#Amwriting - Holly Holms upsets Ronda Rousey in Melbourne
Australia for world women’s bantamweight title
Nov. 15, 2015 8 a.m. Very early Sunday morning reading and
the search for meaning in life on Twitter by Kevin E. Dayhoff
If I knew that I was going to lay in bed wide awake for
several hours, I would have gotten dressed and gone to church.
I stayed-up late last night and yet did not finish my writing
assignment. I’ll get to it later this afternoon, after a short nap.
This morning I quickly fell into a rabbit-hole on Facebook. As
I planned my escape, I smiled when a colleague said it best, “If your faith is
so shaky that you need a disposable coffee cup to validate it that probably
says more about you than about Starbucks.”
This came right after I deftly swung around a quote about
the life and times of newspaper writers; according to Melvin Mencher’s student
edition of “
News
writing and reporting,” “When a good newspaperman dies, a lot of people are
sorry, and some of them remember him for several days.”
Okay, moving right along folks, there is nothing to see
here.
Although I do not follow sports per se, I like to read
sports articles. I mean, I like to read all good writing, whether I know
anything about the subject or not - - or agree with the writer or disagree. But
I have two secrete passions, sports writing and the writing tributes, bios and
obituaries – the ‘dead beat.’ I am forever intrigued by what makes folks tick.
What is the story behind the story as to what motivated people to complicated
arena of accomplishment.
Yes, the vagaries and violations of cops courts and crimes
can be fun for a writer with a flair for story-telling ‘in cold blood;’ as long
as you can avoid being totally creeped-out by some of the subject manner and
seedy, grimy characters… That’s where I learned to love the value of Lysol
wipes on crime scenes.
However writing about sports – and its twin separated at
birth, local government, is catnip for a frustrated short story writer that
toils away with a lust for deeper meaning while shackled with the news medium shallow
hook-up version of a battery-powered typewriter.
A quote by the actor Jason Sudeikis when he was hired as a
writer for “Saturday Night Live,” comes to mind; “… like winning a gold in the
triple jump when you consider yourself a long jumper.”
I have boxes and boxes of unrefined and unpublished short
stories, but eek-out a living writing for the newspaper. A job that I love by
the way. But nevertheless I live with the tension I feel when life – and my job
get in the way of art and writing short stories – and running. (That’s another
story for another time.)
Sports writers often have a certain “je ne sais pas,” - a
certain flair that alludes me when writing history, community events and local government
and such matters married to words without pictures. Although, writing about
local small government can have some intrigue and drama to it that you simply
cannot make up. There is an allowance for analysis and commentary that sports
writers utilize with impunity.
For those of us who are already sick of national politics
before the 2016 presidential contest even began, this is a commentary on mixed
martial arts that is a fun read.
According to Washington Post writer Marissa Payne on October
22, 2015; “Vin Diesel and Ronda Rousey are teaming up, but not to make another
“Fast & Furious” film. Instead, the actor’s tapped “Auntie Ronda” to train
his 7-year-old daughter Hania Riley in the ways of being a “beast.” The point
isn’t to get young Hania to become a future UFC women’s bantamweight champion
like Rousey, but to ward off any unwanted future suitors….”
For those following along with the home edition of my
mindless meanderings; late Saturday night, Nov. 14, 2015. “Holly Holm stun[ed]
Ronda Rousey with 2nd-round knockout,” in their UFC world bantamweight championship
match in Melbourne, Australia.
Not to worry. I also had to look-up the term, ‘UFC,’ –
ultimate fighting championship, and ‘MMA’ – mixed martial arts. According to
the
“UFC” Facebook
page,
“Ultimate Fighting Championship
is the world's leading mixed martial arts organization. Over the past decade,
with the help of state athletic commissions throughout the United States, UFC
has morphed itself from a spectacle into a highly respected sports
organization. Major fights between world-renowned mixed martial arts superstars
have become some of the most popular sporting events of the year, surpassing
pay-per-view records previously held by boxing and professional wrestling.
Sports fans have made their voices heard - they want reality when they watch
sports, and UFC is clearly ‘AS REAL AS IT GETS!’”
The Los Angeles Times, a paper owned by Tribune,
which
also owns my paper, the Baltimore Sun, carried a story on November 14 and
15, 2015, by Todd Martin, “
UFC
193 complete results: Holly Holm stuns Ronda Rousey,” which explained, “UFC193
takes place Saturday night in the United
States, emanating from Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
“The event is expected
to draw over 50,000 fans and set the UFC's live attendance record. Headlining
the event is the undefeated UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey
defending her title against undefeated former boxing world champion Holly Holm.
Rousey has become the sport's biggest star and a breakthrough mainstream
celebrity. In the co-feature, the other UFC women's champion, strawweight queen
Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends her title against Valerie Letourneau. Rousey and
Jedrzejczyk are heavy betting favorites….”
According to a number of media sources, including a
national
news brief on the Washington Post website, “Ronda Rousey was the UFC’s
unstoppable force until Holly Holm used the former champion’s aggression
against her to produce one of the sport’s biggest upsets.
“Rousey chased Holm around the ring at UFC 193 on Sunday —
looking for the right hold and taking head shots along the way — until Holm saw
an opening 59 seconds into the second round and snapped a kick to the head that
immediately dropped her more fancied opponent to the canvas.
“Holm (10-0) jumped on the prone Rousey, delivering several
blows to her head before the referee intervened, ending Rousey’s 12-fight
unbeaten run and handing Holm the bantamweight title.”
Meanwhile, according to Washington Post writer Cindy Boren, “….
Rousey ran into a buzzsaw of a boxer who left the sport for MMA, one who kept
Rousey on her heels and rocking her with blows. A left kick to Rousey’s chin
sent her to the floor of the Octagon and the fight was over. Rousey did not
speak after the fight; she was taken to a local hospital, where she was kept
overnight and was to have plastic surgery for a deep cut on her lip. Her camp
said she had not suffered a concussion in the loss.
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Westminster's long history of meeting demands for green space [Eagle Archives]
Nov. 14 5k honors memory of Terry Burk and Sam Case [Eagle Archives]
November 6, 2015 by Kevin E. Dayhoff
On Nov. 14, the Westminster Road Runners Club and Westminster City Department of Recreation and Parks will sponsor the annual Terry Burk Sam Case 5K on the Wakefield Valley Trail — better known to older local runners as the Terry Burk Trail.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic death of Burk, a popular runner and the second generation owner of a family candy store, the Treat Shop in Westminster.
Burk was struck by a car and killed while jogging with friends on Route 97 at Kalten Road on Aug. 10, 1995. He was only 48 years old.
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Living with the ramifications of the deadly Spanish flu of 1918
Kevin. E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
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Deer Park Cemetery in Carroll County is hallowed ground for Marine Corps
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
On Oct. 4, 1891, the cornerstone was laid for a new chapel for the Deer Park United Methodist Church in Smallwood, just south of Westminster on Route 32. The origins of the church date back to 1846, according to a brief history found on the church's website. According to the website, "the people...
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Cruise on Liberty ship a reminder that freedom is not free [Eagle Archives]
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
Timed just about midway between two dates that have significant meaning for veterans in this country, approximately 20 veterans from Carroll County will board a ship of that has also has significant importance. On Oct. 3, the county residents will commemorate Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and Sept. 2,...
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Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
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Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
On Sept. 12, 1924, Westminster, along with communities across the nation, observed National Defense Day. At the time, the event was billed as a nationwide drill to test the readiness of our nation's defenses in the event of an attack. Ninety-one years later, historians are greatly conflicted as...
Finding clues for the first woman in law enforcement
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
On Sept. 6, 1973, the Carroll Record reported that, "The Maryland State Police will shortly have a new look — as a pilot program utilizing a limited number of females trained as Troopers gets underway. These women will have full police powers and will be assigned in specialized areas of law enforcement...
Fire department's move was never cause for alarm
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
A story in the Aug. 31, 1895 edition of the American Sentinel, a Westminster newspaper, explained that the city's fire department had outgrown the building at 31 E. Main Street and was moving to a new location. The building had been used by the department since 1879 and would continue to do so...
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Building rural ramps onto information superhighway in Carroll County [Eagle Archives]
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
In Carroll County, the underpinning of the local economy has always been agriculture and access to supplies and markets. The politics and economics involved with the maintenance of the roads, bringing the railroad to Carroll County and providing access to employment have also played prominent roles...
Life in Carroll County midway through August meant riding shows and tractor pulls
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
On this date in years past, a tractor pull at the county fair, a horse show at the Westminster Riding Club, and the opening of the Carroll County Vocational Technical Center were all in the news. In 1946, the Democratic Advocate observed that a large crowd attended the twelfth annual horse and...
Official: Westminster fires intentionally set
Michel Elben
Two shed fires that occurred in close proximity and just a few hours apart early Thursday morning in Westminster were intentionally set, likely by the same person, according to a spokesman of the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Deputy State Fire Marshal Tim Warner said no suspect was in custody...
Westminster mayors often had short terms in office
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
Though it had happened more than a week earlier, in early August of 1981, the greater Westminster and Carroll County community was still mourning the death of Joseph (Jack) Hamilton Hahn, Jr. Hahn wore many hats in the community and his death at the age of 64 on July 26, 1981, took many by surprise....
Roots of a county fair in Carroll hard to follow before the Civil War
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
All last week, preparations were in full swing for this year's annual Carroll County 4-H and FFA Fair that set up at the Agriculture Center, just south of Westminster. This year's fair will continue to Saturday morning, Aug. 8. Throughout history, Carroll county residents have come together to...
Fire damages vacant cabin in New Windsor
Times Staff
A fire that burned late Tuesday night in the 1300 block Western Chapel Road in New Windsor damaged a vacant cabin that was being prepared for demolition according to a State Fire Marshal's office press release. The fire was reported at 10:18 p.m. Tuesday and was declared under control about two...
Sheriff's Office took long road to leading role in Carroll County law enforcement
Kevin E. Dayhoff and kevindayhoff@gmail.com
The idea to develop a Carroll County police force began as a whisper campaign in the mid-1960s. It would take a half a century of studies, commissions, elections, and acrimony to finally decide to make the county sheriff's department the lead police agency in the county. That decision was made...
Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle:
Carroll County
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