With the success so far of Landon Donovan at Everton, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the US men’s national team ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Here is a rundown of how our American players are performing across the sea in Europe.
Goalkeepers
Tim Howard-Everton-English Premier League
Tim Howard has established himself as a top-flight keeper in the Premier Leauge. He is coming off of a season where he set the club record for most league match clean sheets. There has been a bit more of a struggle this season as Howard deals with a pitiful Everton defense, but he is still ranked as the 10th best keeper in the Premier League (by the Premier League itself). He recently captained Everton for the first time ever, in December against Chelsea.
Defenders
Jay DeMerit-Watford-English Premier League
DeMerit has been turning in solid performances as the skipper of the Watford side. He was sidelined for several weeks with an eye injury but is back in the squad and producing, and his side Watford sits in 11th in the Championship.
Oguchi Onyewu-AC Milan-Italian Serie A
Onyewu has been injured with a torn patellar tendon since October, and expects to be back training with Milan by March. It was difficult for him to find playing time before he was injured, and hopefully he can see the field for them and get his form back before June 11 rolls around.
Steve Cherundolo-Hannover 96-German Bundesliga
Cherundolo injured his shoulder at the end of January and will be out for at least all of February.
Carlos Bocanegra-Rennes-French Ligue 1
Bocanegra had a solid campaign last year with Stade Rennes in France, and he saw his playing time dip slightly early in the season. However it appears he has regained his starting spot back recently. He is the captain of choice for Bob Bradley’s men going into South Africa.
Jonathan Spector-West Ham-English Premier League
Spector has been getting a lot of playing time lately as left back for the Clarets after a being an unused substitute for much of December.
Midfielders
Clint Dempsey-Fulham-English Premier League
Dempsey had established himself as one of the best wingers in the Premiership until a knee injury on January 17. Dempsey was even named one of the top 11 players in the Premiership by Italian paper la Gazzetta dello Sport at the end of 2009. Before the injury, Dempsey netted this wonder goal to confirm the Gazzetta’s suspicion that Dempsey is really, really good.
Michael Bradley-Borussia Monchengladbach-German Bundesliga
Bradley has been seeing a lot of the field lately for the mid-table German side, and just this past weekend turned in a man of the match performance in the club’s 2-1 win over FC Nurnberg.
Ricardo Clark-Eintracht Frankfurt-German Bundesliga
Ricardo Clark just signed with Eintracht Frankfurt in January but has not yet played for the club. He needed time to get to top fitness and has recently pulled a muscle in his right leg, delaying his debut further.
Stuart Holden-Bolton-English Premier League
Like Clark, Holden just signed with Bolton in January and has not yet played for the club due to fitness concerns and a thigh strain. Bolton is in need of him as they will be mired in a relegation struggle for the rest of the season.
Benny Feilhaber-Aarhus-Danish Superliga
Feilhaber has recently tweaked an ankle in training for Aarhus (so many injuries…), though he is not expected to miss any action. The Danish Superliga has been on break since early December and Aarhus does not return to action until March 7th, and Feilhaber should see a lot of playing time when action starts up again.
Forwards
Charlie Davies-Sochaux-French Ligue 1
Davies is in the midst of a remarkable recovery since the horrific car accident he was a part of last October. Nobody dared dream that Davies would make it back in time for the World Cup but he has defied the predictions of his doctors so far in his recovery and he is confident he will be healthy in time. Davies provided much-needed spark to the national team and if he can get back to Sochaux before the season is out he will certainly be welcomed back with open arms. The most recent news is that Davies is back in France with Sochaux and hopes to be training within a month, which is fantastic news for all USA fans!
Landon Donovan-Everton-English Premier League
Landon Donovan has been making headlines since his loan deal began with Everton at the beginning of the year. Donovan has turned in great performances against Premier League giants Arsenal, Chelesa, and Manchester City, including an assist against both Arsenal and Chelsea to go with a goal against Sunderland. Even the notoriously hard to please British media has embraced Donovan’s abilities, including a Star Man performance against Chelsea when he was rated an 8 out of 10. This past week Everton supporters voted Donovan player of the month for January. There has been talk of Donovan remaining in the English Premier League on a permanent basis, but Everton captain Phil Neville has said, “"It is what it is, Landon is here for two months and we have just got to accept that and let's just hope we can get him back for another two months next year…He loves living in L.A. and loves playing in the MLS, but we have just got to accept he will not be staying but he has been fantastic for us and let's hope that continues." Clearly Donovan has made an impact in the English Premier League and we can only hope that is an impact that will be felt in South Africa next summer.
Jozy Altidore-Hull City-English Premier League
Altidore has been seeing more of the field for Hull City in the Premier League as of late, starting in their last 7 matches. Altidore scored his first ever EPL goal in a 2-1 win for Hull City over Manchester City on February 6th and his play has been improving all year. It is easy to forget that Jozy is just a 20-year old kid over there (4 months younger than myself) and the performances he has been putting in are really remarkable for a kid his age. He has expressed interest in remaining at Hull beyond his loan deal that expires at the end of the season which would continue the string of solid American play in the Premier League.
Freddy Adu-Aris FC-Greek Super League
While Freddy Adu has seen little of the field for both club and country in the past couple years, he may have found new life at Greek side Aris Thessaloniki. In his first league start for the club he notched a nice game-winning goal and played well in a 2-1 win over Ergotelis.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Olympic Hockey Break Blog Post
Last night, the Blackhawks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in a shootout and I was at a wedding so I did not get to see the game but did catch the score on my phone during the reception. Just by looking at the score I had no idea that Patrick Kane took a hit to the knee and that Troy Brouwer came to the defense of Kane and beat down Anton Stralman. So during my drive back to Iowa City today I had ESPN1000 on and they were talking about the fight and whether or not it was a good move by Brouwer, and I have to say I absolutely agree that it was the right move.
Protecting your star players is unwritten rule #1 in the NHL. Let's go back to the previous night when Marian Hossa took a shot to the head and Kris Versteeg came to his defense. It's something that happens every time a star player is hit, and it's done to send the message that opponents won't get away with relentlessly hitting the stars of a team. When Crosby or Ovechkin take a shot, their teammates are right there to deliver some sort of payback.
The other thing I want to mention about this is the Blue Jackets play-by-play crew had a problem with Brouwer going after Stralman in this game. Here's the quick video:
They of all people should know that this type of thing happens in a hockey game. It's the one sport that allows fighting to settle differences or spats. It's what a lot of fans like about hockey and their opposition to Brouwer protecting a teammate is just wrong because you know they'd be calling for a Blue Jacket to do the same if someone took out Rick Nash like Stralman did to Kane last night.
Protecting your star players is unwritten rule #1 in the NHL. Let's go back to the previous night when Marian Hossa took a shot to the head and Kris Versteeg came to his defense. It's something that happens every time a star player is hit, and it's done to send the message that opponents won't get away with relentlessly hitting the stars of a team. When Crosby or Ovechkin take a shot, their teammates are right there to deliver some sort of payback.
The other thing I want to mention about this is the Blue Jackets play-by-play crew had a problem with Brouwer going after Stralman in this game. Here's the quick video:
They of all people should know that this type of thing happens in a hockey game. It's the one sport that allows fighting to settle differences or spats. It's what a lot of fans like about hockey and their opposition to Brouwer protecting a teammate is just wrong because you know they'd be calling for a Blue Jacket to do the same if someone took out Rick Nash like Stralman did to Kane last night.
With the Olympic break now upon us, I for one am torn about these Olympics. I love the idea of players playing for their country but I,like any fan, have my allegiances to my team and am not the biggest fan of players from the Blackhawks playing games not for the Blackhawks. Hockey is in a similar situation to what baseball is in for the summer games and for as difficult as it is to say, the NHL players shouldn't play in the Olympics every four years. You can call me anti-American all you want, but these players are (or at least should be) loyal to their NHL employer first, not their country. You don't need guys like Hossa and Kane who are battling injuries, to risk injuring themselves even more by playing in the Olympics. This is likely the last year for NHL players to play in the Olympics and I for one am glad to see it.
European Soccer Rankings and Champions League Preview
Welcome to another week of European Soccer Rankings!! Blaine is in the Philippines or something for Chinese New Year, so I am flying solo here.
It was a weekend of FA Cup action in England. There were no massive surprises but there were a couple strong teams forced to a replay. Manchester City was held to a 1-1 draw at home against Stoke, Tottenham was held to a 1-1 draw at Bolton, and Aston Villa was held to a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace. Chelsea defeated Cardiff City 4-1 and Fulham rolled over Notts County 4-0. Other winners included Portsmouth and Birmingham, while West Bromwich-Reading will go to a replay. In Spain, Barcelona suffered their first loss of the season, a surprising 2-1 defeat at 11th place Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid easily handled Xerez 3-0 on the road to pull within just 2 points of leaders Barcelona. Valencia stumbled to a 1-1 defeat at Sporting Gijon while Sevilla won 1-0 at home over Osasuna to pull within 4 points of 3rd place Valencia. As in Spain, the leaders in Italy lost points on the weekend as Inter Milan was held to a 0-0 draw at high-flying Napoli, who is currently in 4th place in Serie A. AC Milan coasted to a 3-2 defeat of Udinese on the heels of a Klaas-Jan Huntelaar brace in a warm-up for the massive mid-week match against Manchester United. AS Roma held onto their second place position with a 4-1 win over Palermo, but they still sit 7 points behind leaders Inter Milan. Sampdoria defeated Fiorentina 2-0 and Juventus secured a thrilling 3-2 win over Genoa in other Serie A action. In Germany the status quo held as Bayer Leverkusen defeated Wolfsburg 2-1 and Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1. Those two squads remain tied atop the Bundesliga table with 48 points from 22 games. Schalke 04 remained 3 points behind the leaders with their 2-0 win at home against FC Cologne. Hamburg rolled to an impressive 3-1 at Stuttgart to remain in the hunt for a Champions League spot. In France, leaders Bordeaux rolled to a 3-1 win against St. Etienne on the back of a Wendel brace. Montpellier stretched their win streak to 4 games with a 1-0 win at home against Grenoble to remain within 3 points of the leaders. Lille, Lyon, Marseille, and AJ Auxerre all won as well, incredibly giving the top 6 in France a win for the weekend. In Scotland, Rangers took advantage of Celtic’s 4-4 draw by defeating Hibernian 3-0 to take a 10 point lead in the table, effectively ending the race in Scotland this season. Twente Enschede, Ajax Amsterdam, and PSV Eindhoven were all victorious for the weekend, albeit only by a combined 4 goals.
And here are the rankings:
Rank Team Country Points
1. Barcelona (Esp) 25
2. Real Madrid (Esp) 24
3. Chelsea (Eng) 23
4. Manchester United (Eng) 22
5. Inter Milan (Ita) 21
6. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 20
7. Bayern Munich (Ger) 19
8. AC Milan (Ita) 18
9. Arsenal (Eng) 17
10. AS Roma (Ita) 16
11. Schalke 04 (Ger) 15
12. Bordeaux (Ita) 14
13. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 13
14. Valencia (Esp) 12
15. Manchester City (Eng) 11
16. Benfica (Por) 10
17. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 9
18. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 8
19. Montpellier (Fra) 7
20. Aston Villa (Eng) 6
21. Lyon (Fra) 5
22. Braga (Por) 4
23. Twente Enschede (Ned) 3
24. Sevilla (Esp) 2
25. Liverpool (Eng) 1
Also Receiving Votes: None
Next five in for Tom, in order of how good I think they are: Mallorca (Esp), Napoli (Ita), FK Rubin Kazan (Rus), Lille (Fra), FC Porto (Por)
Champions League Preview
It is finally time for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League! It will be held over 4 weeks this time around instead of 2 weeks, which means we just get more weeks with some tasty European matches. All times are 14:45 ET, and the home team is listed first. Return legs will be played March 9-17.
Tuesday, February 16
(8) AC Milan v (4) Manchester United
David Beckham faces off with his old team Manchester United in a match-up of two of the strongest teams in Europe.
(21) Lyon v (2) Real Madrid
Lyon will look to compensate for a somewhat dissappointing domestic campaign by taking on the giants of Europe in Real Madrid.
Wednesday, February 17
(7) Bayern Munich v Fiorentina
These are two teams going in opposite directions in their domestic campaigns. Bayern Munich has been skyrocketing in the table while Fiorentina has been plummeting.
FC Porto v (9) Arsenal
FC Porto had no luck against English side Chelsea in the group stage, and will need a lot of luck to get past Arsenal in the knockout stages.
Tuesday, February 23
Olympiakos v (12) Bordeaux
Olympiakos got through to the knockout stages by virtue of a somewhat weak group and will have to work hard to take down high-flying Bordeaux, who has been dominant in both the league and in Europe this season.
Stuttgart v (1) Barcelona
Stuttgart is floundering in the middle of the Bundesliga table, so this match-up could define their entire season. Continuation in the tournament for Stuttgart would be stunning.
Tuesday, February 24
CSKA Moscow v (24) Sevilla FC
CSKA Moscow is back in action after a very long lay-off as Russia runs a summer league. It will be interesting to see what kind of form they are in and if they can pull off a minor upset against Sevilla.
(5) Inter Milan v (3) Chelsea
The leaders in Italy face off with the leaders in England. Jose Mourinho will look to haunt his former employer.
Europa League Preview
The Europa League will be heating up the next two weeks as the Round of 32 plays out. First legs will be played on February 18 (Everton-Sporting Lisbon on the 16th) and second legs will be played on February 25 (Benfica-Hertha Berlin on the 23rd). Home team in the first leg is listed first.
Everton v Sporting Lisbon
(18) Ajax Amsterdam v Juventus
Club Brugge v (14) Valencia
FK Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Lille v Fenerbahce
Standard Liege v SV Salzburg
(23) Twente Enschede v Werder Bremen
Villarreal v VfL Wolfsburg
Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht
Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray
FC Copenhagen v Marseille
Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk
Hamburg SV v (13) PSV Eindhoven
Hertha Berlin v (16) Benfica
(25) Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni
Panathinaikos v (10) AS Roma
It was a weekend of FA Cup action in England. There were no massive surprises but there were a couple strong teams forced to a replay. Manchester City was held to a 1-1 draw at home against Stoke, Tottenham was held to a 1-1 draw at Bolton, and Aston Villa was held to a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace. Chelsea defeated Cardiff City 4-1 and Fulham rolled over Notts County 4-0. Other winners included Portsmouth and Birmingham, while West Bromwich-Reading will go to a replay. In Spain, Barcelona suffered their first loss of the season, a surprising 2-1 defeat at 11th place Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid easily handled Xerez 3-0 on the road to pull within just 2 points of leaders Barcelona. Valencia stumbled to a 1-1 defeat at Sporting Gijon while Sevilla won 1-0 at home over Osasuna to pull within 4 points of 3rd place Valencia. As in Spain, the leaders in Italy lost points on the weekend as Inter Milan was held to a 0-0 draw at high-flying Napoli, who is currently in 4th place in Serie A. AC Milan coasted to a 3-2 defeat of Udinese on the heels of a Klaas-Jan Huntelaar brace in a warm-up for the massive mid-week match against Manchester United. AS Roma held onto their second place position with a 4-1 win over Palermo, but they still sit 7 points behind leaders Inter Milan. Sampdoria defeated Fiorentina 2-0 and Juventus secured a thrilling 3-2 win over Genoa in other Serie A action. In Germany the status quo held as Bayer Leverkusen defeated Wolfsburg 2-1 and Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1. Those two squads remain tied atop the Bundesliga table with 48 points from 22 games. Schalke 04 remained 3 points behind the leaders with their 2-0 win at home against FC Cologne. Hamburg rolled to an impressive 3-1 at Stuttgart to remain in the hunt for a Champions League spot. In France, leaders Bordeaux rolled to a 3-1 win against St. Etienne on the back of a Wendel brace. Montpellier stretched their win streak to 4 games with a 1-0 win at home against Grenoble to remain within 3 points of the leaders. Lille, Lyon, Marseille, and AJ Auxerre all won as well, incredibly giving the top 6 in France a win for the weekend. In Scotland, Rangers took advantage of Celtic’s 4-4 draw by defeating Hibernian 3-0 to take a 10 point lead in the table, effectively ending the race in Scotland this season. Twente Enschede, Ajax Amsterdam, and PSV Eindhoven were all victorious for the weekend, albeit only by a combined 4 goals.
And here are the rankings:
Rank Team Country Points
1. Barcelona (Esp) 25
2. Real Madrid (Esp) 24
3. Chelsea (Eng) 23
4. Manchester United (Eng) 22
5. Inter Milan (Ita) 21
6. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 20
7. Bayern Munich (Ger) 19
8. AC Milan (Ita) 18
9. Arsenal (Eng) 17
10. AS Roma (Ita) 16
11. Schalke 04 (Ger) 15
12. Bordeaux (Ita) 14
13. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 13
14. Valencia (Esp) 12
15. Manchester City (Eng) 11
16. Benfica (Por) 10
17. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 9
18. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 8
19. Montpellier (Fra) 7
20. Aston Villa (Eng) 6
21. Lyon (Fra) 5
22. Braga (Por) 4
23. Twente Enschede (Ned) 3
24. Sevilla (Esp) 2
25. Liverpool (Eng) 1
Also Receiving Votes: None
Next five in for Tom, in order of how good I think they are: Mallorca (Esp), Napoli (Ita), FK Rubin Kazan (Rus), Lille (Fra), FC Porto (Por)
Champions League Preview
It is finally time for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League! It will be held over 4 weeks this time around instead of 2 weeks, which means we just get more weeks with some tasty European matches. All times are 14:45 ET, and the home team is listed first. Return legs will be played March 9-17.
Tuesday, February 16
(8) AC Milan v (4) Manchester United
David Beckham faces off with his old team Manchester United in a match-up of two of the strongest teams in Europe.
(21) Lyon v (2) Real Madrid
Lyon will look to compensate for a somewhat dissappointing domestic campaign by taking on the giants of Europe in Real Madrid.
Wednesday, February 17
(7) Bayern Munich v Fiorentina
These are two teams going in opposite directions in their domestic campaigns. Bayern Munich has been skyrocketing in the table while Fiorentina has been plummeting.
FC Porto v (9) Arsenal
FC Porto had no luck against English side Chelsea in the group stage, and will need a lot of luck to get past Arsenal in the knockout stages.
Tuesday, February 23
Olympiakos v (12) Bordeaux
Olympiakos got through to the knockout stages by virtue of a somewhat weak group and will have to work hard to take down high-flying Bordeaux, who has been dominant in both the league and in Europe this season.
Stuttgart v (1) Barcelona
Stuttgart is floundering in the middle of the Bundesliga table, so this match-up could define their entire season. Continuation in the tournament for Stuttgart would be stunning.
Tuesday, February 24
CSKA Moscow v (24) Sevilla FC
CSKA Moscow is back in action after a very long lay-off as Russia runs a summer league. It will be interesting to see what kind of form they are in and if they can pull off a minor upset against Sevilla.
(5) Inter Milan v (3) Chelsea
The leaders in Italy face off with the leaders in England. Jose Mourinho will look to haunt his former employer.
Europa League Preview
The Europa League will be heating up the next two weeks as the Round of 32 plays out. First legs will be played on February 18 (Everton-Sporting Lisbon on the 16th) and second legs will be played on February 25 (Benfica-Hertha Berlin on the 23rd). Home team in the first leg is listed first.
Everton v Sporting Lisbon
(18) Ajax Amsterdam v Juventus
Club Brugge v (14) Valencia
FK Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Lille v Fenerbahce
Standard Liege v SV Salzburg
(23) Twente Enschede v Werder Bremen
Villarreal v VfL Wolfsburg
Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht
Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray
FC Copenhagen v Marseille
Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk
Hamburg SV v (13) PSV Eindhoven
Hertha Berlin v (16) Benfica
(25) Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni
Panathinaikos v (10) AS Roma
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Big Hurt Calls it a Career
(Baseball Evolution)Frank Thomas is being honored with a Lifetime Achievement award on Comcast SportsNet tonight and it just so happens that he is officially retiring from the game of baseball as well. I wanted to use this space to just congratulate the man who I looked up to while he played in Chicago and finished his career in Oakland and Toronto. 2005 was the greatest year for Sox fans, and even though Frank didn't play much when he did he left me with a lot of great memories. He had an OPS of .905 in just 34 games, slugged .590 and hit 12 home runs in that limited time. He has back-to-back MVPs (he should have a third but some cheater named Giambi roided his way to the 2000 MVP), a batting title, a 5 time all-star, and 4 silver sluggers. He's 15th all-time in OPS, 18th All-Time in home runs, and 22nd All-Time in RBIs.
Frank Thomas is a first ballot Hall of Famer and should be commended for playing the game PED-free. Thank you Frank for being a great hitter and getting me interested in not only the White Sox, but the game of baseball. Anyone up for a roadtrip to Cooperstown around say 2014? Here's to you Frank, you were to me what Michael Jordan was and is to so many people. I'd stop what I was doing just to see what you would do in your next at bat. You were the epitome of what the White Sox stand for, underrated greatness, the hype is never there nationally but my god you just did your work day in and day out and it was for the pure love of the game, not the notoriety. Enjoy retirement Big Frank, and thank you again for all you gave me as a baseball and White Sox fan.
(MITAdmissions.org)Texas to the Big Ten?
Reports today say that the Big Ten have had discussions with the University of Texas joining the conference. Now when I read this I was at first really excited at the idea of having a powerhouse of a school like Texas join the Big Ten, but I have been going back and forth on this all day. It obviously makes a ton of sense for the Big Ten because Texas' athletic department is such a money maker, and it would increase Big Ten Network viewership drastically which would bring in more TV revenue for all the schools, and it gives the Big Ten the conference championship game they have been looking for in football. There is no need to really look at this from the Big Ten's point of view because it makes almost perfect sense. What needs to be looked at is why would Texas leave the situation it is in with the Big 12 where they are the dominant program or top program in the two revenue generating sports of football and basketball?
The first reason and probably largest reason is money. Yes, Texas earns a lot of money through its athletic department, but we're talking TV money. Big Ten schools earned almost double what Texas earned in TV revenue in the last year and that's in large part to the Big Ten Network. For as much as sports fans don't want to admit it, sports are becoming more and more like big business everyday where money is slowly becoming more important than winning and losing to some schools. So if the invitation is out there why wouldn't Texas want to jump ship and join a new conference where they can earn almost twice as much as they are currently earning and also add to that TV revenue for all the other schools.
The next reason is location. Texas is not a midwestern state so traveling to contests for all sports, not just football and basketball would be difficult. The trip to Iowa City for example would be 1,042 miles and that would be one of the shorter trips for Texas. When you have students on your teams whose first priority should be school, you're asking a lot of them to travel thousands of miles for one contest at a time and that's something Texas I am sure is looking at.
Another reason is the fact that there are rumors of other Big 12 schools jumping ship for other conferences. Colorado for example is rumored to be interested in joining the Pac-10 and there have been the rumors of Missouri to the Big Ten as well. So it would make sense for Texas to leave now rather than waiting back and being left with a poached conference.
My last reason is rivalries. Texas, like many other schools has their share of rivalries and none of those rivalries currently reside in the Big Ten. Games with Oklahoma and Texas A&M are rivalries that would have to be played out of conference and in the day and age of scheduling cupcakes, this probably isn't something Texas is wanting to do. My solution is simple, bring Texas A&M with to the Big Ten and throw Texas Tech in there as well. This way the Big Ten gets 14 teams (2 divisions of 7 teams) and Texas can now just worry about keeping Oklahoma on the non-conference schedule and can still schedule three terrible high schools to play.
Texas is probably the most realistic shot the Big Ten has at landing a powerhouse school if they are serious about expansion. They could go the route of adding 4 smaller schools, but when that big prize is out there, you have to at least make an attempt at it.
The first reason and probably largest reason is money. Yes, Texas earns a lot of money through its athletic department, but we're talking TV money. Big Ten schools earned almost double what Texas earned in TV revenue in the last year and that's in large part to the Big Ten Network. For as much as sports fans don't want to admit it, sports are becoming more and more like big business everyday where money is slowly becoming more important than winning and losing to some schools. So if the invitation is out there why wouldn't Texas want to jump ship and join a new conference where they can earn almost twice as much as they are currently earning and also add to that TV revenue for all the other schools.
The next reason is location. Texas is not a midwestern state so traveling to contests for all sports, not just football and basketball would be difficult. The trip to Iowa City for example would be 1,042 miles and that would be one of the shorter trips for Texas. When you have students on your teams whose first priority should be school, you're asking a lot of them to travel thousands of miles for one contest at a time and that's something Texas I am sure is looking at.
Another reason is the fact that there are rumors of other Big 12 schools jumping ship for other conferences. Colorado for example is rumored to be interested in joining the Pac-10 and there have been the rumors of Missouri to the Big Ten as well. So it would make sense for Texas to leave now rather than waiting back and being left with a poached conference.
My last reason is rivalries. Texas, like many other schools has their share of rivalries and none of those rivalries currently reside in the Big Ten. Games with Oklahoma and Texas A&M are rivalries that would have to be played out of conference and in the day and age of scheduling cupcakes, this probably isn't something Texas is wanting to do. My solution is simple, bring Texas A&M with to the Big Ten and throw Texas Tech in there as well. This way the Big Ten gets 14 teams (2 divisions of 7 teams) and Texas can now just worry about keeping Oklahoma on the non-conference schedule and can still schedule three terrible high schools to play.
Texas is probably the most realistic shot the Big Ten has at landing a powerhouse school if they are serious about expansion. They could go the route of adding 4 smaller schools, but when that big prize is out there, you have to at least make an attempt at it.
Weekend Soccer Preview
First off, I owe everyone an apology for no rankings last weekend! That pesky little thing called school once again reared its ugly head and I was slightly under the weather. I have modified the most recent rankings slightly to reflect the games of the past weekend and mid-week. They are what I predict would have been the rankings had we done them!
Like I said, these are somewhat thrown-together rankings. There were an incredible amount of losses in the top 30+ so it is near impossible to decide who deserves to be ranked.
Game of the Week
14:45 ET Sunday
(23) Napoli v (5) Inter Milan
This is the only match up between ranked teams this week in European football. Inter Milan effectively has a choke hold on Serie A, with a 9 point lead over second place AS Roma, and a 15 point lead over Napoli, who sits in 4th place. This is still an important match for Napoli because while they have no hope of taking part in the title race, they will want to remain in a Champions League spot. This would finish the incredible rise of Napoli, who was in Serie C as recently as 2006. Still, this will be a tough task for Napoli. Inter Milan has not lost since a 2-1 defeat at Juventus on December 5.
Big Games in Small Leagues
10:00 ET Saturday (English Conference)
Rushden & Diamonds v Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Borough is currently on top of the Conference with 63 points. Rushden and Diamonds are 11 points back in third with a game in hand. The Conference is the highest non-league level in English football, so promotion from this level is very prestigious for these teams. The first place team is automatically promoted while the second through fifth placed teams compete in a playoff for promotion. This game is vital for both squads as they look to become a part of the Football League in England.
14:30 ET Sunday (Belgian Jupiler League)
KAA Gent v Club Brugge
KAA Gent and Club Brugge are in a battle for the second Champions League spot out of Belgium. Anderlecht is solidly in first place, 8 points ahead of second-place Club Brugge and 13 points ahead of third-place Gent. A win for Gent would pull them within two points of Brugge and the lucrative second Champions League spot, while a win for Brugge would go a long way to ensuring their spot in Europe's premier club competition. In the first meeting of the season, Club Brugge came away with a 1-0 at home over KAA Gent.
England’s FA Cup (Round 5)
7:00 ET Saturday
(2) Chelsea v Cardiff City
7:30 ET Saturday
Southhampton v Portsmouth
10:00 ET Saturday
Derby County v Birmingham
Reading v West Ham
12:15 ET Saturday
(12) Manchester City v Stoke City
8:30 ET Sunday
Bolton Wanderers v (15) Tottenham Hotspur
10:00 ET Sunday
Fulham v Notts County
10:45 ET Sunday
Crystal Palace v (20) Aston Villa
Scottish Premier League
7:30 ET Saturday
Aberdeen v Celtic
8:30 ET Sunday
Rangers v Hibernian
Spain’s La Liga
12:00 ET Saturday
Sporting Gijon v (11) Valencia
14:00 ET Saturday
Xerex v (3) Real Madrid
16:00 ET Saturday
Villarreal v Athletic Bilbao
11:00 ET Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo La Coruna
13:00 ET Sunday
Sevilla FC v Osasuna
15:00 ET Sunday
Atletico Madrid v (1) Barcelona
15:00 ET Monday
Tenerife v (22) Mallorca
Italy’s Serie A
14:45 ET Friday
(6) AC Milan v Udinese
12:00 ET Saturday
(13) AS Roma v Palermo
14:45 ET Saturday
Sampdoria v Fiorentina
9:00 ET Sunday
Juventus v Genoa
Parma v Lazio
14:45 ET Sunday
(23) Napoli v (5) Inter Milan
German Bundesliga
9:30 ET Saturday
(10) Bayer Leverkusen v Wolfsburg
Hannover 96 v Werder Bremen
Stuttgart v Hamburg SV
12:30 ET Saturday
(7) Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund
9:30 ET Sunday
(19) Schalke 04 v FC Cologne
France’s Ligue 1
13:00 ET Saturday
AS Monaco v Marseille
Lille v Boulogne
(24) Montpellier v Grenoble
15:00 ET Saturday
Lyon v Lens
15:00 ET Sunday
(9) Bordeaux v St. Etienne
Dutch Eredivisie
12:45 ET Saturday
Vitesse Arnhem v (18) Twente Enschede
13:45 ET Saturday
Heerenveen v (17) Ajax Amsterdam
14:45 ET Saturday
AZ Alkmaar v Roda JC Kerkrade
8:30 ET Sunday
SC Heracles Almelo v (16) PSV Eindhoven
Portuguese Liga15:15 ET Friday
Pacos de Ferreira v Sporting Lisbon
12:00 ET Saturday
(21) Benfica v Beleneses
16:15 ET Saturday
Leixoes v FC Porto
13:00 ET Sunday
Braga v Maritimo
Turkish Super League
12:00 ET Saturday
Gaziantepspor v Besiktas
12:00 ET Sunday
Manisaspor v Fenerbahce
Greek Super League
9:45 ET Sunday
Panathinaikos v Kavala
12:00 ET Sunday
Asteras Tripoli v Olympiakos
Belgian Jupiler League
12:00 ET Saturday
Royal Charleroi SC v Anderlecht
12:00 ET Sunday
Standard Liege v KVC Westerlo
14:30 ET Sunday
KAA Gent v Club Brugge
Austrian Bundesliga
12:00 ET Saturday
Austria Vienna v Kapfenberg SV
SV Josko Ried v SV Salzburg
9:30 ET Sunday
FC Karnten v SK Sturm Graz
Swiss Super League
11:45 ET Saturday
Young Boys v Lucerne
10:00 ET Sunday
FC Sion Sitten v FC Zurich
Neuchatel Xamax v FC Basel
| 1. Barcelona | 2. Chelsea | 3. Real Madrid | 4. Manchester United | 5. Inter Milan |
| 6. AC Milan | 7. Bayern Munich | 8. Arsenal | 9. Bordeaux | 10. Bayer Leverkusen |
| 11. Valencia | 12. Manchester City | 13. AS Roma | 14. Liverpool | 15. Tottenham Hotspur |
| 16. PSV Eindhoven | 17. Ajax Amsterdam | 18. Twente Enschede | 19. Schalke 04 | 20. Aston Villa |
| 21. Benfica | 22. Mallorca | 23. Napoli | 24. Montpellier | 25. Landon Donovan |
Like I said, these are somewhat thrown-together rankings. There were an incredible amount of losses in the top 30+ so it is near impossible to decide who deserves to be ranked.
Game of the Week
14:45 ET Sunday
(23) Napoli v (5) Inter Milan
This is the only match up between ranked teams this week in European football. Inter Milan effectively has a choke hold on Serie A, with a 9 point lead over second place AS Roma, and a 15 point lead over Napoli, who sits in 4th place. This is still an important match for Napoli because while they have no hope of taking part in the title race, they will want to remain in a Champions League spot. This would finish the incredible rise of Napoli, who was in Serie C as recently as 2006. Still, this will be a tough task for Napoli. Inter Milan has not lost since a 2-1 defeat at Juventus on December 5.
Big Games in Small Leagues
10:00 ET Saturday (English Conference)
Rushden & Diamonds v Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Borough is currently on top of the Conference with 63 points. Rushden and Diamonds are 11 points back in third with a game in hand. The Conference is the highest non-league level in English football, so promotion from this level is very prestigious for these teams. The first place team is automatically promoted while the second through fifth placed teams compete in a playoff for promotion. This game is vital for both squads as they look to become a part of the Football League in England.
14:30 ET Sunday (Belgian Jupiler League)
KAA Gent v Club Brugge
KAA Gent and Club Brugge are in a battle for the second Champions League spot out of Belgium. Anderlecht is solidly in first place, 8 points ahead of second-place Club Brugge and 13 points ahead of third-place Gent. A win for Gent would pull them within two points of Brugge and the lucrative second Champions League spot, while a win for Brugge would go a long way to ensuring their spot in Europe's premier club competition. In the first meeting of the season, Club Brugge came away with a 1-0 at home over KAA Gent.
England’s FA Cup (Round 5)
7:00 ET Saturday
(2) Chelsea v Cardiff City
7:30 ET Saturday
Southhampton v Portsmouth
10:00 ET Saturday
Derby County v Birmingham
Reading v West Ham
12:15 ET Saturday
(12) Manchester City v Stoke City
8:30 ET Sunday
Bolton Wanderers v (15) Tottenham Hotspur
10:00 ET Sunday
Fulham v Notts County
10:45 ET Sunday
Crystal Palace v (20) Aston Villa
Scottish Premier League
7:30 ET Saturday
Aberdeen v Celtic
8:30 ET Sunday
Rangers v Hibernian
Spain’s La Liga
12:00 ET Saturday
Sporting Gijon v (11) Valencia
14:00 ET Saturday
Xerex v (3) Real Madrid
16:00 ET Saturday
Villarreal v Athletic Bilbao
11:00 ET Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo La Coruna
13:00 ET Sunday
Sevilla FC v Osasuna
15:00 ET Sunday
Atletico Madrid v (1) Barcelona
15:00 ET Monday
Tenerife v (22) Mallorca
Italy’s Serie A
14:45 ET Friday
(6) AC Milan v Udinese
12:00 ET Saturday
(13) AS Roma v Palermo
14:45 ET Saturday
Sampdoria v Fiorentina
9:00 ET Sunday
Juventus v Genoa
Parma v Lazio
14:45 ET Sunday
(23) Napoli v (5) Inter Milan
German Bundesliga
9:30 ET Saturday
(10) Bayer Leverkusen v Wolfsburg
Hannover 96 v Werder Bremen
Stuttgart v Hamburg SV
12:30 ET Saturday
(7) Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund
9:30 ET Sunday
(19) Schalke 04 v FC Cologne
France’s Ligue 1
13:00 ET Saturday
AS Monaco v Marseille
Lille v Boulogne
(24) Montpellier v Grenoble
15:00 ET Saturday
Lyon v Lens
15:00 ET Sunday
(9) Bordeaux v St. Etienne
Dutch Eredivisie
12:45 ET Saturday
Vitesse Arnhem v (18) Twente Enschede
13:45 ET Saturday
Heerenveen v (17) Ajax Amsterdam
14:45 ET Saturday
AZ Alkmaar v Roda JC Kerkrade
8:30 ET Sunday
SC Heracles Almelo v (16) PSV Eindhoven
Portuguese Liga15:15 ET Friday
Pacos de Ferreira v Sporting Lisbon
12:00 ET Saturday
(21) Benfica v Beleneses
16:15 ET Saturday
Leixoes v FC Porto
13:00 ET Sunday
Braga v Maritimo
Turkish Super League
12:00 ET Saturday
Gaziantepspor v Besiktas
12:00 ET Sunday
Manisaspor v Fenerbahce
Greek Super League
9:45 ET Sunday
Panathinaikos v Kavala
12:00 ET Sunday
Asteras Tripoli v Olympiakos
Belgian Jupiler League
12:00 ET Saturday
Royal Charleroi SC v Anderlecht
12:00 ET Sunday
Standard Liege v KVC Westerlo
14:30 ET Sunday
KAA Gent v Club Brugge
Austrian Bundesliga
12:00 ET Saturday
Austria Vienna v Kapfenberg SV
SV Josko Ried v SV Salzburg
9:30 ET Sunday
FC Karnten v SK Sturm Graz
Swiss Super League
11:45 ET Saturday
Young Boys v Lucerne
10:00 ET Sunday
FC Sion Sitten v FC Zurich
Neuchatel Xamax v FC Basel
Monday, February 8, 2010
Super Bowl Observations
With the Super Bowl yesterday, we of course have been bombarded with Super Bowl reaction from sports outlets around the country. There are a few things that have been said today that I want to take a little look into.
Peyton Manning's legacy was at stake last night. Now if this was Brett Favre I could see why people keep talking about it, but this is Peyton Manning, the guy isn't debating whether or not he is retiring. This game has no impact on his legacy unless he never gets back to the Super Bowl again. Yes he's 9-9 in the playoffs, but guess what, he'll likely be back there again next year and will likely improve that record next year in the process. To debate a man's legacy when he still in the process of playing is a little ridiculous. Yes the man lost the Super Bowl, but to compare him to Greg Maddux and the Braves at this point is ridiculous.
The Saints winning the Super Bowl is great for the city of New Orleans. Yes, when a sports team wins a championship the city goes bonkers and celebrates their accomplishment for a while. And yes, New Orleans will likely party a little harder than most cities do when their team wins a championship. But to say that a Super Bowl will help rebuild a city devastated from a hurricane is ludicrous. Sports is great because it allows us as fans to escape reality for three hours or however long a contest lasts, but the truth is, people have to return to reality and sports can't fix a destroyed city.
Sean Payton has incredibly large cajones. Everyone is talking about Payton's guts for deciding on the onside kick to start the second half of the game. I still am in disbelief at the decision, but am believing that it was the absolute right call. Peyton Manning is going to probably score no matter where he starts with the ball, so why not risk it and if you don't get it then the Colts have a short field and won't take as much of time off the clock as they would if they were starting at their 30 yard line. I kept watching the game last night thinking, man I wish the Bears had a coach like Sean Payton, his intensity, smarts, and cajones are something every coach should have.
You might have seen my top 3 commercials from last night but I want to give another shout out to the ETrade babies commercial. The Milkaholic was genius, but was I the only one thinking that if they used a black baby instead, we would have seen a lot of jokes and references to Tiger Woods? Think about it.
Now football is officially over (though we won't know it by watching ESPN where they're about ready to start Brett Favre watch 2010) baseball will start to heat up, only 12 days until Spring Training starts for my White Sox and it's one of the best days of the year in my life.
Peyton Manning's legacy was at stake last night. Now if this was Brett Favre I could see why people keep talking about it, but this is Peyton Manning, the guy isn't debating whether or not he is retiring. This game has no impact on his legacy unless he never gets back to the Super Bowl again. Yes he's 9-9 in the playoffs, but guess what, he'll likely be back there again next year and will likely improve that record next year in the process. To debate a man's legacy when he still in the process of playing is a little ridiculous. Yes the man lost the Super Bowl, but to compare him to Greg Maddux and the Braves at this point is ridiculous.
The Saints winning the Super Bowl is great for the city of New Orleans. Yes, when a sports team wins a championship the city goes bonkers and celebrates their accomplishment for a while. And yes, New Orleans will likely party a little harder than most cities do when their team wins a championship. But to say that a Super Bowl will help rebuild a city devastated from a hurricane is ludicrous. Sports is great because it allows us as fans to escape reality for three hours or however long a contest lasts, but the truth is, people have to return to reality and sports can't fix a destroyed city.
Sean Payton has incredibly large cajones. Everyone is talking about Payton's guts for deciding on the onside kick to start the second half of the game. I still am in disbelief at the decision, but am believing that it was the absolute right call. Peyton Manning is going to probably score no matter where he starts with the ball, so why not risk it and if you don't get it then the Colts have a short field and won't take as much of time off the clock as they would if they were starting at their 30 yard line. I kept watching the game last night thinking, man I wish the Bears had a coach like Sean Payton, his intensity, smarts, and cajones are something every coach should have.
You might have seen my top 3 commercials from last night but I want to give another shout out to the ETrade babies commercial. The Milkaholic was genius, but was I the only one thinking that if they used a black baby instead, we would have seen a lot of jokes and references to Tiger Woods? Think about it.
Now football is officially over (though we won't know it by watching ESPN where they're about ready to start Brett Favre watch 2010) baseball will start to heat up, only 12 days until Spring Training starts for my White Sox and it's one of the best days of the year in my life.
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