Month: July 2022

Photos: 2022 PFL 6 ceremonial weigh-ins

Check out these photos from the 2022 PFL 6 weigh-ins at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

Check out these photos from the 2022 PFL 6 weigh-ins at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

Big-time pitching prospect ‘super excited’ to be a Tiger, talks decision to flip from Michigan

Joe Allen made an unofficial visit to Clemson from Tuesday to Wednesday. On Wednesday night, the big-time righthanded pitcher in the class of 2022 from Winnacunnet High School (Hampton, New Hampshire) announced his commitment to the Tigers and their …

Joe Allen made an unofficial visit to Clemson from Tuesday to Wednesday.

On Wednesday night, the big-time righthanded pitcher in the class of 2022 from Winnacunnet High School (Hampton, New Hampshire) announced his commitment to the Tigers and their new head coach, Erik Bakich.

“We talked (Wednesday), and I was like, ‘Coach, I’m coming with you. This is where I wanna be,’” Allen told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Thursday.

Allen, the 2021-22 Gatorade New Hampshire Baseball Player of the Year, had previously been committed to Bakich and Michigan when he was still the Wolverines’ head coach before being hired as the Tigers’ new head coach in June, replacing former Clemson head coach Monte Lee.

Nick Schnabel, who coached alongside Bakich during his tenure at Michigan from 2013-22 and has now joined Bakich’s staff at Clemson as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator, helped recruit Allen to Clemson.

“I was committed to the University of Michigan with Coach Bakich and Coach Schnabel, and when they both took the job at Clemson, they asked me to come with them,” Allen said. “And to be now committed to Clemson University with such an incredible storied history of a school, and not only a school but a baseball program, is so cool and so awesome.”

Allen explained why he decided to flip his commitment from Michigan and follow Bakich to Clemson.

“Just the way we always talk to each other over the phone and interactions in person, and the way he just has this vibrant energy about him, and you can tell he cares about every single one of his players and loves the game of baseball just like I do,” Allen said. “He’s a coach that I’d run through a brick wall for, and I haven’t even put on a Clemson jersey yet.”

Allen’s unofficial visit to Clemson this week played a big part in his pledge to the Tigers as well.

“Honestly, as soon as I stepped on campus, it was just the care that they had for their baseball team,” he said of what stood out about the visit. “And the stadium, all the facilities are so top-level. But any time we went out to get food, the restaurant owner would come over and say hello to Coach Bakich, welcome him to Clemson, and they’d all come over and shake our hands. Just the love that the community has for baseball and the Clemson Tiger baseball team, that stuck out to me so much and that helped me make the decision extremely easy.”

At the time of Allen’s Gatorade New Hampshire Baseball Player of the Year selection on June 3, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior had led Winnacunnet to a 13-7 record and a berth in the Division 1 state tournament.

Allen posted a 3-2 record with a 1.62 ERA through the regular season, striking out 71 batters in 43 innings pitched while surrendering just 26 hits and 13 walks.

“That was a huge honor,” Allen said of the Gatorade accolade. “But I don’t win anything without my teammates behind me at my high school and the work they put in all year and the support I got – not only at the plate, but making all the plays behind me was perfect, and it’s a team award right there for the way they helped me all year.”

A first-team all-state selection, Allen was the only New England player chosen for the USA Baseball 18U National Team and also played in the 2021 Area Code Games. He was a third-team Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason All-American.

Despite his success and laurels at the high school level, Allen isn’t coming to Clemson with a sense of entitlement, and he’s heading to Tiger Town hoping to help the Tigers accomplish the ultimate goal of winning their first-ever national championship.

“I know from day one, I’m going to have to go in there and earn everything, and that’s what I love about (Bakich) – nothing’s given,” Allen said. “And me as a pitcher, I’m just going to try to get outs as quick as possible and help take this team back to Omaha and win the first national title. That’s always the goal.”

Allen isn’t sure when he’ll arrive to Clemson to begin his college career, but he’s ecstatic to get started.

“After (the visit this week), I would love to be down there right now,” he said. “But we haven’t really figured out when exactly I’ll be down there. But I’m so, so excited to be a Tiger. I just can’t wait to be in that stadium when it’s full and pitching in front of the Tiger fans. I’m super excited.”

–Photo courtesy of Joe Allen on Twitter (@joeallen435)

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UFC Hall of Fame: Daniel Cormier admits to using towel trick to make weight at UFC 210

Newly inducted UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier explained how he gamed the system to make weight at UFC 210.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] is now officially a member of the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing, and had a few things to get off his chest during his induction speech.

Ever since the official weigh-ins at UFC 210, Cormier has held strong in his conviction that he did not cheat when he recorded his official weight for the second time for his title fight against Anthony Johnson.

On his first attempt, Cormier stepped on the scale at 206.2 pounds, but magically hit the 205-pound limit upon his second try just a few minutes later. The incident became known as “Towelgate.”

Over five years later, Cormier finally revealed what happened that day as a part of a beautiful speech in which he thanked his late parents, his manager Bob Cook, and his teammates like Cain Velasquez, among others for the success in his career.

“Guys, I want to tell you something, because I think right now is the time to be completely transparent,” Cormier said. “I think I may have grabbed the towel in Buffalo.

“I walked back to the back after missing weight by 1.2 pounds, it was 1.2. I tried to give it up guys, trust me, I tried to give it up. I had a pound to lose, they even went and called my wife to try to get me back in the tub. I said, ‘No way, this sh*t’s over.’ She told me, Daniel, just take a hot bath. I go, ‘It’s not that simple.'”

That’s when Cormier’s nutritionist Dan Leith reminded him of a few old tricks wrestlers used to cheat the system when they stepped on the scale a little heavier than expected.

“He goes, ‘DC, do you remember the old wrestling trick?,'” Cormier continued. “I said, can you stand behind me? Because there’s two. You can put your hands behind you and the person can lift you up. He said no, it’s the towel one.

“But do you understand the level of ridiculousness that has to happen in order for that to work? I looked down and could not believe my luck. I am a lucky guy. Even when I would lose, somehow the belt would just come back to me. I was like, I’m a lucky guy. So, I look down, and the commissioner’s down on the floor looking at the scale. There’s a second lady. I look down, and she’s right next to him, so I grab the towel like, ‘Sh*t, we home free!'”

With the weight of “Towelgate” off his back, there was only one more thing to do, and that was to apologize to his opponent at UFC 210, who Cormier went on to defeat by rear-naked choke in the second round.

“Rumble, I’m sorry, my guy,” Cormier said with a smile.