“Stratospheric” Offer to Get Things Rolling?

Eto'o's transfer could spur other teams to dip into their warchests

The summer transfer season has yet to really heat up.  Ok, there were two mammoth deals involving two of the three best players in the world and the transfer-record was broken twice in a week.  But that’s really it.  Pretty dull for most of us.

Man City have been most active thus far and it is their pursuit of Samuel Eto’o that could soon catalyze the market into some action (as if the £136 spent by Madrid on Kaka and Ronaldo wasn’t enough).

According to Joan Laporta, Barcelona President, City have presented the Cameroonian striker a “stratospheric” offer which would make him the highest-paid player in the world (before Cristiano Ronaldo’s 1^st annual wage increase).  Laporta conceded that it would be hard for Eto’o to refuse such a “monster” deal, especially as his contract with Barcelona is set to expire in 2010 and the African Cup of Nations will cause him to miss 6 weeks of next season.

If this move goes through (but let’s face it, in this day and age, nobody has any idea of what is really going to happen until pen is put to paper: see the  Cristiano Ronaldo saga of 2008), it could jumpstart the transfer market and provide some much-needed excitement for an otherwise dreary summer (England’s qualifying matches against Andorra and Kazakhstan didn’t quite satisfy the hunger, although the USA’s run to the Confederation’s Cup final was a pleasant surprise).

The deal will also ignite the talks of City breaking into the lionized ‘Top Four’, but that is for a different article.

Click on to see how the Eto’o deal would provide a boost to the transfer market.

USA 2 Spain 0: A Sign of Things to Come?

The USA shocked the footballing world with their 2-0 win over Spain.  The result wasn’t a fluke either.  The team worked hard for the full 90 minutes and thoroughly deserved the victory.

 They clogged the middle, preventing Spain (and Xavi in particular) from their usual inclination to play through the middle, cutting up defenses with their pinpoint passing.  To combat the effects of Torres and Villa, the American defenders showed discipline by playing deep – thus neutralizing the much-hyped duo’s pace.  Finally, they went into the match with the famous American ‘never-say-die attitude’ and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in US sports history (probably only after the miracle on ice).

 This victory was legitimate in every sense of the word and if I were the rest of the world, I’d be a little scared of the Americans.  I wouldn’t be quaking in my boots just yet, but I firmly believe they will win at least one World Cup in our lifetime. 

Click on to vote!

The Tevez Departure

 

 

Will the fans be as sympathetic if he moves to City?

Carlos Tevez could have had it all.  A 5-year deal, a £25.5 million price-tag, and perhaps most importantly – a chance to cement himself as a United legend.  But alas, it was not enough and now the ultimate role-reversal stares him in the face.  Should he join Chelsea or City, he will surely face the wrath of the fans who adored him throughout his 2 year-spell at Old Trafford.   Tevez’s shady 3^rd-party agent, Kia Joorabchian (or something), has come out and said ‘it was never about money’ and ‘the club didn’t give Carlos enough time to think about the deal”.  Here’s something that worries me:  when did people start to trust this guy?  Doesn’t anybody remember who this knucklehead is?

 No, the real reason for his departure was money.  

League of Shadows: Sammy Sosa tested positive for steroids

 

Sammy Sosa tested positive for PEDs in 2003

You can check another one off the list. A New York Times article earlier this week revealed that former Cubs’ slugger Sammy Sosa tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003. Sosa is the latest of many to finally be caught cheating while playing in an era of baseball that will forever have a cloud over it. The positive test comes from a test that was supposed to be kept secret and anonymous, but Sosa was unlucky enough to have his name and test result leaked to the press.

Kobe Bryant Leads Lakers to NBA Title

 

Kobe Bryant celebrates his 4th championship

On Sunday night Kobe Bryant led his Lakers to a decisive 99-86 road victory over the Orlando Magic, and to his ever-so elusive 4th championship. The series victory gives Kobe his 4th championship, and more importantly his 1st without Shaq, something he has been wanting to accomplish since Shaq left.

Boston Massacre: Sox sweep series

 

The Red Sox swept the Yankees and moved to 8-0 against them this season

 

 

As i wrote before in my pre-series article, this was more than just a June series. Last night’s 4-3 Red Sox victory over the pathetic Yankees gave the Sox the series sweep and makes them 8-0 against the Yankees this year.

Ronaldo to Real…Finally. Now What?

This article was originally published on Soccerlens and was reproduced here by the author:chrisutd07

He'll be wearing a different shade of white next season

Last summer, we heard numerous reports that Ronaldo was to move to Madrid.  A deal was in place.  It was definite.  It was going to happen next week.  But then, there was some delay; and the deal would go through the week after that.  It never did.  No matter for the Spanish press, as they continued to rinse and repeat the story.  This is how my summer went.  Then, somewhere in between Calderon telling Rafael Nadal the deal was done and FIFA president Sepp Blatter comparing Ronaldo’s situation to a slave (Yep, this is the guy who is in charge of everything) the only worthwhile piece of news came to my attention.  Fergie went on his rant about how he would never ‘sell that mob a virus’.  That was all I needed to know, nothing else mattered.  I knew from that point on, Ronaldo was staying.  I hardly gave another ‘ Ronaldo to Madrid breaking news report’ my attention again, no matter how intense the rumors, or how foolish I was dubbed by others.

Fast-forward to this summer.  More of the same stories.  Funny how they all originated from Madrid.  Again, I paid little attention to the Spanish press as they had lost all validity in my eyes.  I figured it was going to be another summer of ‘will he, won’t he?’ malarkey.  However, I was always waiting for either David Gill or Sir Alex to come out and deny these new claims as they had done the previous summer.  This never happened.  I should have known this was a sign, as the news became official a few hours ago.  Goodbye Cristiano, and thanks for the memories. 

Why, hello there, £80 million.

The Great Lakes: Huge Victory in Game 4

 

The Lakers showed their strength and resiliency in game 4

The Lakers thrilling 99-91 overtime victory over Orlando in game 4 of the NBA finals tonight puts a dagger in the hearts of the Magic. The Magic controlled the game throughout and held a 10 point lead into the 3rd quarter on  a night where it appeared they would easily win to even the series, but the resiliency of the Lakers pushed the game into overtime and eventually enables them to come out on top.

War of Words Between Rex Ryan and Channing Crowder

This story about a war of words between Jets Coach Rex Ryan and Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder aired recently on Sportscenter and has been getting a lot of media attention. It all started with new Jets head Coach Rex Ryan coming in with his chest out, and head held high talking smack about the Patriots and how the Jets are back, and will be better and tougher than ever. Unprompted, he said his team is not going to be pushed around by the Patriots and Coach Belichick. This led to Dolphins lineback Crowder criticizing Ryan for getting to ahead of himself, and for failing to realize that the ‘AFC East goes through the defending champions in Miami.’

The Call for Video Refereeing (as seen on SOCCERLENS)

This post first appeared on soccerlens, and was reproduced here after its publication by the author: chrisutd07

Embarrassing for Carroll, the officials and the sport

Sports have evolved over time.  They’ve morphed from local clubs into global obsessions.  Whether we like it or not, they’ve become businesses involving 20-something millionaires, multi-million dollar sponsorships, foreign investors, Middle-Eastern Consortiums and lucrative TV deals.  The results of these games (among other things) now have increasingly high monetary consequences, which places more importance on the results than ever before.

In addition, players have become bigger, faster, stronger and more athletic. Most leagues realize this.  To this end, officiating has evolved with their respective sports.  Instant-replay technology is now used in virtually all the major sports around the world.  The NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL use it to varying degrees, but with great success.  Cricket, rugby and tennis have also enjoyed the benefits of using technology to verify or challenge a call.

It’s long overdue for soccer.  FIFA, UEFA, Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini and whoever else needs to come to terms with the fact that the sport is changing.  Therefore, the officiating must change as well.  The sooner, the better.