Well, it looks like we’ve found the soccer version of Carmelo Anthony. Notice how he sucker punches an opposing player and then runs away like a little bitch.
(via The Offside)
Links:
[BBC Sport]: Uefa charges Inter and Valencia
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Category: Soccer
soccer
Remember when Bill Simmons went about looking for an English Premiere League team to cheer for and ended up taking Tottenham Hotspur? Well, Philadelphia Eagles fans now have their very own British soccer team to root for. Unfortunately, they play in Football League One which is 2 levels below the EPL. Why Millwall? Because “unnamed investors – thought to be linked with the Philadelphia Eagles American football team – want to sink an initial £5million into the Lions.” (Mirror UK)
And, as Bob from the Offside (and fellow Eagles fan) tells us, “Millwall’s fans have a reputation for thuggery much like the Eagles fans. A marriage made in heaven.” Well, that clinches it for us. Go Lions! (Now, to do something about those Cowboys colors…)
In other news…
[Cricinfo.com]: Cricket player is willing to cut off his injured finger… Ronnie Lott says, whatever
[LA Times]: Dodgers pitcher owns rock quarry worth billions
[The Offside]: Barcelona midfielder likes his hookers… take that, Lasorda
[Steroid Nation]: Are the Little Sisters of the Poor using that much Winnie and HGH?
[The Big Lead]: Scottie Pippen on Deal or No Deal is just sad
[SI]: Grocery store clerk indicted in last year’s dirty bomb hoax
[The Onion]: Report: Almost Nobody Raped During Duke’s First Lacrosse Match
[Valentine’s Views]: Schilling just can’t shut up
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Beckham (Victoria) gets U.S. reality show
The Beckhams’ attempted cultural takeover of America has begun. It has been confirmed that Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice has signed a deal to star in a reality show…er… “unscripted comedy series” about the Beckhams’ move to LA when David Beckham suits up for the LA Galaxy this summer. It’s your standard fish out of water premise, you know, just like Fresh Prince of Bel Air but with spoiled rich white people. Hilarity ensues.
Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol is set to produce and the show will be on NBC.
(Fuller) has so much success around the world with his TV shows and the respect and trust of everybody he works with.This show is really something different. It’s pushing the boundaries, and I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people.
Why do celebrities always say their next project is going to “surprise a lot of people”. Listen, it’s going to surprise no one. The show will not push any boundaries. Victoria takes her kids out. Victoria goes to a Galaxy practice. Victoria goes to the spa. Victoria takes a wrong turn and ends up in a bad neighborhood in a very special episode of “Being Beckham”…
We’re sure America will tune in. Both the sports geeks and the starfuckers will be all over this at the get go. The question is whether it’s interesting enough to outlast Bonds on Bonds.
Links:
[SF Gate.com]: Beckham Reality Show Confirmed
Soccer in Italy has gotten completly out of control. Just two weeks ago, a team official from a 4th division (think AAA ball) was killed during a brawl when someone kicked him in the head. Now in Serie A, a policeman was killed when rioting broke out between fans after a game between Catania and Palermo. 40-year-old Fillipo Raciti was killed either by a blow to the stomach or being hit in the face with a small explosive. The autopsy is pending.
First of all, a small explosive? Who the hell brings a small explosive to a soccer match? (Yes, a fan once shot a flare gun at Veterans Stadium but into some empty seats.) Second, what the hell is going on with Italian soccer fans? It’s like they’re determined to take hooliganism to the next level. Italian officials have suspended soccer matches indefinitely until they can figure out what to do about the insanity. You know it’s bad when the Pope has to come out and remind Catholics that violence in soccer is… bad.
One possible reason for the tremendous amounts of violence in Italian soccer are the traveling fans according to EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini.
In Italy the clubs guarantee great bonuses to fans who travel to follow their teams in away games: free travel, discounted tickets. Abroad fans have to pay for their own tickets, while here [in Italy] they are offered by the clubs
We actually like soccer around here at Sportscolumn but the next time someone puts down American football and talks about how great of a game soccer is, we’ll remind them that at least we don’t riot to kill people (a new plasma TV will do) and blatant racism isn’t tolerated in NFL stadiums.
Links:
[Toronto Star]: Thousands mourn officer killed in Italy soccer riot
[Catholic Online]: Pope condemns violence ‘disfiguring’ soccer world
[Sportscolumn is running down the ten dumbest in-game injuries in sports. Here’s #5.]
In a Swiss soccer league game, a Servette FC player set-up a successful goal and in wild merriment he scaled a fence that was in place to separate the fans from the field. The just married Paulo Diogo’s wedding band snagged on the fence as he leapt off and part of his finger along with his ring remainder atop the fence after he had hit the ground. Talk about a symbol of love.
And if having a finger ripped off isn’t bad enough, a referee misinterpreted Diogo’s writhing on the ground and shrieks of agony as an excessive celebration and threw a yellow card in his face. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to reattach the ring finger and instead opted to amputate what portion was left.
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US Soccer just got a lot prettier
I love me some me
David Beckham made it official today and announced that he was leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season in June to join MLS’ LA Galaxy. His new contract is expected to be worth $250M over 5 years. MLS has a salary cap of $2M per season but league rules allow for a “superstar exemption”.
Beckham issued a statement:
I am proud to have played for two of the biggest clubs in football and I look forward to the new challenge of growing the world’s most popular game in a country that is as passionate about its sport as my own.
This is going to be a pretty tough task for Beckham. Pele played in the US at the end of his career but that didn’t increase the popularity of soccer in the US. Despite a lot of criticism from English fans, Beckham can still play (he did bail them out in the Round of 16 game vs Ecuador this year despite barfing during the game). But the question is whether he’ll be covered more in the tabloids or in the sports pages. We’re betting tabloids.
Here’s a hilarious video of Beckham and his alien wife (although she is kinda cool in this clip) being interviewed by Ali G.
Links:
[BBC]: Beckham agrees to LA Galaxy move
[IHT]: David Beckham Fact Box
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Cheryl Tweedy, meet Carmella Decesare
Most of you probably don’t know who Cheryl Tweedy (Cole) is. That’s ok, she’s just some pop singer in England. But she is also smokin’ hot. The reason why this is sports related? She’s married to a footballer (that’s soccer player) named Ashley Cole, who is rumored to be gay.
Cheryl lashed out today at people who think her husband Ashley is gay and dismissed the rumors as ridiculous.
At first I laughed my head off because the suggestion was so ridiculous. But Ashley wasn’t laughing. It wasn’t very nice for either of us, but it certainly wasn’t a good time for him. But I was there for him when people had a go at him in the street or asked if he was gay. He says it doesn’t hurt him when stuff is said but deep down I know it must do. To be honest, it’s more devastating for me than it is for him because I love him and I know what he’s going through.
So basically, Ashley Cole is the Jeff Garcia of soccer. Remember when Carmella Decesare (2004 Playmate of the Year) came out to defend her boyfriend against the accusation by Terrell Owens that Jeff was gay? (“I can attest 100 percent that he is not gay.”)
We think that Cheryl Tweedy should call up Carmella and ask her for advice on how to deal with the situation. And then maybe meet up for coffee… and then maybe go lingerie shopping together… and then… what were we talking about again?
Links:
[Pink News]: Mrs Ashley Cole attacks “ridiculous” rumours
[YouTube]: How did Jeff Garcia land Carmella? GARY BARBERA!
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Odds and Ends: Soccer stories
We have a couple of soccer stories for Odds and Ends today. The first is a story of a Bulgarian club that is ordering one of its players to get married so that it will curtail his wild living. Ivelin Popov parties too much and has too many girlfriends so the team has ordered him to get married. This has got reality TV show written all over it.
Second (via The Offside) comes this video of a fan who pants an assistant referee during a game. Ed Hochuli would’ve kicked his ass.
In other news…
[Live Science]: Key to hockey goalie success is… watching the puck
[SI]: Second dancer in Duke rape case says the accuser was “talking crazy”.
[Mirror UK]: BERBICK: A TRAGEDY WAITING TO HAPPEN
[Boston Herald]: Cardinals are the worst World Series champs in history
[10,000 Takes]: They really should be in the Castro for Halloween
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Too bad this wasn’t Tony Siragusa
There are two things you can watch over and over: someone getting hit in the crotch and someone falling down unexpectedly. Well, from The Offside comes this video of a soccer sideline reporter taking one for the team.
Can anyone translate what the anchorman is saying?
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Rocky looks terrible
This is only marginally related to sports but the new part-owner of Everton is friends with Sylvester Stallone from his Planet Hollywood days and has promised to bring him to some games in the future. Maybe England is like Japan where washed up actors go to make commercials and die but does the appearance of Sly make an event better? This is a guy who has had all his recent movies go straight to video.
In any case, we wanted to just point out that Rocky, hero of our youth, looks like crap. And the movie doesn’t look much better either… which of course isn’t going to stop us from seeing it in the theater anyway.
Links:
[The Sun UK]: Rocky times ahead for Blues