The way a heavyweight contender stays in shape

I went to the press conference at the Brick City Bar and Grill in Newark yesterday promoting the Tomasz Adamek-Kevin McBride fight on April 9 at the Prudential Center and there were some interesting tidbits.

For example, top heavyweight contender Adamek said that he's been keeping in shape for the fight simply by being a homeowner in our beloved Kearny.

"I shoveled the snow," Adamek said. "This year has been the most here since I came from Poland (five years ago). I shovel. I don't have a snow blower. I went out there everytime to shovel. People in my neighborhood saw me out there shoveling and I waved to them, said 'Hi.' They're happy to see that I shovel like they do.''

For the first time, Adamek will train for the upcoming fight with McBride in a remote location. He's begun camp in the Poconos in Bushkill, Pa.

"It's good for me to be in a quiet place," said Adamek, who had previously trained regularly in Jersey City at manager Ziggy Rozalski's gym. "I run the hills in Pennsylvania and it will help me with my focus a little."

Adamek said that he keeps in contact with his wife and children every day via the computer.

"I do Skype every day and talk to them," Adamek said.

McBride, who was introduced by Main Events president Kathy Duva as "Kevin McHale," which infuriated some of the Irish-Americans from Boston who traveled down to Newark for the press conference, missed the joke when I asked him what it was like to carry Larry Bird for all those years with the Celtics.

"Who's Larry Bird?" the hulking native of Ireland said.

McBride is the boxer who sent the legendary Mike Tyson into retirement in 2005 with a stunning six-round knockout.

"When I fought Tyson, I said that I was going to hit him so hard that it was going to feel like all of Ireland hit him," McBride said. "Now, I'm saying I'm going to hit Tomasz Adamek so hard that it's going to feel like all of Poland hit him.''

Okay, whatever that means.

McBride said that he runs regularly through the streets of Boston and past a park that is named after Pope John Paul II.

"I talk to the Pope and ask him not to be too mad if I beat one of his people from Poland," McBride said. "I want to be the first boxer born in Ireland to win the heavyweight championship."

He also mentioned that he wanted to be like another Irish heavyweight champion like someone I happen to know a lot about.

"I want to be like Jimmy Braddock," McBride said. "I could be the next 'Cinderella Man.'"

I then informed McBride of "Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man," still on sale on Amazon.com for around a penny these days. Yes, you can purchase a copy of my book for exactly one cent on Amazon.

"Cool, if I win this fight, you can write a book on me," McBride said.

He's certainly an entertaining character and provides Adamek with a bigger opponent as he shoots for his bigger payday against either of the Klitschko brothers in Poland in September. Tickets for the Adamek-McBride fight at the Prudential Center will go on sale later this week.

By the way, it was my first journey into the Brick City Bar and Grill and it should definitely be a stop for anyone attending the NCAA East Regional Finals March 25-27. It's a great place.
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Great win for the alma mater last night at UConn. It was a much needed win if the Golden Eagle Warriors want to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament next month. Darius Johnson-Odom, who did practically nothing during regulation, exploded in overtime, hitting one big shot after another.

Marquette certainly entertains every time they take the floor and will certainly play a close game, win or lose. There are no blowouts when it comes to the Golden Eagle Warriors.

However, whoever is the Marquette free throw shooting coach, he has to go, because once again, they cannot make free throws. They made 16 of 27 last night in a game they won in overtime. It wouldn't have gone to overtime if they made their free throws. It's a plague that has infected every single player. Even Jimmy Butler, who usually never misses from the line, missed three last night. It's so frustrating.
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Here's the last debacle that the Mets organization has done to its truest loyal fans, of which I am definitely one.

They are now giving a free ticket to anyone who signs up for one of their new ''packet'' plans. They're offering five-game, 12-game and 17-game packets and if you sign up, you get a free ticket for another game.

There's only one problem. What about the poor schlubs who had already PAID for a 15-game plan back in November, like I did? Sorry, no freebie.

The Mets truly amaze me. For 15 years, I purchased two six-pack plans, which became seven-packs. When CitiField was built two years ago, I was told that they weren't offering seven-game plans anymore, just 15-game deals, so I bought that for the last two years -- and again for this upcoming season.

Now, since Freddie Coupon and Coupon Jr., the father-son clown routine who have ruined the franchise and are liars par excellance, have killed the Mets fan base by their lies about their involvement with the Madoff Ponzi scheme (Steve Somers calls him Fred Wilponzi, a great name), they pull this stunt. Why not give everyone who has purchased a plan a free ticket? You can't offer it to some and penalize those who paid early? It makes no sense whatsoever.

They really want to lose me as a ticket-buying fan. Last August, I was asked to leave my seat because five drunken idiots from Philly were verbally abusing me because after all, when I wear my tie-dyed Mets T-shirt, I stand out like the Empire State Building. But security people asked me to leave because they thought I was causing the commotion -- and I was the season ticket holder, not these morons from Philly.

That truly annoyed me, but I still managed to re-up for another summer of discontent in Flushing.

Now, this? Just send me another ticket and I'll be happy. But after calling there yesterday, it's not going to happen. Unreal. It's life as a Met fan in its fullest glory.
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Have to go to Felician College tonight and cover their game. People, go ahead. Say why?

Well, they are playing Holy Family University of Philadelphia. It's the school where John O'Connor was the men's basketball coach before he attacked Matt Kravchuk, one of his former players, during a recent practice. Kravchuk fell to the floor and O'Connor kicked Kravchuk while he was down. The whole incident was caught on videotape and has been all over the news, including the bastion of sports broadcasting, ESPN.

Yesterday morning, O'Connor and Kravchuk appeared on "Good Morning America" with George Stephanopoulos, sitting side-by-side, with both men's attorneys present as well. "Little Geo" actually tried to bait O'Connor into apologizing to his former player and the coach wouldn't budge, saying over and over that it was "just an accident.''

It was rumored last night that O'Connor had resigned, but apparently, he's only been suspended. Holy Family has a 6-20 record and tonight is the team's last game of the season. Should be interesting. Just another day in the life of a busy sportswriter.
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You can catch some of my other coverage at http://www.hudsonreporter.com/, http://www.theobserver.com/, and http://www.dailyrecord.com/.