn't bother me that much. If I wanted to be famous I would have tried to be an actress. As long as I make enough money to get by, I don't care about making the millions professional sports offers either. I'm get to travel the world doing what I love - and better yet, doing it well! I couldn't ask for much more. I look at professional athletes and grow frustrated seeing how much more they care about money than the game itself.
You're in Spain now. What's good on the menu over there?
I just had the most bomb-diggity gyro in recent memory with some cookies and an electrolyte drink. I've been asking around but no one can tell me what an electrolyte actually is! I'm probably gunna go all Wikipedia on it after this interview.
Lastly, to everyone who doesn't follow judo: what can we expect in Beijing. And what do you see as your chances for a shot at gold?
I really can do it. I've fought all these girls before, and despite all the advantages in facilities, financial support, and scouting they have over me - I've showed everyone before that I don't care and will win despite what they have. Every day I've decided and been completely assured that I will win - I have. It's all about your state of mind. Besides, it's just a judo tournament, and winning judo tournaments is what I'm good at.
Elsewhere in the Jockosphere
C.J. Wilson: My Picks for the All-Star Team
C.J. is always one to tell it like it is…and today is no different as he makes his case for his Ranger teammates.
"The all-star break is almost here. How many Rangers will make it?" he writes. "5 extremely deserving guys."
Hamilton - beast
Kinsler - best hitting leadoff hitter in 08
Bradley - leading AL in every percentage/average
Young - deer
Padilla - aka the flotilla, aka the chief- already has notched 10 wins
"We're such a better team than we were last year...I can't wait 'til we actually get something rolling..."
C.J. goes on to highlight one of his favorite clubhouse moments:
Best behind the scenes clubhouse thing of 2008: watching Frank 'El Jugador' Francisco play chess. Some 'true player wisdom' that brings joy to my day each time I hear or see it:
'A true player moves likes this'(while attacking)
'Right there? Right there?'(when opponent moves piece multiple times before deciding)
'Let me eat this little snack' (as he takes a pawn)
'You gonna lose your horse. Seriously.'(obvious)
'Let me eat this little snack' was runner-up to Pacino's more famous 'Say hello to my little friend' in Scarface. OK, maybe not. But it could be, right?
Craving some insight into the A's rumor mill? Big Joe Blanton has you covered:
"It's about that time of year when my name starts popping up in trade rumors, so I figured you might want to know my thoughts on the whole deal," he writes. "It's obviously not the first year my name's come up, so I'm pretty used to it by now. I think this is Year Three of 'Joe's Gonna Get Traded' talk before the deadline.
"I'm used to it by now, I've kind of learned the best way to deal with it—or at least the best way for me. It's just one of those things that you acknowledge is out there, but you realize it's just a rumor, and rumors are usually nothing more. I don't know what the percentage is of trade rumors out there that actually happens, but I do know the percentage when it comes to me is zero up to now.
"I'm not saying I don't acknowledge that it's possible I'll get traded, but I just kind of ignore it. I've got a job to do for the Oakland A's, and that's all that matters in my baseball life right now, doing the best I can for the A's."
Sixty percent of the time, you get traded every time. That's the skinny, we hear. But keep it under your hat. We don't want Hank Steinbrenner getting all up in our grill for releasing trade secrets.
"I went to the Grizzlies NBA draft party last night at the forum and had a great time signing autographs on the floor," he writes. "I then watched maybe the first 15 picks of the draft and went out with my cousins to get something to eat and watched the rest of the 1st round.
"Before I flew down to Memphis for the draft party we had some pretty good open gyms at Ohio State, Scoonie Penn was back along with some more OSU players. Evan how'd you like that dunk?"
Ah, talking trash over an open gym dunk. Evan Turner must have gotten posterized something good for MC Jr. to be blogging about it days later.
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