The not-so-terrible towel

I don't understand why people in sports fear towels so much.

There are the maniacs in Pittsburgh who swing their yellow towels around, apparently in an effort to intimidate or instill fear in the opposing team. Then there is the "Hate The Yankees Hankies," "The Homer Hanky" and some white towel people swing around for the Philadelphia Phillies.

I don't think I will ever be afraid of towel, but it seems to work in sports so the tradition will probably continue to grow.

While it may be all fun and games in football and baseball, it is a very serious issue to be afraid of the towel in boxing. And believe me, many fighters and trainers are afraid of the towel.

That frightening piece of white cloth was given to corner men so they could throw it in the ring to signal their fighter has had enough in the event the referee is too slow to wave off the fight. Unfortunately, the culture of boxing has evolved into one that makes it taboo for a corner to throw in the towel.

Boxers see it as a cowardly move, but in reality, it prolongs careers and saves lives in some instances. Vic Darchinyan's destruction of Jorge Arce on Saturday was a perfect example of a fight that should have ended two or maybe even three rounds earlier.

While the referee should know when a fighter has had enough, the fighter's corner should know the fighter well enough to realize when their man has no chance of winning. Arce was clearly outclassed. He shouldn't have to take punishment on top of punishment to show his skills, on a certain night, are inferior to his opponents.

I hate comparing boxing and mixed martial arts because they are two completely different sports. But the one thing they have in common is the responsibility to make sure fighters are safe. In that sense, mixed martial arts is executed in a more fighter friendly way, theoretically.

The standard fight only has three rounds at five minutes each. This allows a fighter to get sufficiently tired during a round, which would allow an opponent to take advantage and end the fight. The referee also can wave off the fight after one knockdown.

While the referee can wave off the fight at anytime in boxing, it is much more likely he will let the fighter hit the canvas and give him 10 seconds to recover. This allows for multiple knockouts within the course of a fight.

Ten to 12 rounds at three minutes each allows fighters to get in precarious positions at the end of rounds and have enough time to recover before going back out and getting pounded all over again.

I am all for giving boxers the chance to make a dramatic comeback, but the towel should be respected and used. The ringside physician should be there to examine fighters after a fight, but their role has changed to the point where even the referee looks to the doctor to see if he should stop the fight.

I long for the days when the referee had the courage and confidence to say "I don't care if you are still standing, I am stopping this fight because you are getting beat down."

It still happens, but it should happen more often. And when the referee does not make the stop, I beg you corner men, throw in the towel. Maybe we can make it something more "manly" so they won't be so afraid of those scary towels.

I elect that boxing's sanctioning bodies let corner men throw in a baseball. Not only would it feel more natural to throw in a baseball, but it would be entertaining to see the referee duck away from a Freddie Roach curveball.