mspart

Didn't we just wrestle in Serbia? And they have the Covid now? I'm thinking we dodged a bullet!! mspart

Istanbul is a no brainer really. History, they love wrestling, great sights to see and experience. When I was on another trip, a couple went with us and they were planning to hit Istanboooool since in the neighborhood. They had a bit of an accent for sure. mspart

True to their word, the board ceased to exist today. There is no themat.com forums. Thanks to Bob and Willie for getting this forum started and thanks to all that have come over. Hoping to have an equally good time here as there. mspart

Brands still has his knees though. Now's here's a question. Would Gable have kept his dominance once Cael went to PSU? That one would be a head scratcher. mspart

I need to clarify, I was there in the Nov-Dec 1996 timeframe for 6 weeks. So it was some time ago. Memories are still pretty vivid. mspart

Two votes in so far from me. Working on it day by day. mspart

What does it all mean? mspart

PSU looks pretty strong for this year. That's for sure. That happens when you return a bazillion champs from last year. But don't count out anyone just yet, the season hasn't even started yet. mspart

Yes indeed. Thank you to all who got the intermat and broken ear forums up and running in record time. It is good to be here with many from those old forums here now. Maybe now we can end the DT vs KD debate. mspart

I would bet some money you are not alone!! mspart

He'd get killed with a real current pro boxer. He knows it and that is why he steers clear of it. He has made more than most fighters make as a living. He's smart and using what he has to make money. People want to pay to watch, then all the better for him. He looked like he got a good right in on Silva to knock him down. mspart

Been votin'. Jordan hands down over all those other wannabees. mspart

Hey everyone, good to see you all here. I'm really glad Bob was able to make this happen. Istanbul is a neat place to visit. I've been there for 6 weeks and here is what i would recommend. 1. Hagia Sofia - this is a catholic basilica turned islamic mosque, turned museum. The Moslems only covered the artwork from the Christian era and those are pretty cool to see. Built in 900 AD or so, it is ginormously huge and cavernous and I think it is a marvel of architecture and building know how for those days. I went twice because it was so AWESOME. 2. The Cistern - This dates back to Roman times BC and has interesting history and a nice surprise at the end of the cavern. Very much worth seeing. 3. The Grand Bazzaar - This place is also huge and you could get lost in there for days. Plan a good 3-5 hours to see everything if you want to shop for stuff. Normal folks go there to buy stuff so it is a local market as well as an international attraction. 4. The Bosphorus - Take a boat ride up the Bospherus to the Black Sea. As you head up it, Europe is on your left, Asia on your right. They usually stop at a tourist trap where you can eat before taking the boat back to Istanbul. I met a couple from Barcelona on that boat and was able to communicate in Spanish with them. At the time I was pretty good with my Spanish. 5. The Blue Mosque - Not near as monstrous at Hagia Sofia but interesting with all the tile work. 6. Simmit - This is a bread that all the street venders sell. It is like a long stick. Very good. Buy it and try it. 7. Doner - This is the Gyro of Turkey and it is very good, highly recommend it. 8. The Topkapi Palace - I almost forgot this. Nice to visit if you are there. I liked it but it was not a highlight. Harem history and all kinds of gnarly war weapons. When you drive around and see old walls, those are from before Roman times. Istanbul is an old old city with lots of history. Istanbul would be an outstanding place to have the WCs and be sure to spend time before or after to visit the sights. mspart

DT vs Sad. Interesting match up. First, DT has to beat KS. They have plenty of opportunities to check that version out in practice everyday. So I guess we will see. I don't see DT getting over that hill but they know each other by now and I don't hear any noise about this other than here. It would be nice if Sad went to a ton of tourneys and gave that kind of exposure to lots of different folks. But why do that and risk injury when he can mostly just walk into worlds or Olys and win it all. I disagree about Cox. For all his bluster, he cannot even win WCs the last two years. But that is reason to think he can move up a weight and take on Sad? I don't think so. I don't think he beats Snyder as Snyder proved in March of this year. Cox is good and has medalled everytime he has gone out there. So he is very good. But he needs to win his own non-Olympic bracket before he can think he can take on the Olympic bracket at 97kg. Just my opinion. DT would have to look like hulk to get to 97 or the blob. I think he is the right size where he is at and why move up a weight? He is the champ and anyone can try to knock him off his throne. So far, it looks like only Yaz is capable and didn't look that good this last go around. mspart

Hi all, I'm glad this board is up and running. 2023 Worlds may be interesting. See how many of our 2022 squad will return. Upper weights are getting just a little older so who knows what young buck will come and be a spoiler. mspart