- Floyd Landis is a cheat and a liar - Well, I am just shocked! Floyd Landis, the disgraced and disqualified 2006 Tour de France bicycle race winner has finally admitted that yes he doped, but NOT for the race he was busted in, just for the rest of his bloody career! Oh, and by the way, Lance Armstrong, George Hincappie and just about every other cyclist does it, which is why he did it in the first place. He only spent 4 years and millions of dollars (much of it raised on his website from fan donations) in a futile attempt to prove his innocence. Now he pulls this stunt. And why? Because, by his own admission, he's broke and the statute of limitations for penalties from his actions has expired. What a hypocrite! This is why the world of sport can make one physically ill. The blatant cynicism, greed and attention-whoring of a significant number of the world's athletes is repulsive, and is not just an American phenomenon. No question, there are a lot of athletes who do an enormous amount of charitable work (Martina Navratilova, Darrell Green, Dikembe Mutumbo and the late Roberto Clemente are just a few who come immediately to mind), but as with a barrel of apples, the rot of a few tarnishes the work of many. It seems a shame that the desperate attempts of a failed con man can distract from the many events going on this spring and summer. Let us move on to...
- The Premiership season has drawn to an end, and as usual I missed my picks for the top of the table. While I got three of the top four sides right (Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal) and the fourth was one of my projected surprise teams (Tottenham Hotspur), with the exception of Arsenal finishing third I missed on the order. Chelsea's title owned much to two factors, the return to form of a number of their older players (notably Didier Drogba and Kolo Toure) and the late season injuries to ManU's Wayne Rooney and that side's general losses to the training room all season. Would a healthy Red Devil side have been strong enough to keep the title away from Chelsea? It's impossible to say, especially given the Blues' excellent form in games against the other contenders, but I would like to think the last several weeks would have had greater suspense than simply watching Liverpool implode. Speaking of the Reds (my other top 4 pick), is it any surprise that they were completely undone by injuries? I worried about that in my preview, and sure enough Gerrard and Torres spent more time in the training room than on the pitch. Combine that with Rafa Benitez's increasingly erratic managerial style, and this was a team perfumed with the stench of decay. Some serious offseason renovations will be necessary to make Liverpool a contender again. On the other end of the table, however, I came up aces. Unfortunately, that wasn't much of an accomplishment, as the demises of Burnley (too little talent) and Portsmouth (no money and too much off-the-field baggage) were clear from day 1, and Hull was clearly the inevitable Phil Brown meltdown away from collapse. West Ham's woeful offense and Wigan's equally dreadful defense made things interesting for a while, but neither was a serious threat to go down. In fact, if you put West Ham's attack with Wigan's defenders, you had.....Burnley! Ugh. With the completion of the Premiership season, we look now to the....
- Champions League Final - If I had said at the beginning of the UEFA Champions League competition that neither Barcelona nor Manchester United/Chelsea would make the finals, I would have been regarded as a leper in a nudist colony. And yet, under the most improbable of circumstances, Saturday's final is Bayern Munich v. Inter Milan. Both are sides that at one point or another appeared to be on the verge of elimination, and yet after each disposed of a major contender (Bayern dumping ManU on Robbins' scintillating score at Old Trafford in the quarterfinals and Inter's stunning dismissal of Barca at the Nou Camp while down a man in the semi's) here we are. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the Bundesliga, which frequently resembles rugby, and I don't trust the Serie A and it's history of bribery and corruption, but both of these sides have advanced on merit. Thus I am hopeful of a quality match. The way I see it, if Bayern can score first, preferably early, then we should be in for an exciting match. However, if Inter can get an early strike, or keep the game scoreless, I can see this being a long, dull affair. As much as I would prefer to see Bayern win, I think that we'll see see that the loss of Frank Ribery will be too great to overcome, and Samual Eto'o will find a way to score against the run of play as Inter wins 1-0. Hopefully I am wrong. The end of this match will lead us right to ...
- The World Cup - I'll have a lot more to say about this in the coming 21 days, so I'll just touch on a few hot buttons. A.) I love Charlie Davies. He leaves everything on the field, he has a nose for goal and an infections love of the game. He also has no business on the US Team. I can't express enough my admiration for his recovery from the near-fatal car accident last fall, or his desire to make the team. But when club and country physios are unanimous that you are not ready to play, then it's not a conspiracy. It's honest concern for a player's well being and future. It's time to put aside the bitterness of not making the side and concentrate on making a full, measured recovery to be able to play your best for Sochaux come August. B.) People are surprised at the omission of Toni, Del Piero and Totti from the Italian side. Really? Why? Because they are well known names and veterans of the Azzuri? Toni was not a serious factor in club play this year, and has shown repeatedly to be a no-show when it comes to international competitions. Del Piero is so far over the hill he can't even see the summit anymore. Totti was at least tied for 6th in goals and for 12th in assists, and an argument could be made on his behalf, but there are number of younger, demonstrably better options to him. Factor in his history of injury, and I'm not surprised in the least at his omission. Though these elder statesmen of Italian football will not be going to South Africa, I am still worried about the age of this squad, especially on defense. While theirs is a middling group, and I can see them progressing, I have trouble seeing them get past Spain in the quarters if they win their group (or past the Netherlands in the round of 16 if they finish 2nd). Keep an eye on Giuseppi Rossi, the American-born forward, who has authored some very classy goal in recent international call-ups. C.)More upset over the Brazilian omissions of Ronaldinho and Adriano. Again, why? Ronaldinho's best days are past him now, and while he still plays at an impressive level for his age, he has been surpassed by other players on Dunga's roster. Especially with Brazil, their goal in every World Cup is to win, and that means there is no room for valedictory tours for older players. That is Ronaldinho's position at this point, and there is no reason to give a roster spot to someone who will not play now OR in the future. Adriano is the football equivalent of Terrell Owens: poison in the clubhouse. Regardless of his skills, he is simply not worth the trouble he causes, and the farther Dunga can keep him from the Selecao, the better for Brazil.
- DC Ughhh, I mean United - Well, I hate to say it, but my favorite club is in desperate straits. Bad defense, zero (and I mean NO) offense, a raft of injuries and a manager who appears out of his depth: this is not what I as a fan expect from MLS' most decorated team. It's hard to know where to start, so we'll start at the top. Owner Will Chang says all the right things, and he's popular with many fans for his accessibility, but really, what has changed? There is still no solution to the stadium problem, and none appears imminent. The team is hemorrhaging money, and is showing a reluctance to spend on players (though it's unclear if that is an ownership or management decision). There is vague talk of the June transfer window, but by the DC may be out of contention, especially given the form of Columbus and New York (I can't believe I just wrote that) in the East. GM Kevin Payne is looking more and more out of his depth, and the club just lost John Maessner, the youth program director that developed young stars Bill Hamid and Andy Najar. The scouting department hasn't produced any players of note other than draft picks Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace last year, and their veteran player acquisition record is abysmal. Manager Curt Onalfo was not productive in Kansas City (from which he was sacked last summer), and has continued that trend with United. Granted, the team has been gutted by injuries to half the roster, but even so, it is only in recent games that the team has even been competitive. The selection of Onalfo was disparaged by many supporters (including myself, who preferred New York assistant Ritchie Williams). If the team continues on it's current path, not only are the playoffs an impossible dream, but Onalfo (and hopefully Payne) will likely face the axe. On the field, things are difficult to evaluate due to the plethora of injuries. The are several bright spots, starting with Bill Hamid in goal, who has sent high priced Troy Perkins to the bench. Though he was the victim of swiss cheese defense, Perkins' seeming loss of confidence and inability to coordinate the defense have made him a mere shadow of what United fans expected. Hamid has made some rookie mistakes, but he clearly has organized a defence that has improved in recent weeks, and has the physical tools that Perkins lacks. Hamid has future star written all over him (the upside is a Tim Howard-like career arc), and I would not be surprised to see European sides looking seriously at him in a year or two. A huge preseason concern, the defense has been in flux all season due in part to major injuries to center backs Dejan Jakovic and Juan Manuel Pena, and outside backs Brian Namoff and Marc Burch. Their replacements have ranged from the disastrous (Julius James, who has no business on an MLS side) to the retreads (Carey Talley) to the stopgaps (Rodney Wallace). Only rookie Jordan Graye has made any kind of positive impression, and he is still very prone to youthful errors. Just as critically, the injury to defensive mid Clyde Simms was disastrous, as there was simply no one to replace him. It's no coincidence that United's defensive improvement began with Simms' return. The midfield has been an absolute black hole, with injuries to Pontius, Najar and Santino Quaranta depriving the team of any creative play (not that any of the injured are the answer to the need for a quality playmaker). Starved of service, the forwards have produced little of consequence, though Adam Christman and Australian international Danny Allsopp are showing signs of a partnership. Still, this team began the season relying on 36-year-old Jaime Moreno for scoring, and recently resigned castoff Luciano Emilio, both desperation moves in my eyes. There is one overriding common denominator for this team: a dreadful lack of team speed. Given the fact that MLS teams still rely as much on physical talent as they do on skill, this is the kiss of death in the league. Worse, there is no easy solution. One or two signings will not turn this side around unless they are Arjen Robben and Carlos Tevez (though being the mercenaries they are, they might consider it for the right price - just kidding!!). It's shaping up as another rough year to be a United fan....Sigh.
- Quick Hits - Wizards get #1 Pick - Good for them. As bad as their last year was (Abe Pollin, dies, the Arenas/Crittenden gun debacle, blowing up the team via trade and finishing out of the NBA playoffs yet again), they deserved a little luck. Here's hoping this pick works out better for them than Kwame Brown.....Redskins Holdout, Moss and more controversy - Their best defensive player (Albert Haynesworth) hates the new coach and won't show up for offseason workouts. Their best returning offensive player (Santana Moss) is now embroiled in a criminal investigation involving performance enhancing drugs. The work ethic of their top draft pick is being questioned by many observers. So, is there any good news about the team. Umm, well, no. Capitals Playoff Debacle - They were the #1 overall team in the NHL regular season, as well as the highest scoring. They boasted a two-time MVP, and three solid offensive and two good defensive lines. The only small , minor niggling concern was goaltending. Hello, Achilles. A combination of a hot goalie (Montreal's) and two who were not (the Caps') and once again, it's an early golf season for the locals. And in the most frustrating way possible, coughing up a 3-2 series lead because the opponents simply played solid, blue collar hockey and outhustled the Caps most of the way. The talent is there, but discipline and grinding are clearly items that must be addressed if the Caps hope to be a factor in the future. Reversal of Fortune, sort of - The Orioles stink. I mean, they are really, really bad. Going to get the manager fired kind of bad. There is some potential in the starting pitching, but the bullpen stinks and and outside of Mets castoff Tye Wigginton, so does the offense. Another high draft pick is in the offing, methinks. 45 miles down I-95, the big news is that the Nationals are competitive as long as Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn are healthy and imitating Mantle and Dimaggio. I don't think that will last much longer, but with pitchers Drew Storen and phenom Steve Strasburg on the horizon, there's a lot to look forward to in Washington. NBA Playoffs - Yawn. It'll be the Lakers and the Celtics for the 4,924th time. Kobe decides he wants another ring more than stats after 3 games, and the Lakers win in 6. Lebron James is still overrated and hasn't won anything of consequence yet. NHL Playoffs - Lost interest after the Capitals gagged their hairball, though the Bruins choke job was even worse. Throwing a dart at the board, let's give it to the Sharks over the Flyers in 5 games. It's sad how much of a niche sport hockey has become since the strike decimated the fan base....Tiger Woods - Yawn. The womanizing is old news (as is his marriage), and he's rusty after 6-months off. He'll be back. Next...Dancing with the Stars - Yes, I watch, and I'm rooting for Erin! Top Chef Season 7 - Starts June16th, and I can't wait. Rooting for Suser Lee on Top Chef Masters (awesomely bizarre surf 'n' turf challenge - duck tongue? geoduck? sea slug aka sea cucumber? - loved the looks on the chef's faces when they saw that assortment!).
Well, I'm headed for carpel tunnel here, so I guess that it's time to wrap this up. I look forward to your comments, and hopefully it won't be 5 months before my next post! Until then,
"Wherever you go, there you are," Buckaroo Banzai
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