Saturday, December 31, 2011

U.S. Soccer Federation budget revealed

I spent part of my weekend leafing through the 604-page U.S. Soccer Federation budget for fiscal year 2013, which covers April 2012 through the following March. (I don?t recommend it.)

Want to know how much is spent on shipping costs for a board of directors meeting, cell phone stipends, auto maintenance, the value of office furniture or the number of players registered in Vermont? How about President Sunil Gulati?s travel expenses? It?s all in there. (Gulati is afforded $120,770 for 35 domestic trips and seven international visits.)

Read full article >>

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Karl Alzner: Capitals? Steal of the Summer?

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NFL Week 17 Picks: Detroit Lions and Teams That Will Cover the Spread

We've made it to the final week of the 2012 NFL regular season.

With the entire season in the rear-view mirror, there are only a few teams that actually have something to play for this weekend.

For Vegas, that makes determining the odds a little tricky.

Teams that would typically be favorites may not be this weekend.

This opens up the opportunity to get some steals on teams that will be able to cover the spread.

Here are three that you are safe to bet on.

 

Detroit Lions (-4)

The Detroit Lions are four point favorites over the Green Bay Packers for tomorrow's game.

If you haven't guessed it already, Green Bay is expected to rest the majority of their starters.

Without Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Greg Jennings and other stars on the field, this should be an easy win for Detroit.

The Lions aren't going to back off. They are looking to get some momentum heading into the playoffs.

Detroit should be able to walk away with a win of ten or more points, making them a pretty safe bet over the resting Packers.

 

Baltimore Ravens (-1)

One of the two biggest games of the weekend will take place when the Ravens take on the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Ravens are playing for a first round bye. The Bengals are playing to make the postseason.

The first time these two teams faced off, rookie Andy Dalton threw for 373 yards. He also threw three interceptions.

The Ravens will, like always, rely heavy on their defense to win this game.

With the way the defense has been playing that shouldn't be a problem.

 

Atlanta Falcons (-10.5)

The Atlanta Falcons need to win this weekend if they are going to make a playoff appearance.

They couldn't have asked for a better matchup with the stakes as high as they are.

The Falcons will be playing a Tampa Bay team that has completely fallen off the map.

In their last four games the Buccaneers have lost 19-38, 14-41, 15-31 and 16-48.

They have shown no signs of being able to cover a 10.5 point spread against opponents much easier than the Falcons with a lot less on the line.

Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offense will gain a ton of momentum by crushing Tampa Bay this weekend.

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Video: Fan throws dead duck during Anaheim win in San Jose

In the third period of last night's Anaheim Ducks victory at the San Jose Sharks, something rather fowl left the stands and hit the ice: a dead mallard, tossed from the seats at HP Pavilion Arena.

As the video shows, the fan that tossed the deceased duck appeared to be rocking a teal jersey; so rather than an Anaheim fan attempting to establish some type of bird-based takeoff of the Detroit Red Wings octopus toss, this would appear to be a declarative statement from a San Jose fan that when Anaheim enters the Shark Tank, they're dead ducks.

So, naturally, the Ducks won the game, 3-2, snapping a 13-game road losing streak.

Video: Fan throws dead duck during Anaheim win in San Jose

The faceoff was down the other end of the ice during this incident. Jonas Hiller skated out of his crease but wanted nothing to do with it. The on-ice officials picked it up and skated it over to the benches to disposal. (An aside: Between octopi and fish and ducks, NHL referees are second only to county road maintenance workers in the disposal of dead animals in high traffic areas.)

[Related: The top five NHL stories of 2011]

The Sharks fans cheered this scene, and why not? Once you've witnessed a shark with an octopus in its mouth hit the ice during a Stanley Cup Playoff game, a duck on the rink isn't going phase you. Our only question: Did it quack the ice? (Shamelessly stolen from Twitter last night.)

So, in summary: Octopi in Detroit and wherever the Detroit Red Wings play; catfish for the Nashville Predators; rats, thankfully rubber, for the Florida Panthers; a salmon during a Vancouver Canucks game; a chicken in Los Angeles; a snake, again thankfully rubber, for the Phoenix Coyotes; sharks in San Jose; and now, a duck.

[Related: Puck Daddy's top 10 Jersey Fouls for 2011]

We said it before, we'll say it again: What are you waiting for, Boston Bruins? Cowboy up ?

(s/t PHT for the video; reader Jordan C. for the photo.)

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? The biggest college football gaffes of 2011
? NFL playoff picture: Saints, Falcons could meet again
? Charity work saves Sixers' Lou Williams from a robbery attempt

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the year in photos

in 2010, photos change, words not so much.
MLS Superdraft breakdown - you know you’re not getting that here. But every year the draft marks the beginning of a new soccer season. Beyond the MLS hot stove, it means the first USMNT game of the new year is around the corner, with the Gold Cup just [...]

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Expansion and the MLS Meta

- Jason Davis

In 2011, after Seattle and Philly and Portland and Vancouver and Montreal and the wave that came before them (yes, San Jose counts) and all of the talk of candidates and fees and ownership groups and stadium plans and color schemes and whether names should be "historical" (since 1975!) or "euro" or plain old American city-and-nickname, I'm tired of expansion. Or, rather, I'm not tired of expansion, I'm over it as a major part of Major League Soccer's future, which means I'm over writing about it. Actually, I'm almost certain that my attention has shifted because there are now enough teams and enough stability that MLS has hardened around the edges and has the consistency of a "real" league.

But the expansion talk continues, whether I remain actively engaged or not (my interest, surprisingly, has no bearing on the rolling expansion train or the discussion surrounding it...who knew). The country is big, MLS will continue to be in the growth phase - in one area or fifty - forever, and there is STILL no team in the Southeast. Oh, and MLSHQ continues to publicly covet another franchise in New York, either because they themselves are sick of having to trek over to Jersey to see a game, or...no, that's probably it. I hear the PATH trains are a disaster.

The latest development in the expansion story is that MLS has no immediate plans to grow beyond the 20 clubs the league will have once Montreal joins in 2012 and someone in New York who was lucky enough to have never met Bernie Madoff finds $100 million to invest. This has come as a shock to some because stopping at 20 only makes sense if MLS is A. retaining the balanced schedule (they're not) B. tired of expansion fees (doubtful) or C. convinced that there are no more cities ready for professional soccer (maybe, but unlikely). Suddenly everything we know about MLS 2.0 is threatened by public statements of conservatism. If MLS isn't expanding, what does that mean exactly?

Richard Whittall, the newly minted editor at The Score's Footy Blog and a top bloke, lays it out pretty simply in a manner I might have had I thought to tackle the story first and wasn't tied up doing other things:

First, no more rotating conversation about viable American (or Canadian) soccer markets, so that MLS can deal with working with its existing markets, and shoring up some of the weaker ones. It gives a sense of fixed identity to the league?this is it, for better or for worse. A little familiarity goes a long way, and as Lorne Michaels apparently said once: ?the longer you?re here, the longer you?re here.? Halting expansion seals off MLS and gives the league a sense of permanence.

Richard's point about too much of the coverage of MLS being "meta" is a good one, and although it cuts me personally as this blog was launched to tackle many of the very meta issues he identifies, pushing topics like "who's next" to the periphery is crucial to the graduation of MLS from novelty level to full and tenured member of major professional sports leagues. The sooner MLS can be just about the games, the players, and the coaches (with the occasional distraction of the latest best-small-soccer-stadium-in-the-world opening), the better. Permanence isn't awarded after a certain number of years or teams or even fans is reached; it's an entirely subjective characteristic that only takes hold as a widespread feeling at some indeterminable point when the greater culture finally takes the league's existence for granted. That might require an older generation of sportswriters/editors/talking heads to recede into their retirements where they can't influence an easily manipulated public, or it might just be something that comes when MLS pauses to tidy up the house already built instead of worrying about the next new addition.

Which, judging by the attendance issues in Columbus and Dallas and the (still) unresolved stadium situation in DC (among other things), MLS should do. The NBC TV contract represents an opportunity to buckle down and generate genuine interest in the sport beyond the hardcore locals it has already attracted. Expansion should and must be commensurate with the ability of teams to find and pay for decent talent. That probably means stopping at 20 teams, at least for now.

One less meta issue to bat around and speculate on means less fodder American soccer blogs that can't help themselves. And that's a good thing. MLS still, and probably will for the foreseeable future, feels like more of a counterculture movement than a actual part of the fabric of sport in the United States and Canada. That might give us a greater feeling of solidarity and uniqueness as fans, but it remains a barrier to MLS becoming the legitimate and accepted league it hopes to be.

As long as we're talking about the way the league is run, where it might pop up next, how to pay expensive names to play here, etc., etc. more than we talk about the narratives playing out on the field, MLS won't just be niche, it will feel ephemeral.

--

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Guzan earns praise for play as starter

When Aston Villa starting goalkeeper Shay Given went down with an injury in an early December match against Manchester United, Alex McLeish was forced to turn to American backup Brad Guzan, who has been patiently waiting for a starting role in the Premier League ever since joining Villa from Chivas USA in 2008. Guzan has proved to be a stable option in goal for the Villans, who have a hold on a mid-table position while battling other injury woes along with a tough stretch in the schedule. Villa has gone 1-2-1 with Guzan as a starter, with the losses coming...

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That CCL Thing

- Jason Davis

So here we go again. Two MLS teams start their CONCAChampions campaigns tonight. After the thrilling, but ultimately disappointing, story of Real Salt Lake to start the year, the tournament that has remained such an MLS bugaboo is back to twist our gonads.

MLS has five teams in the group stages, a new high. Presumably that means a better chance that one or two of those teams can make strong runs deep into the tournament, though some of that will be down to luck. A couple of these clubs have fairly daunting task ahead of them just to make the knockout rounds. Real Salt Lake was a special team through the 2010-2011 tournament. It remains to be seen if any of the MLS clubs in this edition are worthy of that label.


I'll be honest: it doesn't seem like it from where I'm sitting. LA is a good team, might win the Shield and just added a quality (if pricey) striker to augment their attack. But like any LA team of the last few years, their always good for a shocker every now and then. If they have one at the wrong time in the CCL, there won't be a chance for them to do an RSL. See: last year's qualifying series against Puerto Rico.

So there's hope for the Galaxy, partly because they want to wash the taste of last year's debacle out of their mouths. As for the rest of the MLS contingent, FC Dallas should do the league proud. There's not reason to doubt Hyndman, and although Maicon Santos is cup tied and can't play in the competition, the Hoops have the firepower necessary to get them through. Their group is made of a Tauro (Panama), Toronto FC, and Pumas. One seriously tough out, with second place easily attainable if they put forth a reasonable effort. Pumas is planning on playing a reserve side about FCD tomorrow night. That means winning the group should be the goal.

I don't know what to make of the Sounders' chances. Getting off to a good start tonight is crucial, and I hope to see them come through at home. No reason they shouldn't, though stranger things have happened.

And I'll leave TFC aside. As their rebuilding project continues, it's almost impossible to believe they're ready to surprise in the CCL. The win over Real Salt Lake might provide some confidence, but playing in Panama is no one's idea of a picnic.

Here's a good preview of the group stage from Scott French, complete with first round schedule.

I'm certain to be around on Twitter tonight as the games go one, so go ahead and follow me.
--


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Marek Vs. Wyshynski Radio: Dead ducks, goalie goals, Panthers talk

It's a Tuesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more:

Special Guest Star: George Richards of the Miami Herald joins us to talk Florida Panthers and the NHL at large.

? In which Marek and Wysh discuss throwing dead ducks at Anaheim/San Jose games.

? The USA/Canada fan lovefest during World Juniors.

? Cam Ward's goal and other goalie tallies.

? Ron Wilson's spiffy new contract.

? Puck Headlines and Talking Points

Question of the Day: The trade freeze ends tonight; who is the first name player to be traded?

Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski.

"Marek vs. Wyshynski" is a daily hockey radio program featuring Jeff Marek, on-air personality and columnist for Sportsnet, and Greg Wyshynski, your humble editor from Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy blog. We'll be speaking to the most interesting people in hockey, from Hall of Famers to beat writers to bloggers. We'll be debating the hottest topics in the NHL and beyond.

It's all about interaction, too: Email your thoughts to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski.

Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above!

Click here to download podcasts from the show each day Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner.

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Liverpool Transfer Scenarios: 8 Players They Really Should Go After in January

Liverpool could do with some reinforcements when the January transfer window opens.

The team needs more defensive solidity in midfield and some more offensive firepower. New signings Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing have not been very productive so far this season.

Lucas Leiva has been sidelined for the remainder of the season, and he has been Liverpool's rock in the midfield.

If the Merseyside club wants to get back into the Champions League places—and make a good push at an FA cup trophy as well—they will need all the help they can get.

Here is a list of players that Liverpool should go after in January.

Begin Slideshow

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Wednesday?s Three Stars: Quick?s fifth shutout; Semin nets two

Wednesday?s Three Stars: Quick?s fifth shutout; Semin nets two

No. 1 Star: Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

Quick made 38 saves in the Kings' 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks to keep his team unbeaten in regulation in the Darryl Sutter era. Los Angeles is now 3-0-1 over that span. The shutout was his league-leading fifth of the season. Trent Hunter scored the game-winner midway through the second.

No. 2 Star: Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals

Clearly taking some umbrage to the seeming inversion of roles since these two teams met in the first round of the postseason last spring, the Capitals played with some jump versus the Eastern Conference leading New York Rangers. Semin was especially potent, scoring his team's final two goals to give the Caps a 4-1 lead they would not relinquish. His second goal was pretty:

No. 3 Star: Petr Sykora, New Jersey Devils

Sykora opened the scoring midway through the first, then added his second only a minute and a half into the middle frame. It would stand up as the game-winner, with the Devils knocking off the Buffalo Sabres by a score of�3-1.

Honourable mention: Pekka Rinne was fantastic for the Nashville Predators, making 34 saves en route to a 2-1 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild, who have now lost eight straight... Jason Labarbera made 27 saves to get the Phoenix Coyotes to overtime versus the Boston Bruins, but he couldn't stop Dennis Seidenberg's shot a minute to give the Bruins a�2-1 win... Jay Beagle returned to the lineup for the Washington Capitals. He missed 31 games with a concussion after Arron Asham put him to sleep... Andrew Ebbett scored the game-winner as the Vancouver Canucks knocked off the San Jose Sharks 3-2.

Did you know? The Coyotes played to a sellout crowd Wednesday, the first time they've done so since the season opener.

Dishonourable mention: Wysh, for vetoing my obscene initial title for tonight's three stars... and�Raffi Torres for the nightly headshot, throwing an elbow to Andrew Ference's head. But don't expect Shanaban to dole out any discipline. Adam McQuaid handled it.

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Neuvirth Grounds Jets: Caps 1 / Jets 0

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calcutta consciousness

from the outside, in — one man’s journey to the heart of India
by Ashwin Warrior
I came to Calcutta on a whim. Time off from school, traveling and volunteering in India?one version of the American collegiate dream. I chose Calcutta, the sprawling metropolis of over fifteen million people, on the recommendation of a friend.�He said the [...]

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Juergen Klinsmann?s contract with USSF pays him $2.5 million in base salary

Juergen Klinsmann will earn $2.5 million in base salary to coach the U.S. men?s national soccer team ? more than four times higher than his predecessor, Bob Bradley, and 13 times larger than women?s coach Pia Sundhage.

No other details about Klinsmann?s contract, including incentives and other payments, appeared in the U.S. Soccer Federation?s audited financial statements.

Read full article >>

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Notre Dame Football: 10 New Year's Resolutions for the Irish

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish head into the 2012 season with a long list of offseason priorities.

Regardless of what the realism would dictate, Notre Dame always faces BCS-or-bust expectations. This season’s 8-5 record, while equal to last year's, is a huge disappointment given the way that the Irish gagged away the Champs Sports Bowl.

While it probably isn’t fair, Brian Kelly’s seat might start to feel a little warm heading into next season. Here’s what he must focus on to get his house in order.

Begin Slideshow

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Sabres Christmas house loves Thomas Vanek, inducing seizures

(Ed. Note: No Trending Topics or Puck Previews tonight; we'll have coverage of the games and Three Stars later.)

When it comes to Christmas lights, I'm a curmudgeon. They're hard to put up, it's cold, you have to climb a ladder, they're always tangled, and so on. I'm the guy who spends ten minutes power-stapling a cheap string of lights around the garage and calls it a day.

But it's hard not to get behind the people that put a lot of effort into it. This house, for instance, is awesome, and doubly so if you're a Buffalo Sabres fan. The fabulous light show ends with Rick Jeanneret's call of a Thomas Vanek overtime goal versus the Washington Capitals. Seriously:

Awesome but nerdy tidbit some may have missed: that piece of music is from the final act of Aram Khachaturian's ballet, Gayane. It's�called the "Sabre Dance". Brilliant.

But seriously, can you imagine living next door to this house? Heck, can you imagine living next door to this house if you were a Caps fan? The last thing you want is to relive that call once every two minutes from sundown to noise curfew.

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Latest NHL team selling ads on jerseys? Canadiens and Subway

Latest NHL team selling ads on jerseys? Canadiens and SubwaySelling ad space on practice jerseys isn't exactly a new practice in the NHL. The Chicago Blackhawks and the Calgary Flames were the first two teams to dabble in it last year. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings (presented by Amway!) and others followed that lead.

The latest team to turn practicing players in billboards on skates: The Montreal Canadiens, who debuted Subway restaurant* ads on their sweaters this week.

From Dan's Daily Dose, a Canadiens blog by Dan Kramer:

The big news out of practice was that the Canadiens now have an ad for Subway (Sandwiches) on their practice jerseys.

This was met with outrage by many, including Dave Stubbs of Hockey Inside/Out / The Gazette. There have been many indications this season that the Molson family is about the cash in a big way and this is the latest move to increase their profits. Habs fans will be less angered if it is positioned as extra money going to pay for Jacques Martin's dismissal and/or perhaps sending Scott Gomez to Hamilton! And at least it's just a practice jersey right now.

"Right now" has always been the operative phrase for us. There's just too much money on the table for teams not to explore, eventually, ads on game jerseys. For the European hockey and soccer fan, and the American NASCAR fan, this is probably met with a shrug. For the hockey purist, it's probably met with choked down bile.

Said NHL VP Bill Daly back in Oct. 2010, when the Blackhawks and Flames placed ads on practice sweaters:

"The whole business area of sports evolves over time. People in this room probably remember a time when there was no advertising on dasher boards, and now there is. So things change."

Shivers ...

* Guess enough time has passed where this 2007 ad for Subway that sparked outrage among French-Americans, and apology letters from Subway execs, is no longer fodder for the Quebecers trying to run unilingual Anglophone Randy Cunneyworth out of town.

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Fight Video: Watch Wayne Simmonds demolish Eric Brewer

We'll just go ahead and guess what the Liev Schreiber HBO 24/7 narration will be for this clip:

"With his team down 3-to-1, forward Wayne Simmonds did as countless Philadelphia hockey players had done before him, dropping his gloves and engaging in fisticuffs with Tampa Bay defenseman Eric Brewer. His sheer brute force overpowered his foe; alas, it wasn't enough to power a Philadelphia rally." (And cut to Peter Laviolette walking into the locker room for a profanity-laced tirade ?)

From Matt P. from The 700 Level, after the Flyers' 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning:

Simmonds may have been responding to Brewer's shoving of Harry Z after the latter made contact with Lightning goalie Mathieu Garon. Somewhat surprisingly given the league's sensitivity to head injuries, Brewer was back on the ice in the third period. His baseline ImPACT test scores must have been terrible. All battle fun aside, we hope Brewer's noggin's OK.

To balance out this fight video, here's Frank DeFord on NPR (via BD Gallof) asking for a ban on fighting because "the idea that you have special goons to battle each other while the game stops completely makes hockey seem hokey."

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Heaps of Trouble? Three Questions for NE Revolution

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D.C. United gains support from city councilman in finding solutions to stadium issues

At least someone in government is paying attention to D.C. United?s stadium plight.

City council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) introduced a resolution Tuesday that states, among other things, the D.C. government ?should take active steps to create strategies and solutions that keep D.C. United as a professional soccer team located within the District of Columbia.?

Read full article >>

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WWE: How Many Fans Go Too Far in Pursuing Wrestlers for Autographs?

The pursuit of autographs has always characterized celebrity culture.

The celebrities targeted for their "John Hancocks" have usually been athletes, film/TV stars, music mavens and even those on the fringe of pop culture—like pro-wrestlers.

Many wrestlers, particularly the ones who made their names in the WWE, have been objects of fans' affections and—in unfortunate instances—greed.

For instance, some followers go to great lengths to garner an autograph out of appreciation for a grappler they grew up watching, admire and/or identify with on an emotional level.

More or less, such fans will cherish the signatures they acquire—and accompanying photographs—of their favorite WWE superstars.

On the other hand, some fans are compelled to seek out autographs not so much for their sentimental value, but financial potential.

These eBay enthusiasts will have their wrestler-specific programs, T-shirts, DVDs and posters ready—in hand, no less—to shove right into the wrestlers' faces.

In most scenarios, autographs are sought out at socially acceptable venues like autograph signings and "fanfest" conventions.

The WWE, specifically, has always been forward-thinking in bridging the gap between the audience and the talent, facilitating interaction between the two groups at "Axxess" events.

However, those driven by the selling-potential of autographs overstep the unwritten rules of social decency by often times vigilantly staking out an opportunity to accost a wrestler in public.

In public places, especially, most civilians try not to stare, make a fuss about or even acknowledge a renowned person in their midst.

The reason being is to ensure that the natural order of things continues without a hitch so as to prevent the possibility of awkwardness or embarrassment for either party.

Examples of this include scenarios in which a celebrity—in this case, a wrestler—is spotted in a restaurant, cafe, restroom, movie theater, at a concert, on a sidewalk or at the airport.

Usually, most fans who come across one will suppress their giddiness and do their best to not disturb them—because, after all, there is a difference between knowing their "images" and being familiar with them on a personal basis.

We don't approach people we don't personally know, so why should it be any different just because we've seen them on TV?

That being said, most wrestlers tend to accept and be tolerable of instances when they're politely asked to scribble their autographs for a fan who was coincidentally in the area.

Where appearances become sketchy, though, is when wrestlers are purposely attempting to mix in with the crowd—and not stand out by any means—yet are rudely interrupted by a fan who just happened to have a piece of merchandise bearing his or her likeness.

CM Punk, for example, has lamented being hounded by the autograph paparazzi who don't bother to notice he is intentionally crouched in a corner of an airport, with his head down and ears plugged with headphones.

Making the experience all the more unpleasant is that it could transpire at the wee hours of the morning when someone like the "Straight Edge" superstar just wants to be left alone and get some shut-eye.

Perhaps an even more uncomfortable situation than this is being agitated by an autograph fiend in a restroom.

Mick Foley, in his inaugural book Have a Nice Day, recounted an anecdote in which a fan waited outside of his stall with a pen and something to write on.

All in all, scoring the signatures of wrestling heroes is OK as long as it occurs at a "sanctioned" venue or in a socially welcome context.

However, if the act blatantly impedes upon the personal space of a performer—who, judging by his or her body language would rather go unnoticed—then it is an irksome intrusion of privacy.

Exacerbating this are socially-deviant autograph dwellers who have absolutely no intention of retaining the memorabilia, instead opting to "flip" them for a profit on eBay.

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Uh-Oh: Landon's Getting Older

-Ben McCormick

One of the most common questions any US Soccer fan asks is who is going to replace Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey when they retire. They have held the attack together for the past few years and fast approaching is a time when the US will have to rely on someone other than ?Deuce? or ??Cakes? for a goal when they need it.

The scary thought is this process might be happening a bit faster than we all thought. Dempsey is still performing at the highest levels and he shows no signs of slowing down, but Donovan on the other hand, is a different story.

Sure, his MLS scoring record this season has been stellar, but I would expect that from a player of his caliber playing on a MLS team that may go down as one of the best in MLS history. Where it has been noticeable his speed may be slowing a half step, though, is in his performances for the USMNT this year.

I know this feels like heresy, but hear me out. He was benched at the Gold Cup, and honestly, the team didn?t perform all that poorly without him. He just wasn?t the young, inventive player we have come to know and love over the years, and the two US matches he has featured in under Juergen Klinsmann have been similarly tough. Donovan was inconsistent against Mexico and the first twenty minutes against Costa Rica were more or less solid before he completely disappeared.

This was to be expected, though. A player like Donovan relies on his speed more than any other athletic skill. As we all know, with athletes, speed tends to begin the deterioration process around age 30, which Donovan, 29, is fast approaching. This isn?t to say he?s not still a quality player capable of magic like we?ve seen against Algeria and Slovenia. All I?m saying is the time we?re going to need to move onto someone else is drawing closer and closer.

Klinsmann has said Donovan will be his creative presence in the middle of the park which, if his speed is in fact deteriorating, is a smart move rather than putting him on the wings where Klinsmann will rely on speed. Remember, by the time 2014 hits Donovan will be 32 and certainly need to rely on his vision and touch more than sheer pace.

Say Donovan takes a serious turn for the worse before the next World Cup. Who might be ready to step in and play that attacking central midfield role? In my mind, there are six known players capable of filling that void.

1. Stu Holden - Stu is the obvious choice. He isn?t a young hot shot prospect anymore, but he earned POY at Bolton despite being injured for a significant portion of the season. He will be back on an EPL pitch very soon, and if he regains his form, he?ll give the US another effective midfield weapon. US fans shouldn?t worry too much if Donovan becomes obsolete and in-form Stu is there to fill the void. His hair is also incredibly cool.

2. Mikkel Diskerud - The young ?Mix? has been making the grade at the highest level in Norway for three years now with large clubs reportedly hot on his trail. He showed in his January cap his inventiveness and smoothness on the ball. While Stu is already in his prime, Mix could easily start at the 2022 World Cup for the US at age 31. His hair, too, is magnificent.

3. Freddy Adu - This should be expected. Adu played one of the best games I?ve seen in a US uniform in the Gold Cup final and has fixed his well documented club issues by biting the bullet and coming home to MLS. He?s still very young and has time to develop and make the jump back across the pond. His touch and vision are nearly unrivaled amongst his US counterparts. If Adu?s career continues its upswing, he might not just replace but improve upon Donovan.

4. Luis Gil - From Adu on down, the readiness takes a dive. Gil is Real Salt Lake?s 17 year old playmaker. After signing with MLS last year, Jason Kreis and company have brought Gil along slowly and it has been paying off. Gil, who figures to feature prominently for the US U-20 squad this cycle, was coveted by Arsenal before he signed with MLS. If he continues his current run of form, scoring two goals while starting the last six league matches, we may see him in a full national team jersey sooner than later.

5. Sebastian Lletget - Further away still from Gil is Sebastian Lletget, the young American central midfielder at West Ham. He was a class above in his matches with the US U-20s and played in some West Ham first team friendlies this summer. He?s probably still a year away from official first team minutes at West Ham, but we could see him loaned out this winter to get some minutes instead of just playing for the reserves. He has very high potential, but remains a largely unknown quantity.

6. Charles Renken - Renken was poised to be Agudelo 2.0 before knee injuries derailed his meteoric rise through the US youth systems. The creative midfielder, just 17 years old, is now at Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga. He plays for the U-19 side, but remains very highly rated. Renken may have the most potential out of any of these prospects, but remains the furthest away from first team action. Renken and Gil will make up one of the most exciting midfields the US U-20 team has seen in quite some time.

Donovan is still a top notch player and deserves to be the man the US attack runs through. He may be in the process of losing a bit of his trademark pace, but that process may be slow, taking a few years. It won?t happen all at once. That being said, it never hurts to be prepared.

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Mike Conley Injury: Grizzlies Guard Exits Game with Scary Ankle Injury

It didn’t take long for the first significant injury to hit the 2011-2012 NBA season.

The Memphis Grizzles welcomed the Oklahoma Thunder to town on Wednesday night in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Semifinal. Almost immediately after the game started, Mike Conley landed very awkwardly on the foot of Kendrick Perkins and fell to the floor in a heap.

Marcus Hunter of Fox 13 in Memphis has more information on the injury:

You can tell by his tone that the injury may be a serious one, which would be a devastating blow to Memphis. Conley has blossomed into an outstanding point guard for the Grizz in his fourth year in the league.

They can ill-afford to be missing Conley for more than a few games in this fast-paced and incredibly compacted NBA schedule. Losing Conley for even four weeks would be a crushing blow.

With the injury the Grizzles were forced to use Jeremy Pargo and Josh Selby at the point. The results have been a stagnant offense that is featuring far too much one-on-one basketball. Memphis needs Conley to keep the offense flowing and these natural two-guards aren’t the answer.

Trading Grevis Vasquez right before the season is not looking good right about now.

For his career Conley has averaged 11.7 points, 5.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds in four seasons. He has missed a grand total of three games in the past three seasons. 

We'll know more about the severity of Conley's injury tomorrow morning. Until then...keep your fingers crossed, Grizzles fans. 

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2011 MLS Predictions - So How Did We Do?

-by Chris Ballard

You might remember that way back in March, Keith, Jason and myself all put forth some predictions regarding the 2011 MLS season. Usually when these things happen it becomes convenient to later forget to revisit them; because it invariably proves that we - as much as anybody else - know pretty much nothing. However, it makes sense to at least crow about the ones we did get right. Even if there aren't very many.

So let's begin.



U.S. Open Cup Winners: Seattle Sounders
Jason: Seattle Sounders
Keith: Real Salt Lake
Chris: F.C. Dallas

The Founder gets off to a flying start; Seattle recorded their third successive Open Cup victory, helped no doubt by the bid system that meant they played at home in all 4 of their games. Regardless, it's still an impressive feat for the club, and their CONCACAF Champions League qualification shows that taking the competition seriously can bring it's own rewards. Yes, New York, I'm looking at you.

Seattle beat Dallas in the semi-final final game, who had themselves knocked out Real Salt Lake in the previous round.

Supporter's Shield: L.A. Galaxy
Jason: Real Salt Lake
Keith: Real Salt Lake
Chris: New York Red Bulls

I was so confident about this, too. Henry, Marquez, a good core of seasoned MLS players - what could possibly go wrong? Well, a whole lot as it turned out; too many draws in the middle of the season meant that New York were touch and go to even make the playoffs until very late, and the less said about Rafa Marquez this season the better. Real Salt Lake hit a real dodgy patch just after their defeat in the CCL final, and by the time they were back in stride, LA got the Supporters' Shield liquored up and into the taxi.

MLS Cup: L.A. Galaxy or Houston Dynamo
Jason: New York Red Bulls
Keith: Seattle Sounders
Chris: L.A. Galaxy

If you were wondering why I'm putting this up before the MLS Cup Final, here's your reason. I still confident, of course, but I did want to make sure that this prediction was recorded once again. Of my two colleagues, Keith can feel most hard-done by; a shocking performance in the first game against Real Salt Lake pretty much sank Seattle hopes, and despite a revival of sorts in the return game, the damage had already been done. See above re: New York.

Most Valuable Player: Dwayne De Rosario
Jason: Alvaro Saborio
Keith: Javier Morales
Chris: David Beckham

I do feel at least slightly vindicated here. Despite Beckham not making the shortlist for MVP (instead getting the ridiculous "Comeback" award, which to me essentially says "Hey, you sucked for the first 4 years of your contract; have a trophy") I genuinely felt that he should have finished second in the final tally, behind Brad Davies of Houston. That De Rosario was awarded the prize despite not playing for any team with a winning average of over 0.500, suggests that voters didn't quite understand that "Most Valuable" doesn't necessarily mean "Best". Keith's selection went down pretty early thanks to a horrible Mondaini tackle that saw him miss 4 1/2 months, and Saborio didn't figure in MVP talk either, despite a very respectable 11 goals. That being said, Jason did say that the Golden Boot winner would also win MVP, so he got that part dead on.

Golden Boot: Dwayne De Rosario (16 goals)
Jason: Alvaro Saborio (11)
Keith: Sebastian Le Toux(11)
Chris: Charlie Davies (11)

Amazingly, all 3 of us picked players that scored the same number of goals. Charlie Davies started the season with a huge amount of goodwill, but that dissipated at about the same time he flopped to the ground to win a dubious penalty against RSL on June 18th. Le Toux was unlikely to reach the heights of 2010, and his slow beginning made it an even more difficult task, and Saborio didn't really play enough games (23) to give him a fair shout of scoring the most.

Rookie of the Year: CJ Sapong
Jason: Perry Kitchen
Keith: Darlington Nagbe
Chris: Zarek Valentin

Last season's Rookie of the Year was a defender, and in hindsight it was always going to be an attacking player that won this time around. Nagbe had a pretty good season - even picking up the Goal of the Season award - and finished third in the voting. Kitchen and Valentin were both thrown in at the deep end at teams (DC United and Chivas) who had defensive issues last season.

CJ Sapong was a worthy winner, though - his power and pace created many chances in a very good Sporting KC team, although it will be interesting to see next season whether he can avoid the 'difficult sophomore season' that plagued Tim Ream for most of 2011.

Conclusion
18 predictions. With 1, possibly 2 proving to be accurate, this demonstrates that predicting what happens in soccer is always going to be difficult. That being said, with the benefit of hindsight, you could have made a very good case for at least 5 of the winners, and even the 6th was feasible - C.J. Sapong was drafted 10th, after all.

I just hope next season is as much fun.

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A Statement Win?

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brand new

A BEHIND THE SCENES ORAL HISTORY OF SOCCER IN KANSAS CITY
On November 18, 2010, a Major League Soccer team changed its name. One minute they were the Kansas City Wizards. The next, they were Sporting KC. Of course it?s never that simple.
This is that story.
Greg Cotton
Chief Operating Officer, Sporting Kansas City
I hate the word ‘brand’ [...]

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Holiday updates: Clint Dempsey, Juergen Klinsmann, U.S. national team, D.C. United, MLS, women?s soccer

Happy holidays. Hope you are enjoying time with family and friends. I?ll return to regular duty next week. For now, let?s get caught up.....

The headline: Clint Dempsey scores again for Fulham

Behind the headline: Although he?s only 28, Deuce enters the conversation about the greatest American players to ever perform abroad. With Monday?s goal during a 1-1 draw at Chelsea ? his fourth in his past six appearances for Fulham and ninth in 24 matches this campaign -- he increased his American Premier League record to 39 and his career total to 46 since moving to London from the New England Revolution five years ago. Where does Dempsey stand among Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller, Tim Howard, Brian McBride, Claudio Reyna, John Harkes, Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo? Others in the mix: Thomas Dooley, Roy Wegerle and Earnie Stewart, all of whom entered the U.S. picture after establishing their European careers.

Read full article >>

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Young Guns Win It For The Old Man’s 1000th: Caps 4 / Preds 1

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Case against Mike Milbury dismissed due to lack of evidence

Case against Mike Milbury dismissed due to lack of evidenceLast Friday, it was reported that Mike Milbury had been charged with allegedly assaulting a child at a local hockey rink. The report stated that Milbury had "verbally berated and grabbed and shook" the alleged victim.

This Friday, The Boston Herald has reported that all the charges against Milbury have been dropped. From the Herald:

Milbury's legal team announced this afternoon that a clerk magistrate at Brookline District Court has ruled there is not enough evidence to move ahead in the case.

Milbury addressed the media right after saying the incident was just "an unfortunate misunderstanding."

Friday, Friday, charges thrown out on Friday.

I'll admit I'm a little disappointed. Not because I have any ill will toward Milbury -- simply because I wanted to see the shoe from his famed fan attack entered into evidence. I've seen lawyer shows. I know how it goes. (Defense: "objection!"�Prosecution: "It goes to character, your honour.")

Instead, Milbury will have the dream weekend: Christmas with the family and the assault case dismissed.

And here's the good news for you Milbury acolytes out there. You won't have to wait long for his triumphant return. The Herald, again:

When asked when he will be back on the air as a hockey analyst, Milbury said he was saving his voice for "Christmas caroling."

His attorney, Mark Berthiaume, said the magistrate ruled there was no probable cause to take the next step in court.

"Mike and his family are are happy to move on," said Berthiaume. "Mike will be returning to work on the air very, very soon."

One assumes that Milbury's comeback will be unlike Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux's comebacks. Those guys had four points. Milbury very rarely has one, amirite y'all?

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Reporters Notebooks

Andrew Carter and J. Andrew Curliss, Raleigh News & Observer: Coaches' bonuses are one of the most overlooked expenses for teams playing in bowl games. They often make up more than 25% of expenses and it's not uncommon for bonuses...

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Expansion and the MLS Meta

- Jason Davis

In 2011, after Seattle and Philly and Portland and Vancouver and Montreal and the wave that came before them (yes, San Jose counts) and all of the talk of candidates and fees and ownership groups and stadium plans and color schemes and whether names should be "historical" (since 1975!) or "euro" or plain old American city-and-nickname, I'm tired of expansion. Or, rather, I'm not tired of expansion, I'm over it as a major part of Major League Soccer's future, which means I'm over writing about it. Actually, I'm almost certain that my attention has shifted because there are now enough teams and enough stability that MLS has hardened around the edges and has the consistency of a "real" league.

But the expansion talk continues, whether I remain actively engaged or not (my interest, surprisingly, has no bearing on the rolling expansion train or the discussion surrounding it...who knew). The country is big, MLS will continue to be in the growth phase - in one area or fifty - forever, and there is STILL no team in the Southeast. Oh, and MLSHQ continues to publicly covet another franchise in New York, either because they themselves are sick of having to trek over to Jersey to see a game, or...no, that's probably it. I hear the PATH trains are a disaster.

The latest development in the expansion story is that MLS has no immediate plans to grow beyond the 20 clubs the league will have once Montreal joins in 2012 and someone in New York who was lucky enough to have never met Bernie Madoff finds $100 million to invest. This has come as a shock to some because stopping at 20 only makes sense if MLS is A. retaining the balanced schedule (they're not) B. tired of expansion fees (doubtful) or C. convinced that there are no more cities ready for professional soccer (maybe, but unlikely). Suddenly everything we know about MLS 2.0 is threatened by public statements of conservatism. If MLS isn't expanding, what does that mean exactly?

Richard Whittall, the newly minted editor at The Score's Footy Blog and a top bloke, lays it out pretty simply in a manner I might have had I thought to tackle the story first and wasn't tied up doing other things:

First, no more rotating conversation about viable American (or Canadian) soccer markets, so that MLS can deal with working with its existing markets, and shoring up some of the weaker ones. It gives a sense of fixed identity to the league?this is it, for better or for worse. A little familiarity goes a long way, and as Lorne Michaels apparently said once: ?the longer you?re here, the longer you?re here.? Halting expansion seals off MLS and gives the league a sense of permanence.

Richard's point about too much of the coverage of MLS being "meta" is a good one, and although it cuts me personally as this blog was launched to tackle many of the very meta issues he identifies, pushing topics like "who's next" to the periphery is crucial to the graduation of MLS from novelty level to full and tenured member of major professional sports leagues. The sooner MLS can be just about the games, the players, and the coaches (with the occasional distraction of the latest best-small-soccer-stadium-in-the-world opening), the better. Permanence isn't awarded after a certain number of years or teams or even fans is reached; it's an entirely subjective characteristic that only takes hold as a widespread feeling at some indeterminable point when the greater culture finally takes the league's existence for granted. That might require an older generation of sportswriters/editors/talking heads to recede into their retirements where they can't influence an easily manipulated public, or it might just be something that comes when MLS pauses to tidy up the house already built instead of worrying about the next new addition.

Which, judging by the attendance issues in Columbus and Dallas and the (still) unresolved stadium situation in DC (among other things), MLS should do. The NBC TV contract represents an opportunity to buckle down and generate genuine interest in the sport beyond the hardcore locals it has already attracted. Expansion should and must be commensurate with the ability of teams to find and pay for decent talent. That probably means stopping at 20 teams, at least for now.

One less meta issue to bat around and speculate on means less fodder American soccer blogs that can't help themselves. And that's a good thing. MLS still, and probably will for the foreseeable future, feels like more of a counterculture movement than a actual part of the fabric of sport in the United States and Canada. That might give us a greater feeling of solidarity and uniqueness as fans, but it remains a barrier to MLS becoming the legitimate and accepted league it hopes to be.

As long as we're talking about the way the league is run, where it might pop up next, how to pay expensive names to play here, etc., etc. more than we talk about the narratives playing out on the field, MLS won't just be niche, it will feel ephemeral.

--

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AmSoc 86: Mind Your Business

- Jason Davis

Sick of my voice yet? Wait, don't answer that.

Jared and I, in our usual time slot, have a new American Soccer Show for your listening enjoyment.

We hit on our impressions of Klinsmann's debut, address a few of the more notable performances from Wednesday, talking about the good vibes that everyone is buzzing on, and consider the next steps in the next round of friendlies.

We move to the news of Major League Soccer's new TV contact in segment two. I have a chat with Ben Berger of footiebusiness.com before Jared and I flesh out some announcer candidates. We move on to a couple of emails - including the frustrating suggestion that Brek Shea HAS to play in Europe to become a great National Teamer - then chat about all the news swirling around Philly like Freddy Adu's debut and Juan Pablo Angel's potential move.

We close the show talking about Beverly Hills 90210 (guess who brings it up), Chuck Blazer and other things.

Thanks, as always, for listening. Make sure you like and comment at the Facebook page and hit us up on Twitter via the AmSoc account.

Rating and comments in iTunes are always greatly, greatly appreciated.

Visit the show website for other links of interest.






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