John Canzano: An Open Mind on UFC 102?

(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

This 63-year-old, opinionated sportswriter was fascinated to learn that a famous columnist for the Oregonian newspaper, John Canzano, posted an article predicting a death in the octagon some day after attending the UFC 102 event.

Mr. Canzano had bragged to his readers that he was going to be in attendance at the UFC 102 event with "an open mind and an open notebook." 

Wonder what happened to that attitude?

Next time I hope he limits his MMA experience to attending the weigh ins and face offs the day before the event, as pictured above.

Surely this expert sports columnist must have a somewhat different interpretation of "an open mind," than this 63-year-old grandmother of six.

Could be a generational thing, if Mr. Canzano is younger than me, but sounds more like a case of arrogant stupidity.

I guess that if I predict that someone will be clubbed to death with a golf club someday I could bemoan the invention of the game of golf as being hazardous to one's health.

More than likely though, I would predict a massive case of death by boredom from me having to watch a game of golf, even if Tiger Woods is the one playing.

Every fighter that desires to participate in a match within a caged octagon knows that injury is a given, death a possibility, prior to signing on the dotted line to even be able to step into that same cage.

So duh, Mr. Canzano, it is a contact sport.

Have you not heard of boxing related deaths, equestrian related deaths, deaths from running with the bulls in Barcelona?

Have you lived your life reporting on competitive hopscotch, rope jumping, tiddlywinks, and jacks?

Sports involves risk taking.

My sons were in high school football and I knew they were taking risks, which is why I have written an article on the dangers of what is known as "hell week" and possible heat related deaths in high school football.

Guess what Mr. Canzano?

There is a high school coach currently being tried for the death of one of his kids who did die from heat. I am not at all surprised at this; are you? Does predicting this tragic event make me a sports genius?

Yes, sir, everyone who loves any sport knows that death may result even from non contact sports. Can you say heart attack? Heat stroke? Accidental death?

It is true that I am essentially a grandmother who is disabled by an incurable autoimmune disease and due to also suffering from agoraphobia, lives life in a virtual bubble. Yet I managed to leave the protection of my home and attend a high school football game this past Friday night and am now fighting off a respiratory infection.

I know the risks, it was worth taking it. My grandson made the first big tackle of the game and I was so very proud that I will live with the resulting infection just to be able to brag about him.

This grandson is also a wrestler. He has had injuries, but usually they are from being a typical young man and taking risks, and not due to his participation in organized sports, although I recognize that may someday happen.

You do not approve of MMA, sir.

Football, basketball, baseball, and even tennis have related injuries.

Good God, man! We are talking sports after all!

How many in the US will die from the results of obesity or for having become couch potatoes snacking while glued to a TV? Don't you live in fear of the consequences of that too?

Well, although I live a sheltered life and fear being run over in a parking lot in my wheelchair (poor visibility, you know), I will continue to love to shop for back to school clothes with my grandchildren each year that I live.

I also greatly enjoy watching MMA and believe I am being a lot more candid and open minded about the sport than you are.

Whew! And I thought that Grandma Dee was leading a sheltered life!

Mr. Canzano is the one living within a bubble.

It is his loss.

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