Young Carlo

This, is what Carlo Ancelotti, AC Milan's coach, used to look like... back when he was a player!

Blogs we're watching

http://sticksylvania.blogspot.com/

A Soccer (football) Taxonomy- for now

I think that the title explains it all. If you do not know what a taxonomy is, then read on.

AC Milan- Il Club Piu Titolato al Mondo
Brazil- the proud winners of five World Cups (could also stand for Brazilians)
Cockiness (as in Cristiano Ronaldo.... which could also stand for "C")
Derby- Old Firm, Derby Della Madonnina, Superclasico... take your pick
England- worth mentioning in any football taxonomy...
Fourth Official (could also stand for... gasp... "fifth official!")
Goal.com- my favorite, and only, source for anything soccer
Hugs
I
January (and December actually)- that stupid month that revives rumors you thought were dead... scary times
Kaka'- simply the best there is



L
MLS- (Major League Soccer)-like the pasture for old horses... but for footballers
Nicknames- The Toon Army, La Grande Inter, Seleçao, Rossoneri, or the Blues...
Obsessiveness- nobody could describe it like Nick Hornby in Fever Pitch... just read it
Penalty Kick- free goals... or, at the end of a game, torture
Q
Ronaldinho (could also stand for Robinho, Rivaldo, Reginaldo, or Ronaldo!)
Soccer- what we call football to confuse the rest of the world (could also stand for Shevchenko, who was confused by our use of the word soccer)



Transfer Deadline (that wonderful time when Kaka' rumors cease)
UEFA (or, if I wanted to push it, UEFA cup/ UEFA Champions League)
Van (as in van Bronkhorst, van der Vaart, van der Sar, van Persie, van Basten and van Nistelrooy)
WAGs- (Wives and Girlfriends, normally of the England national team)... Posh, Cheryl, and Colleen
X
Yellow Card






Zenit St. Petersburg (could also stand for Zambrotta, Gianluca)

The greatest NFL game ever

Back in January 1982, my family and the Comfort family were busy driving one Saturday night from Colorado back to Missouri after a ski vacation in Breckenridge, Colorado. As we drove through Kansas that evening, we listened on the radio to what was surely the greatest NFL football game of all time and perhaps the greatest football game of any kind ever played. While I did get to see various highlights of the game, I never was able to see the whole thing, until recently when I purchased a DVD on-line of the entire game. I can now safely say that it was, without a doubt, the greatest ever. Here's just a few reasons why:
1. There were almost too many lead changes or ties in the game to count (I have it at seven), including Miami coming back from being down 24-0 in the first quarter.
2. The hook and lateral play (aka hook and ladder) play at the end of the first half pulled off by Miami's Don Strock, Duriel Harris, and Tony Nathan. If you haven't see this play, you're either fourteen years old, or you've been living in a cave on the far side of a mountain with your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears for the last 26+ years.



Warning: The above video is long and the play doesn't come until about the fourth minute, so be patient. For another take on the play, see below:





3. Between them, QBs Dan Fouts and Don Strock threw the ball for something like 85 times and over 750 yards.


4. San Diego tight end Kellen Winslow set an AFC playoff record for receptions in a single game- 13 caught for 166 yards. He also blocked a potential game-winning kick at the end of regulation, all while suffering from an injured shoulder and serious exhaustion. At the end of the game, he had to be carried off by his teammates.



5. The game featured three missed game-winning field goals, two by Miami's Uwe von Schamann and one by San Diego's Rolf Benirschke.


6. In the first quarter, San Diego's Wes Chandler returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami failed to field the ball and San Diego recovered the live ball.


7. The announcers were Don Crique and John Brodie, the beer commercials were by Schlitz, Budweiser, Stroh's, Miller, and Colt 45. 7-11's advertising slogan was, "Freedom's Waiting For You," (Freedom from Hassle and Delay, to be specific). The RCA SelectaVision Video Disc player was offered for "less than $500" and America's Driving Machinewas the 1982 Dodge Aries K Wagon, because, "On a night like this, you don't need a car, you need a driving machine."


8. The game also included Don Coryell, Don Shula, Jimmy Cefalo, the Orange Bowl, a wire that was hanging down from the stands that had to be cut down, thus delaying the game at a crucial point, and, one of my childhood favorites, Chuck Muncie.

Match Report: Bordeaux 1 - Chelsea 1 (Champions League Group A)

Chelsea could have guaranteed themselves a spot in the Champions League Round of 16 with a win at Bordeaux yesterday; however, they only managed an ill-deserved tie, so they will have to beat CFR Cluj at home next month in order to advance. Bordeaux played the much stronger game, especially midfielder Yoann Gourcuff (on loan from Milan). Goals were by Nicolas Anelka for Chelsea on a fluky break-away and by Alou Diarra on a header from a corner by Gourcuff which Chelsea didn't bother to defend. Late in the match, Chelsea's Frank Lampard (below) received his second yellow card and was, therefore, kicked out of the match. Of all contemporary football players, Frank Lampard (with his beady eyes, pointy nose, and large ears) is the one who most strongly resembles a rodent.

Blues beat Predators

The St. Louis Blues don't usually win in Nashville- going into last night's game, they had won only once in their last twelve tries there. Last night was different, though, former Predators goalie Chris Mason blocked 47 shots through regulation and overtime and shut out Nashville. However, the Blues couldn't score, either, so it came down to the mind-bogglingly stupid penalty shootout format that the NHL currently uses (because, like Donovan McNabb, they don't like ties, apparently). The Blues scored twice, Mason stopped both shots he faced, and the St. Louis was the winner - officially the NHL lists that as a 1-0 victory (I'm not sure why). Let's go, Blues!

No goals today

(Above- Nicky Butt, #22 for Newcastle, holds off Chelsea's Deco)

Today's results in the English Premier League:
Liverpool 0 - Fulham 0
Chelsea 0 - Newcastle 0
Aston Villa 0 - Manchester United 0
Manchester City 3 - Arsenal 0

So the top five in the Premiership tables scored a grand total of zero goals today. (And, yes, I did spend three-plus hours of my life watching. But, honestly, it was entertaining seeing Newcastle play defense for 90-plus minutes at Stamford Bridge while the petulant Chelsea fans got annoyed with their team. And it was also exciting to watch Man Utd. held without a goal.)

Donovan McNabb didn't know

Last Sunday, after Philadelphia tied the horrific Cincinnati Bengals 13-13, Eagles QB Donovan McNabb admitted he didn't know that regular season NFL games could end in a tie.



But the confusion didn't stop there, because McNabb then went on to get mixed up about the NFL playoff rules:

"In college, there are multiple overtimes, and in high school and Pop Warner. I never knew in the professional ranks it would end that way. I hate to see what would happen in the Super Bowl and the playoffs." (McNabb, quoted by the Associated Press)

I am sure that by now someone has pointed out to McNabb that post-season games are played to their completion, no matter how long it takes.

What I have been listening to lately #17: This team will not make it to the Super Bowl

This year's Super Bowl - a prediction

This year's Super Bowl will be between the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts. The Giants are clearly the best team in the NFC (9-1 at this point), and the Colts have overcome their slow start with recent wins over the Patriots and the Steelers.

The NFL bosses will be very happy with this Super Bowl match-up, since it will mean a media frenzy surrounding the fact that the Manning brothers will be facing each other in the game. In addition, it will be a rematch of the 1958 NFL Championship game which is often said to be the greatest football game ever played and the one that put the NFL on the map.

Famous facts that are not true #1

Many people erroneously believe that Danny White (above), former quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and current head coach of the Arena Football League's Utah Blaze, is the son of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron "Whizzer" White (see below). These people are wrong. Danny White is the son of a different "Whizzer" White, in this case Wilford (sorry, we couldn't find a picture).







Here are some of the major differences between the two men:


Byron "Whizzer" White attended the University of Colorado and then had a short career playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates (football) and Detroit Lions. Wilford "Whizzer" White played at Arizona State University and then briefly for the Chicago Bears. Byron "Whizzer" White later went on to become a Supreme Court Justice. Wilford "Whizzer" White went on to father a child who had the misfortune to have to become Roger Staubach's replacement.



Sparky



Roger Staubach

Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament Championship Match

Here are five important things about this afternoon's Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament Championship Match:
1. Iowa beat Ohio State in overtime to win the Big Ten title and gain an automatic invitation to the NCAA tournament.
2. Sometimes field hockey is more entertaining to watch than football.
3. If they made the sticks longer, the players wouldn't have to bend over so much.
4. Ohio State's freshman goalie Ally Tunitis looked just like the abominable snowman (or snowwoman) in her enormous pads, enormous light grey jersey, and white helmet.
5. On the penalty corners, the defending players have to start the play crammed into their own goal before rushing out once the play starts. When Ohio State did this, it looked like four field hockey players running out of the abominable snowman's cave being chased by the abominable snowman.
(Below): The victorious Hawkeyes and others

President Obama knows what's wrong with America

On the evening before the presidential election, Monday Night Football viewers were given one last chance to hear from the candidates. Chris Berman asked each candidate a number of questions, but the most important one was what one thing each would change about sports in the United States. John McCain boldly spoke out against steroid use by athletes; Barack Obama chose to take on a different issue:

What I have been reading lately #10

Clay Travis, who used to have a blog on Sportsline.com and who now blogs for Deadspin.com, spent each Saturday of the 2006 NCAA football season travelling to all 12 stadiums in the SEC to watch a game. While he was doing this, he wrote a column on Sportsline and then, after he was done, he put it all together in a book. Then I read the book, which I enjoyed.

Milan v. Napoli

Today Milan hosted Napoli. Before the game, the table looked like this:

Udinese 21
Inter 21
Napoli 20
Milan 19

Well, well, well... this game gave me a SEVERE headache. But anyway... the final score: Milan 1 Napoli 0000000000! An OWN GOAL at the end of the game...!!! And Kaka's PK was saved, and Pato missed a header, and Kaka' had a ball hit the inside of the post!!!! And there was a red card (for a Napoli player). And Fabio Cannavaro's brother, Paolo, plays for Napoli....!!! And Ronaldinho had a nasty gash on his leg............. And it was sooooo stressful, but sooooo cool!

I know this isn't a good report of the game... but OMG! forgive me.

Oh yeah, and the table now looks like this:

Milan 22
Udinese 21
Inter 21
Napoli 19
Lazio 19
Juventus 18
Genoa 17
Fiorentina 17

oh and ROMA with SEVEN points, ONE place from a RELEGATION spot....

BUT MILAN IS IN FIRST!
Pleeeeeeaaaasseee let the table look like this at the end of the year....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

No time for school - there's football on Saturday

We're only a few hours from kickoff for this year's Georgia - Florida NCAA football game, but yesterday students in the Clarke County, Georgia schools got an unexpected day off when the school district cancelled school because so many teachers had called in sick so they could go down to Florida for the big game.

On the other hand, maybe the school cancellation wasn't that unexpected, because it is on the Clarke County School's schedule, and they have also cancelled school Monday and Tuesday, as well, for something called Fall Holiday.