The Wide World Of Sports

I know this is predominantly a soccer blog, but there are just a ton of things in the sports world I want to comment on this week. However, we will start with the beautiful game;

1. Beckham - Whether you like the guy or not, the injury sucks. Sucks for England, sucks for the World Cup, sucks for MLS, and sucks for the L.A. Galaxy, whose fans won't be seeing the above player anytime soon. An achilles injury, especially at his age, is going to be awfully hard to come back from. If you remember when it happened to Dan Marino, it was more than a year before he was ALMOST back to normal. Granted, medical technology has improved in the past 20 years, but the human body can only improve but so quickly from such a devastating injury. Isn't it weird how some of the worst injuries in sports happen during simple things like running or shifting your weight? Regardless, all the best to the guy as he goes through what is going to be some painful rehab on his part. As an anecdote, when I posted on my facebook page about the unfortunate injury, one of my non-soccer female friends asked "but he can still pose for magazines, right?"

2. Real Madrid - That giant sucking sound you hear is all of Madrid's money going down the tubes after yet another dismal Champions League campaign. Is it just me, or can you compare Madrid's failures to those of the Washington Redskins? You spend a ton of money on whom you perceive to be the best players, but then you forget the single biggest reason for success: chemistry. If you don't have it, and you can't create it, you are bound to fail. Madrid has, time and again over the past several years. Yes, they've won a La Liga title or 2 (which is quite an accomplishment), but for the high payroll this team puts out every year, you know the fans and management expect better. At least the Redskins, with their new management scheme, seem to have a better grasp on what it takes to win, however:

3. Redskins sign Larry Johnson - Well, at least they didn't break the bank to bring in some overhyped and overpriced guys who won't be productive. They've been smart in what they've done so far. I do question bringing in Johnson, though. Let's face it; he's not a poster child for community relations. He likes to beat women; it's been proven. He's a bad teammate; it's been proven. So you pair with him another "me first" guy in Clinton Portis? Should be interesting to see when they decide to stop speaking to each other and lobby to get the other one thrown out of town. However, there is scientific proof that 2 negatives form a positive. Should be interesting to see if that's the case in DC. If not, it will be the first real test of the Mike Shanhan/Bruce Allen regime.

4. Alex Ovechkin suspended 2 games - Come on! Even notorious Ovie-basher Mike Milbury said during the Caps/Blackhawks game on Sunday that the hit was legal and no cause for Alex to be ejected. He then went on to make his case that the league is getting away from the nature of hockey, which is defined by big hits (not dirty ones) and some occasional rough play. He used Ovie's hit on Jaromir Jagr in the Olympics as an example. Non-hockey people thought it was dirty. But anyone who really knows the sport, including Jagr himself, said it was legal. Just gotta wonder if someone in the league office has it in for Ovie, because he seems to be the target of too many incidents...

5. Finally, let's close with some college hoops predictions:

A. Surprises - Richmond, Cornell, Butler
B. Disappointments - Tennessee, Villanova, Purdue
C. Best Potential 2nd Round Game - BYU vs. Kansas State
D. Most Interesting Potential Sweet 16 Game - Richmond vs. Old Dominion
E. How Will Walsh and Bushman's Terps Do - Sweet 16 and get thumped by Kansas

Final Four - Kansas vs. Kansas State, Kentucky vs. Duke


Kansas is the best team in the country, but there's no way they will beat Kansas State 4 times in 1 season.

Kentucky should handle Duke easily. Seriously, how in the hell did Duke get such a weak bracket?

Kansas State vs. Kentucky - John Wall will cement his status as the #1 overall pick in the NBA draft by leading the Wildcats back to the promised land with a 70-60 win.

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