Category: Sports

Amazing Story of American Playing in England's Premiership

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t1_demerit2.jpgThis is a great and inspiring story of an American who saved his cash and went to England to try to play soccer. After a few years of earning next to nothing, he’s now, through an amazing series of events, playing for Watford in the Premier League. Here’s the story in Sports Illustrated magazine:

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LONDON CALLING

They said Jay DeMerit, a kid from Green Bay, didn‘t have what it takes to play professional soccer in America. So he went to England. England? Yes, and he’s now a bloomin’ favorite

Three years ago, in Jay DeMerit’s previous life, Sir Elton John didn’t ask to shake his hand. Three years ago, before he scored one of the most lucrative goals in soccer history, yellow-clad Englishmen didn’t chant his name, didn’t wear his jersey, didn’t burst into tears of joy over his flying header into a rippling net. Three years ago Jay DeMerit, late of Green Bay, was a soccer vagabond in a foreign land, an MLS reject plying the fields of London’s city parks, a Sunday pub leaguer sharing a friend’s attic bedroom in a dodgy part of town and subsisting on $70 a week and a steady diet of beans on toast.

Now, of all places, he’s here: on the emerald grass of sold-out Vicarage Road, the cozy stadium of the English Premier League’s Watford FC, a small-market outfit like DeMerit’s beloved Green Bay Packers. It’s an early-autumn afternoon 15 miles north of London, and this time DeMerit’s foes aren’t a bunch of hungover blokes from the pub but rather the superstars of Manchester United, the world’s most famous team. The sight of the Red Devils should intimidate the Hornets defender (Welcome to the Premiership, Yank), but not today. Not after his journey from the sport’s lowest levels to a league with a global audience of 600 million.

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Clarett: Prison is Cool, At Least I'm Hairless

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For those of you not paying attention, former Ohio State awesome running back Maurice Clarett was charged with carrying a concealed weapon after a highway chase early Wednesday that ended with police using Mace on him. After they got him they found four loaded guns in his SUV.

Apparently he fancies himself a badass. In fact, according to Sgt. Michael Wood, “It took several officers to get him handcuffed,” Woods said. “Even after he was placed in the paddy wagon, he was still kicking at the doors and being a problem for the officers.”

Also, the 22-year-old Clarett is currently awaiting trial on two counts of aggravated robbery, four counts of robbery and one count of carrying a concealed weapon in a separate case.

My question is, if he is such a badass – why the cat hair remover? If you look at the picture of his front seat, you’ll see the following:

clarett_illustration_412.jpg

  • Automatic weapon
  • 3 handguns
  • Grey Goose vodka
  • A CAT HAIR REMOVER! (bottom left of the picture)

Apparently if you’re going to hit the streets, you better have hair free duds. Good to know.

Minnesota Timberwolves' Draft Story

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It is largely thought that my Minnesota Timberwolves got one of the best players in this week’s draft, selecting Randy Foye in the seventh pick.
The Sports Guy column recounted the way that Minnesota came across that 7th pick.

It’s April 19, 2006, the final day of the season. The Celts have the sixth-worst record and plays host to Miami; Minnesota is at No. 7 and plays host to Memphis. The C’s do the honorable thing, play hard at12wolf050104l.jpg home and whup Miami’s third-string with their kids. Going against Memphis’ third string, Minnesota does the dishonorable thing and completely tanks the tail end of the game. I mean, COMPLETELY. To the point that Mark Madsen plays 30 minutes, goes 1 for 15 from the field, misses seven 3-pointers (yes, you read that correctly), conveniently “forgets” to guard Brian Cardinal on the game-tying 3 in the final 20 seconds of regulation, then misses three straight 3s to kick off the second OT (check out the play-by-play if you don’t believe me). Mark Madsen basically shaved points in this game.

I’m telling you. I have never seen a professional team throw a game this blatantly, in any sport, at any level. Even the 1919 Black Sox would have been mortified.
So what was the end result? They moved into the No. 6 spot, Boston slid to No. 7.

Look at the box score. Seriously, take a look. Before this game, Madsen shot nine 3s TOTAL during the first six years of his career. Did he get suspended after this tank job? No. Did anyone get suspended or fined? No. Does anyone remember this other than me and my dad? Apparently, no. And then the T-Wolves get rewarded with a better pick? What a joke. I don’t know where the WWE ends and the NBA begins anymore. And yes, I’ve been waiting to rant about that for two months. So there you go.

I’m not sure how i feel about this.  On one hand, it would have been pointless to win the game.  On the other, every game should be a competitive.  Similar to the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors regarding the ethics of medicine, i believe there should be a similar oath taken by athletes that they will compete at the best of their abilities and attempt to win each game at all times.  What this article doesn’t mention is that KG refuses to lose any game. Because of this, he was basically benched for the last 2 weeks of the season.  Sure, they called it “resting” but there’s no way the coaches were going to let him go out there and win game.  Interesting indeed.

Ideal US Soccer Team – With Non-Soccer Players

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I’m a big supporter of US soccer. We’ve got consistently better over the past 20 years and are only going to continue to improve.

However, the US just got crushed by the rest of the world (Ghana and Czech) at the World Cup. It was sad. The other teams looked faster, better, and more experienced. Because of this, i began to think about what would happen if the best athletes in the United States actually played soccer instead of more popular (and lucrative) sports such as basketball, football, or baseball and what our team would actually look like.

I came to the conclusion that our team would be a standard 4-4-2 formation and would consist of mostly football and basketball players. I thought about non-team sport athletes and while i respect them, i couldn’t really find a spot for them on the roster. Here’s what we’ve got (click here for a larger image):

Up Front

Randy Moss (Oakland Raiders) and Richard Hamilton (Detroit Pistons). Moss would be a big target who could knock down long balls and lay it back to our incredibly quick midfield. He also would be just deadly in the air – dominating crosses. Just send it up high and let him bring it down with his chest or head. It would be great. Next to him is Richard Hamilton. Rip would also be big, but he’d rely on his great workrate to find the ball and create scoring chances. His non-stop unselfish runs to the corner and front-post would allow Moss to hang in the middle, and his back-tracking is a bonus. In addition to Rip being a workhorse, i also think he’d be a clinical finisher. Unlike Moss, he’d have a great shot from almost any distance yet be be quick enough to capitalize on mistakes in the box.

In the Middle

Our midfield is amazing. Down the flanks you have Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76’ers) on the right and Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers) on the left. Both can run all day, and both can take people on. I can envision both absolutely abusing other defenses with their pure speed and quickness. In the middle of the field, you have Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat) and LaDanian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers). Both have the work rate and quickness to defend any other opposing midfielders, yet the aggressiveness to tackle and attack with pace and creativity. Wade would probably go forward more, while Tomlinson tracks the ball.

In the Back

On the outsides Champ Bailey (6’0” Denver Broncos) and Sean Taylor (6’2” Washington Redskins). Champ, playing on the left is a 6-time Pro-Bowler who can cover just about anybody. Nobody would get by him. On the right is Taylor who is a combination of strength, speed, and agility that made him the best safety in the league last year. No only would he shut down opposing forwards, but he’d get forward often to support Iverson.

In the middle you have Troy Palomalu (Pittsburgh Steelers) at center back in front of Vince Young. Palomalu, as we all know, is just a beast of a defender. Could you imagine anyone taking a lot of touches in the middle of the field? Imagine him and all his hair flying at you. Vince would play behind Troy and he has the height, speed, jumping ability and athleticism to dominate any opposing forward in the air and would be a wall of a man to get around on the ground. Also, as a quarterback, his distribution around the field would be great. He could launch a ball up to a posting-up Moss who could lay it to Rip or AI or Wade for a shot on goal. Ah, it’s a beautiful thing.

Keeper

At keeper, i’d like to see Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons). His height, quickness, freakish long-arms, and large vertical (did i mention long arms) would allow him to take down any cross and be a great shot-blocker.

There’s the team. I think we would absolutely dominate the world with this squad and with new players coming in each year (Reggie Bush), we would be a hell of an exciting team to watch.

Beer Belly, the World Cup Blog, and World Cup Power Rankings

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First, check out the beer belly, which is an ingenious way for fans to get beer into thebeer belly stadium. It looks like a great way to get a belly full of brew without having to haul in a bunch of cans – also, with the flexy straw there's no need to remove your hands from a few hot dogs and nachosSecond, there's now an entire blog set up to track the World Cup at worldcupblog.org. I know i just added to my Netvibes. I'm looking forward to seeing the US kick some ass on the world stage.  Although the blog's latest post has the power rankings which has the US at a lowly 15th.  The top 15 are:

  1. Brazil (1) – So good even Maradona wants to wear yellow.
  2. Spain (3) – We have to rank them high so they can fail to live up to expectations.
  3. Argentina (2)– Will Riquelme take the penalty kicks?
  4. Italy (4) – Totti is back and looking fit.
  5. Czech Republic (7) – Nedved might retire before World Cup.
  6. Germany (8) – Maybe Lehmann is alright after all.
  7. England (9) – Big Phil is the one, now they can concentrate on Beckham’s hair
  8. Portugal (5) – Scolari news overshadows uncertain keeper situation.
  9. Netherlands (6) – Makaay won’t play in Germany.
  10. France (12) – Zidane to make one final stand.
  11. Croatia (10) – Defender Jurica Vranješ faces injury concerns
  12. Mexico (13) – Rafa Marquez first Mexican in Champions League final
  13. Sweden (11) – Zlatan fighting with Juve teammates; Östlund wants to lose weight
  14. Ukraine (14) – Shevchenko struggling with his form.
  15. USA (16) – Where are the goals going to come from?

Treadputer

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I usually try not to simply repost items that are already on the internet, but every now and again something comes around that is so awesome, it deserves a major shoutout.  Today, this is the treadputer – that is: a computer and treadmill mashed together.  A guytreadputer_small.jpg who's training for a bunch of marathons has put 3 screens above his treadmill to have 3 different options to read from, a large trackball for a mouse, and a kickass voice recognition system so he can just speak to create emails and documents.  This baby is pretty sweet. Considering how much i have to read and write during the day and how often i miss getting my run in – it'd be pretty awesome to just get on a treadputer for 30 minutes of it.  Check out the link to it here: Treadputer

Eye Popping Footage

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In college basketball last night, Villinova senion Allan Ray was giong for a loose ball and got poked by a player on the opposing team. When he did, his eye literally popped out of his head. This is some crazy footage,

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=L-xsUYEnFSc]Apparently Ray is going to be fine. It is being called a “soft tissue” injury and there was no damage to the cornea, required no stitches, and he can still see. No harm no fout.

Soccer Madness

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There is some great soccer news out today (found both of them on deadspin). Check this out:

  1. A Romanian soccer team traded a player to competitor Regal Horia for 33 pounds of meat. Turned out to be a good deal for them too, because the guy they traded — perhaps sensing the inevitable after being swapped for meat — promptly retired. Check out this quote from the team:
    • “We are upset because we lost twice — firstly because we lost a good player and secondly because we lost our team’s food for a whole week,” said a Regal Horia official.
  2. Ron Artest move over. At a FA Cup match between Manchester and Liverpool Alan Smith (a ManU midfielder) broke his leg during the game. As the ambulance was leaving the stadium, a group of Liverpool fans attacked the ambulance – which is just ridiculous. Check out the news from London. The reports say the ambulance was surrounded by people who “threw stones and bottles” at it, and even tried to rock it from side to side. Nothing like a good riot – sheesh.

Snowboarding in the Olympics? I Don't Like it

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Snowboarding

I was watching the snowboarding tonight and i just couldn’t help feeling that it just isn’t right. This should not be a sport in the Olympics. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be a sport, at least not right now, i’m just saying don’t put it in the Olympics. Anyway ,here are my main complaints:

  1. Hasn’t been popular long enough. In almost all the other sports in the Olympics, they’ve been around for decades. They’ve ironed out all the rules, they’ve tailored the games to be the most exciting and competitive, and they’ve established some tradition and records. The 100 yard dash has always been 100 yards. They didn’t start with 90 then go to 120 and then settle for 100. It’s been this way for a long time. Snowboarding is so new, it is in the larva stage of production. It’s like the inside of a tomato – it just isn’t quite developed yet. Wait a couple more X-Games, wait for it to be understood by some more folks – then if it is really played across the world, you can bring it in. There aren’t even world-record holders yet, are there?
  2. Too popular. To me, the Winter Olympics is all about letting the folks who have really put their sport above sex shine. You look at the speed-skater, the nordic skier, the bobsledder or the luger and you see a guy who, for the first time in 4 years, is being noticed. I can feel them thinking to themselves “I’m finally here in the Olympic Village – my one chance to get some ass.” And i say let them get ass – let the entire world watch them – let us applaud their dedication and devotion to being the best in the world. This ins’t the case for the snowboarders. They are already the cool kids. They already have groupies – this event does not make or break them, and you can tell. There isn’t the same passion, the same level of excitement or dispair. Maybe this is because the X-games is on every year so this is just a side-show that that. Maybe they should only allow X-Game winners to participate in the Olympics – that’d make it more prestigious wouldn’t it and provide a good feeder system. It runs the risk of being like tennis or soccer where you already have Wimbleton and the World Cup so Olympics is pointless. It just seems like it doesn’t fit in yet.
  3. Too American. America dominates snowboarding. I see snowboarding’s addition an Olympic sport as a shameless attempt for the Olympic committee to try to get more marketing dollars from the US. One of the good things about the Olympics is that it is a global affair. These are sports that all countries play. Why introduce one that is mostly done by Americans? That just doesn’t seem fair.
  4. Too fun. All other sports seem grueling and painful and tough. There’s not another sport i can think of in any Olympic Games that people would want to get up off the couch and do in their free time (with the exception of beach volleyball – and i have the same complaint there). Snowboarding on a half-pipe is just too fun – it can’t be a sport. It’s like wakeboarding, water skiing, or tubing on a lake. That’s a blast and some people can do some amazing things, but that doesn’t mean it should be a sport in the Olympics, does it? Check out Shawn White’s post victory interview – is he even taking this seriously?
  5. Drugs. I’m sure they’re not all stoners, but they’re not doing a good job of shedding that stereotype. Especially when even the announcers are saying things (and i seriously heard this), “I bet she’s pretty stoked she landed that one.” Come on.
  6. Judges. I hate it when a sport has to be defined by other people giving scores. It sucks during the slam dunk competition and it sucks here. I want to know, and i want the competitor to know, immediately whether they’re in first or last place. I fully back downhill races and/or any race because you have a clear winner and you are the fastest. In snowboarding competition – a winner is what, the best jumper? trickster? i just don’t buy it.

It makes you wonder why skateboarding isn’t an Olympic sport. It’s been around longer, has just as many people do it, and is just as dangerous. Oh well, that’s my rant for the night.

But, before i go. Toby brought up a completely random good point tonight – we never see a zamboni while watching speed skating. But yet the ice is always incredibly smooth which means that they must zamboni between every race. Those things can take a long time. Can you imagine how boring that is?!