brashleyholland

Surely that's the best bit anyway?

I'm so glad that there was such a big response to this one. I suck at games, but I've been convinced for years that my inability to do this level in any reasonable amount of time was more down to it's stupid, stupidly high level of difficulty than my own shortcomings.

Yeah, like I said later on in my post, I understand that it's very different in America culture wise. It still doesn't change how I feel about the whole "If you can't afford to tip, don't go to a bar" thing that was mentioned. That's really where my gears are being ground. Like you said, McDonalds pays minimum wage, supermarkets pay minimum wage...just because someone chooses to take the risk of working for less than minimum wage for a more rewarding job isn't my problem...it's theirs. If I don't think a barman has earned a tip, I won't be pressured into giving one 'just because' he relies on it. It's down to the individual to be fiscally responsible. If the individual chooses to rely on hypothetical tips to make a good wage then fair play to them; but IMO it's not fair for that person to then brand those who chose not to, or are genuinely unable to tip, cheapskates.

At the risk of being controversial, I really don't agree with the notion that you *should* tip. If I go to the pub for a pint, I'm paying four times what it would cost me to buy a can of lager from my local store, just for the privilege of drinking out. I'm not obliged to chuck the barman an extra quid for pouring it for me, that's what he gets paid for. You don't tip in McDonalds, you don't tip in the supermarket when someone shows you which isle the instant noodles are in and you don't tip when someone helps you try on shoes. I've never had a barman/maid not serve me for any length in a quiet pub/bar because I didn't tip. If the bar is busy then you expect it, or move to the next place. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not adverse to tipping. If I go out for a meal, I always leave 10% bare minimum if the service was good, and more if it was great. Similarly, if I go to a ****tail bar and get a really good drinks all night, I'll always throw something on the tab. Even on a weeknight down my local, I'll often tell the barmaid "Same again, and one for yourself" when it's my round, because I know her well and it's polite...but I never feel obliged to tip. Why should ? The fact that *you* rely on tips is your problem, not mine. The "If you can't afford to tip, don't drink out" really grinds my gears actually. I have a friend who works for the local govt as a street sweeper. He has no education and a host of issues that mean acquiring a manual trade just isn't going to happen. He has little disposable income, but he cherishes his evenings in the pub, the only place he gets any social time. He takes £9 with him every time he goes, and has four pints of cheep ale and 2 packets of crisps. He, like many others on a budget, can't afford to tip. Should he not drink at a bar? They have a good system in a lot of the local bars I used to go to in Holland. The barman would often keep a very small glass (just a mouthful or two) at the bar with them. When you buy a round of beer and offer the barman one, he fills his small glass and fills it, adding a euro or so to your tab. Again, it's not rude not to do it. From my experience it's very, very different in the states though. Whenever I'm out there I notice that everyone feels obliged to tip...but I'm guessing that has to do with the law on employers being allowed to pay tipped employees less than minimum wage. I still feel that someone in the service trade should 'earn' their tip though, rather than expecting it.

Exactly. We're all nerds, nerds are everywhere. I'd say once you hit early 20's, all of a sudden it doesn't matter any more, unless you're really insecure in yourself I guess. I'm proud of the fact that I'm a geek. I love hitting the comic book store. My Mrs bought me a set of massive Transformers for my birthday last year that I proudly display in my living room...they are *NOT* to be played with though :-p We a day at the Wolfslair recently to get some footage of Rampage and Bisping hitting the pads, and do a video interview with Rampage. Know what he does literally every second he isn't on the mats? XBox360. He bought one and a big TV for the 'lair. He literally doesn't stop playing. Nerd. Know why Dan Hardy has the red stripe in his mohawk? Tribute to Raphael of the Ninja Turtles, which he watches religiously, along with collecting the toys and comics. Nerd. Nerds are everywhere...and we're takin' over....

The word out of Rough House is that the winner of the Daley-Koscheck fight will get a coaching spot on TUF 12 opposite GSP, with a title fight following the season finale. That means we won't see GSP in action again until November/December of this year, and that the dream match with Silva has been shelved for now. Also, my main reason for looking forward to Bellator this year has been thoroughly stamped on. 'Judo' Jim Wallhead has become the latest victim of the ash cloud of doom. He's been pulled from the Bellator welterweight GP. His replacement is Ryan Thomas, who was the kid that lost via that ridiculous technical submission to Ben Askren last week. Glad to see him get another shot, although the circumstances suck. Expected Jim to sweep the GP.

Pretty much every week I see Impact being discussed as it's taking place live, and certainly in the days following. When does it air here now? Friday? Saturday?..that's a long time not to be posting spoilers and kills the point of a TNA discussion thread IMO. I can understand no spoilers on the night if it airs at different times in the US, but I'd question the sanity of anyone clicking on a TNA thread on a Friday morning and being surprised to see the Impact from four nights ago being discussed :-p

I'll hand it to them, didn't see that one coming! Quite enjoyed that Impact as it goes.

He's baaaaaaack!!!

That brings a serious pet peeve of mine to mind... People who have attention-seeking, sympathy-grabbing emo facebook status updates every five minutes. "X has had enough", "Guess I know who my real fiends are now", etc etc... Grow a pair, have yourself a Mars Bar and cheer the you-know-what up!!! While I'm on the subject...people who join random facebook groups. My brother is a massive offender here, cluttering up my newsfeed daily. Junk like "I bet this industrial strength soap can get more fans than Paris Hilton's left foot", "[insert random early 90's song] for Christmas number 1 2010!!!!1!!!" (thanks RATM) and "Join this group if...erm...you haven't joined this group yet!"

<p>Exactly what it says on the tin...what are the little things in life that get right on your nerves?</p><p> </p><p> Now, I generally consider myself to be too cool for school...not a whole lot bothers me. Then every now and again, some little, insignificant thing pops up and makes me want to go Incredible Hulk. Couple of examples to kick it off...</p><p> </p><p> - That level on GTA San Andreas where you have to shoot the model planes down</p><p> </p><p> - The fact that no matter how hard I try, I cannot eat a Pot Noodle without getting spatters of noodle juice on my trousers. Every. Time. </p><p> </p><p> - Sarah Jessica Parker's face. </p><p> </p><p> - That guy off Pineapple Dance Studio who thinks he is a professional musician </p><p> </p><p> - Going in the bathroom when you (or somebody else) has just got out of the shower and getting wet socks. </p><p> </p><p> What grinds your gears?</p>

The numbers are horrible, and more proof (if it were needed) that there are more UFC fans in America than MMA fans. The show was built around Hendo because he was supposed to be the big UFC star that would provide CBS with an alternative to Fedor to headline events. He was coming off a spectacular KO at UFC 100 and a season as a coach on TUF. Hendo has never drawn for the UFC, so it was a huge gamble (especially with the almost year-long break he has taken) that failed spectacularly. With Strikeforce seeming unable to guarantee Fedor's involvement long term, they threw all their eggs into the Hendo basket and it didn't pay off ratings wise. He may not be a huge star outside the hardcore fanbase, but he's undoubtedly the second biggest male star they have. UFC counter programming is also something that they will always have to deal with. Don't get me wrong, I think its cool that a couple of million people tuned in to watch MMA on a Saturday night, but for CBS that number is unacceptable. They jumped off the MMA ship once when Lawler-Smith tanked on CBS and Kimbo was iced, they'll do so again if SF can't deliver. They did, but with a different company. Bellator will be waiting by the phone. The other option is promoting in-house, but CBS have been bitten twice now with MMA promotions - that might be twice too many for them to consider continuing with live MMA in a prime time slot. They should be running cards exactly like that with the weak roster that they have...however with a TV format they can't. If you buy a PPV, or even pay for Showtime to watch fights, you're less likely to switch channels halfway through. CBS needs names all through the card...better to have a boring fight between two recognisable guys than an average one between two guys that nobody knows. Loving Woodley by the way, he's got promise. The Randleman-Whitehead and Hershal Walker fights were on Showtime. As much as I don't like it personally, Walker was always going to end up on the main card and it was the right call for SF to make. He got tones of press in the lead up to the event. It got 517,000 viewers, a 51.6% increase on their last Showtime card. Those extra viewers got to see Lawler/Manhoef, Cyborg/Connen and Diaz/Zaromskis, all of which made the winners look good. From what I've heard the plan is for the winner/loser of Overeem vs Rogers to face the winner/loser of Silva vs Arlovski. Overeem will be in the K-1 GP Final 16 this year and Fedor's people want to make a fight with Barnett or Ishii happen on NYE, so I doubt we'll see Fedor/Overeem this year. By that point, the ship will have sailed on Strikeforce/CBS's relationship IMO. This is EXACTLY the point. They're getting big-show exposure without the roster to back it up. If Strikeforce had the stars to get 4 million viewers once every two months, CBS would put them on once every two months. As it stands, they have Fedor once, maybe twice a year. You can't expect casual viewers to remain excited for Strikeforce when they only see them once every six months. The best thing about the UFC in terms of growing the fan base right now is that when someone asks "When's the next UFC fight?", they won't have to wait more than three or four weeks at the absolute max. Strikeforce can't expect to build stars without regular programming.

That isn't over rating him. That's the oldest match-making trick in the book. You put a champion against a 5-1 underdog who is a good talker and can sell the bout. Joe public buys into the challenger because he talks a good game and most of them don't know any better. Champ then puts him away, and (hopefully) looks better/more unbeatable in the eyes of Joe Public for doing so. In my mind, over rating someone is believing that they are far better than they actually are. Strikeforce knows exactly how good Mayhem is; hence why they've planned to match him up with the Human Charisma Dispersal Unit that is Jake Shields not once, but twice.

Strikeforce bombed in the ratings last night. Seriously bombed. 1.0 in the 18-35 demo, 2.63 million viewers overall. Wow. To put that into perspective, it was beaten in the ratings by two episodes of COPS and America's Most Wanted. Also, their last CBS show did an average of 3.79 million. The Elite XC on CBS before that (with Kimbo) did an average of 4.56 million. What this means: They're in serious trouble. CBS's affiliates were reportedly furious at the massive overrun knocking their 11pm news broadcasts back, especially considering the boring nature of the last three rounds of Shields-Hendo. The end of show brawl may not have been a deal breaker on its own, but it won't help matters with the appalling ratings. My guess is that they'll get one last shot on the network with Fedor and Hershal Walker on the card this summer. Advertising should sell well, but it will be up to Strikeforce to convince CBS of two things: A) That Fedor can claw back the lost ratings. B) They can tie Fedor down for another couple of years at least. As of right now, Strikeforce without Fedor is a lost cause on CBS. It's also interesting that they are hanging Mayhem out to dry in terms of claiming that him being in the cage had nothing to do with them. That's bullshido of the highest order and a clear sign that they don't want to put the heat on the Cesar Gracie camp until the Shields contract issue has a resolution.

This is the problem with a skeleton crew. They were banking on Hendo winning and moving up to 205 to fight Mo/Mousasi. Even if Jake would have finished the fight in style, at least you'd have 'the guy who just beat Hendo'...trouble is, Shields doesn't win fights in a way that endears people to him. When you add his goons beating down Mayhem afterwards (which was getting him mad boo's when CBS cut away) it's not good. Will be interesting to see if SF try and make that one-fight option happen now.

Who's overrating Mayhem?

It was Jason 'Mayhem' Miller that came into the cage. Just got off the phone with one of King Mo's crew...apparently from what is being said backstage, Mayhem was told to go into the cage by Strikeforce officials and Shields' boys jumped him. Not cool.

He did it so fast you didn't see it. In fact, it was so fast, Melendez didn't realise he'd been choked out and carried on fighting to a decision. ...and all without his rainbow tights of doom.

Interesting night of fights so far. Mayhem won by simply turning up, no surprises there. Didn't expect Mo to win the way he did. Fully expected him to go full bore for the first 10 mins and gas out. I was waiting for Mousasi to come back in the third and it just didn't happen. All credit to Mo for taking his biggest asset and making it work. I expected Melendez to crack Aoki after a couple of rounds. He just doesn't have the build at 155 to take on the wrestling, weight-cutting machines that the US breeds. Good on Melendez for taking the fight to him up until the final bell. Looking forward to the main event.

I couldn't in good conscience call any of those guys even remotely great. Good, solid fighters definitely, with a couple of decent scalps between them. But you have to look at not just who they fought, but when they fought them. None of those first three have beaten a top ten fighter while they were ranked.

AKA, going for a two week holiday to Egypt four weeks before the biggest fight of your life. Maybe he pulled something playing beach volleyball. Without going into specifics about money...Tom has invested five figures into this fight...not the kind of money he can throw away. They are now hoping that Jeremy Horn A) doesn't get hurt against Jake Rosholt on Friday and B) will be willing to fight on short notice (he usually is). It's a gamble though, and will not save the event from bombing. They're holding it in a big arena, unlike the small, unique venues of the last two BAMMA shows...that was all based on Reid drawing the casual crowd to the fight. Early ticket sales have been ok, but with refunds and no late drive to promote it, it's going to be a very empty arena come May. Also in the hole are Virgin Media, who own Bravo, the channel who funded Reid's reality show that was being used to promote the fight and are partners in the event. They now have a TV show that mentions the fight every five minutes which will serve no purpose. As a stand-alone show, it's garbage. Reid has likely killed his career in terms of getting a couple of big fights off the back of his new found fame with this little stunt. But like Kong said; doesn't really matter when you have a new millionaire girlfriend to live off...

Really not sure what to make of this Strikeforce card as a whole. - Hendo-Shields could be great, or we could see the return of 'Decision Dan'. It's one of those fights where neither guy gains a whole lot from winning, yet both stand to lose a lot by notching up an 'L'. Shields will likely see his UFC deal go up in smoke (or at the very least lose a chunk of cash on the deal) and Dan would come off as considerably low-rent losing to a relative nobody like Jake. Could very easily turn into a snooze-fest if both guys are there not to lose...Shields has already said he's going for a late submission and Dan hasn't looked like he's taking the whole thing seriously....on the flipside, could be a great back-and-forth two/three rounder. - Lawal vs Mousasi is the fight I'm most looking forward too. We had King Mo on our radio show a few weeks back and he made an excellent point. The term 'world class' is thrown around waaaay too much in MMA these days...Mousasi is not world class at anything...not striking, not submissions and certainly not wrestling. He, on the other hand, was considered the best wrestler in the states not two years ago...possibly one of the best of his generation. Still, Mo has yet to fight ANYONE of substance...I have a really hard time picking an unproven guy over an experienced fighter (especially someone on the level of Mousasi) no matter how good they are. Can't see this going the distance at all. - Aoki vs Melendez is a really bad match-up for the Japanese fighter. He's just not built to last against American powerhouse wrestlers with heavy hands. His striking is mediocre, he lacks power, he won't have his grappling tights...the list goes on. I see Melendez keeping this one on the feet as long as possible; Aoki's only chance is a slick submission so it behoves Melendez to use his wrestling in reverse. As for the rest of the card...they'll only need about a minute to show Mayhem's fight in it's entirety. I've had the misfortune of seeing his opponent fight a few times and he's awful - taps like it's going out of fashion. There's nothing else even remotely interesting on the prelims...they've filled it up with a bunch of amateur fighters...I'm not sure if they are making their pro débuts or not. I'd be very interested to know if they went down the amateur route for financial reasons or not...

Already happens...the mysterious 'locker room bonuses'

Reid's been keeping fighting in 'caged-kickboxing' bouts for the last few years (and telling people that he fights for K-1...lol)...his last one was quite plainly fixed and sparked a riot when the decision was announced in his favour after he was beaten from pillar to post for 2 out of the 3 rounds. It was a horrible scene, people the bar area and cageside were warzones and someone even managed to punch Reid as he was being ushered out. It's good to know that in preparation for the fight against Kong, easily the toughest fight of his career, he's been busy filming a reality show for Bravo. Way to go Reidy ...and to think, at one point he was being touted as a potential British prospect...

I thought it could have gone either way to be honest. As this card was on at 5pm UK time, I weaselled my way out of doing any work around it, so for the first time in a long time, I was watching a fight at home without a computer and phone infront of me. I had a house full of people over to watch, so the only 49-46 I saw was a rough estimate of the beers per hour exiting my kitchen. One thing that stood out for me though was this...of all the people watching with me (mostly amateur/professional fighters/martial artists of some description with a few casuals thrown in), the overriding feeling in the room at the start of the 5th round was this: Penn hadn't done enough to coast the last round. There wasn't a whole lot of grappling, although Frankie did score one-and-a-half takedowns. I'd give Frankie the nod on on aggressiveness and ever so slightly on Octagon control. Penn landed more and better strikes...but then the only visible damage was on his face. It was a close fight, whichever way you saw it. I raised an eyebrow when the result was announced, but in all honesty I probably would have done the same had it gone the other way. I'm going to watch it again with my 'work' hat on tonight and properly score it though.