THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Until Monday, Jeff Fisher thought he was good with Eric Dickerson.The Rams?coach admitted he called Dickerson on Nov. 17 to let him know he could not be expecting favors from the team -- such as sideline passes -- if he was going to continue to be critical of the organization. But Fisher described the conversation as really positive, a stark contrast from the detailed portrayal Dickerson relayed to several media outlets, including ESPN, on Monday.?Dickerson, who remains a die-hard Rams fan, vowed never to come to a game as long as Fisher is the coach.Asked about those comments after Tuesdays practice, Fisher basically summed up his point of contention with Dickerson as follows: Hes totally entitled to his opinion, and he has every right to be critical. As I told him in the conversation, you cant have it both ways. You cant be critical, and then come back and ask for this and ask for that. Thats just common sense. And we got it resolved. Again, based on that last conversation I had with him and the text, it was resolved.But it wasnt.Dickerson surprised the organization by saying on his Monday radio show on AM 570 in Los Angeles that someone from upper management told him he was not welcome on the sidelines. That prompted Fisher and Rams COO Kevin Demoff to go on the defensive, stating that they did not know where Dickerson got that impression and saying emphatically that they would welcome him with open arms.That prompted Dickerson to reveal that it was Fisher who called him, a response to the former running backs request for sideline passes at the Rams groundbreaking ceremony in Inglewood, California. The Hall of Famer said he doesnt feel welcomed by the Rams and questioned the sincerity of the conciliatory comments made by Demoff and Fisher.You say things because you got caught, Dickerson said in a phone conversation Monday with ESPN. Because you got caught with your pants down.Fisher believed the two were on good terms based on the text message Dickerson sent him after they had hung up 12 days ago. It read, according to Fisher: Thanks for the conversation. Best of luck. Have a good night. Go Rams.So, I dont know what took place between then and now, Fisher said. But Im on to New England now. Were moving forward. Hes welcome. Hes always been welcome. Its documented. I want him to be around; I want him to be part of this, like we have with everybody else. I honestly dont know where it came from, but were moving on.Dickerson, 56, played for the Rams from 1983 to 1987 and rushed for 7,245 yards in 65 games. He felt wronged when the Rams traded him to the Indianapolis Colts midway through the 1987 season, but he remained a fan of the organization upon retirement. Dickerson hosted the rookies at his house in the offseason, was part of the broadcast team during the preseason and attended the groundbreaking ceremony along with a handful of other luminaries.But he hasnt minced words about the Rams, who are now 4-7 and coming off a 49-21 dismantling at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Dickerson has harshly criticized the offensive line, talked openly about how boring the offense can be, thrown shots at Fishers coaching acumen and even questioned the credentials of quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke, who he doesnt believe has earned the right to coach a No. 1 overall pick in Jared Goff.Eventually, theyll hash it out, Rams defensive end William Hayes believes.It hasnt been a great season to cover, Rams punter Johnny Hekker admitted. There hasnt been a ton of positive things to really just gab about. I understand that hes entitled to an opinion. As an organization, they can choose to treat those situations however they want to do it. But as a player, we have bigger things to focus on than those disputes. Were a 4-7 team. We have to get better.Dickersons comments were one of the top stories throughout the day, but Fisher caught only some of the noise.He was too busy preparing for a road game against the 9-2 Patriots.Fisher said the controversy is not a distraction to his team.Theyre focused, theyre ready, and they understand the challenge, he said. Its not a distraction. This is the most Ive talked about it all day long. Ive been working all day.It doesnt affect us, Rams safety T.J. McDonald added. All the outside noise, from this locker room, were not hearing what anybody else is saying. We know what we have to work on, and thats what were focused on.Fisher said he opened everything to Eric during that fateful conversation because I wanted him to know that we would provide anything for him that he needed. According to Dickerson, though, Fisher told him he cannot be on the sidelines because his criticism of the team made players uncomfortable, and then when Dickerson defended his right to speak out, Fisher backtracked and told him he wants him around.Man, I stepped to him hard, Dickerson said. Im no kid. Im a grown-ass man.Fisher offered nothing but praise on Tuesday.Hes a Hall of Famer, Fisher said. I have great respect for his career and his jacket. NFL Jerseys Cheap . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. NBA Jerseys Authentic Cheap . 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Maybe having pros box in the Olympics isnt such a bad idea after all.While theyre at it, they might start getting some professional judges, too.A lot of what is still wrong with Olympic boxing was exposed in the heavyweight gold medal fight Monday night, when Russias Evgeny Tischenko was handed an inexplicable decision win over Vassiliy Levit of Kazakhstan in a fight that was almost as ugly as the scoring.That it came with the head of the International Olympic Committee in attendance couldnt have been good for the future of the sport. Boxing has had a rocky road in the Olympics recently, and Thomas Bach couldnt have been happy with what he saw as boos cascaded down when the unanimous decision was announced.Had Bach stuck around for the medal ceremony he would have heard even more boos, as fans expressed their displeasure once again. Standing on the medal podium, Levit put his finger to his lips in an unsuccessful attempt to stop fans from booing Tischenko as he was given the gold medal.This was supposed to be an Olympic boxing competitcoion like no other, with the men shedding headgear and the judging converted to the same type of 10-point must system used in the pro ranks. Pros were also invited to compete, although they were included so late that only three journeymen fighters signed up and all were drummed out of the competition before the first week was over.Up until the heavyweight final it had all worked fairly well. Without headgear, fans were able to see the faces of fighters, and the new scoring forced fighters to actually get into scraps instead of trying to land pitty-pat punches one at a time from the outside.The only real downside was a big increase in cuts without headgear, some of which caused competitive fights to be stopped early. That happened a few fights earlier Monday when Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan was cut in the second round against Souleymane Cissokho of France in their welterweight semifinal.Still, boxing seemed like boxing again, a contrast to previous Olympics when headgear and a computer scoring system that awarded points for touches turned it into something more akin to fencing with gloves.The old system was put into place to get away from scoring controversies in the wake of the horrendous decision that cost Roy Jones Jr. his gold medal against a hometown fighter in Korea in 1988.dddddddddddd But judges pushing buttons seemed to get even more decisions wrong, and there was a time where the sports very future in the games was in jeopardy.Just what the three judges scoring the heavyweight final saw to award this fight to Tischenko wasnt exactly clear. Levit forced the fight, getting inside against his taller opponent and smothering his punches. It wasnt pretty by any means and neither fighter looked particularly skilled, but it was clear to almost anyone in the arena that Levit had done enough to win the fight.That included the fighter himself, who was confident right up until the decision was announced that he had won the biggest fight of his life.In my head I was thinking I won, Levit said. The coaches were quite happy.The crowd booed lustily at the decision, and kept booing long after the fighters had left the ring. The boos got louder during the medal ceremony, when Tischenko should have been enjoying his time in the spotlight.Im really upset about it, Tischenko said through an interpreter afterward. I respect my opponent and the crowd. I cannot know why they booed.If there was an Olympic moment to be taken from the night, it was the gesture of sportsmanship by Levit as the boos kept coming. He put his finger to his lips to try and silence the crowd, though with little success.Every fighter that comes to the ring deserves respect, Levit said.Boxing history, of course, is littered with decisions gone bad. Judging fights is more art than science, and what one judge sees another might not even notice.Incompetence can also play a part. So can favoring fighters for reasons other than what they do in the ring.None of that really mattered to Tischenko, who ended the night with a gold medal around his neck in an Olympics he wasnt sure he would even be in as Russia faced a possible ban for doping.They gave victory to me so there were some reasons for it, Tischenko said.Too bad no one was able to explain just what those reasons were.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. 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