Even my soda has World Cup Fever

So my wife went shopping yesterday and bought a case of Coke, I know not a big deal. But the Coke packaging had all types of World Cup designs on them. It made me very happy. Even the soda has World Cup fever, who is going to be next to catch it.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

They get WFAN in Russia?

Wow WFAN has some far reaching power. During an interview on this week on The Mike Francesa Show, new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov asked Mike where the mad dog was. I know that Chris Russo has been gone for a while but its impressive to me that the Russian even knew about the iconic Mike and the Mad Dog Show. Talk about a show that had a world wide reach.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Champions League Final = Main Stream Media Love

So Inter Milan showed yesterday that they were the best team in Europe with a beat down of Bayern Munich, but there was another winner beside Inter, main stream media love of the Champions League on twitter.

All during the final various media members and athletes were tweeting about how much the enjoyed the Super Bowl of European Soccer.

• TonyBrunoShow: (Tony Bruno Radio Show) getting some sun in Arizona on a breezy and beautifuy day and watching my boys from Inter Milan win the UEFA... http://fb.me/wTWzlUSN.
• OGOchoCinco (Chad Johnson) Wwwwwwooooowwwww #DIEGOMILITO again with 20 minutes to go, [gggggggggooooooooaaaaaallll
• Andreahoops (NBA TV guy Andre Aldridge): Good to see Mario Balotelli celebrating with his Inter Milan teammates and the Trophy. He's seen and done a lot, but he's only 19.

I know that soccer has not topped the big four sports yet, but with showings like this its starting to make a big jump and with this World Cup its only going to get bigger.

Curse of the hats

So this year I got back into lacrosse and bought a couple of hats. I bought a 'Cuse lacrosse hat when I made the trip up there for the Rutgers vs. Cuse football game and also purchased a Hopkins Lacrosse hat at some point during the year.

So these purchased were not good karma for these teams. Cuse was upset in the first round by Army, while Hopkins was run off the field by Duke. I hope for Virginia sake that I don't find a hat of theirs or it could be doom for them.

World Cup Babies?

ESPN has hit another home run with their World Cup ads. This one is awesome.

Making Red Bull Arena work

So Red Bull Arena has opened and its an amazing building, which I got the honor to see on Wednesday night, but their is a question that I keep asking my self. How are they going to make this work. When I say work I mean from a business point of view.

In this economy a building can not survive on one sport alone. I'm not saying turn it into an all purpose facility but I do think that the building needs to hold a couple of different type of events. So far events that are scheduled including the Churchill Cup (Rugby) on June 19 and the Big East Soccer Championships in mid-November.

This is a great start, while not the most sexiest events, these events will bring people in. Another way the building can be used more is to have state finals for soccer there. It would give the players a great feeling of what its like to play in an venue like that. The state already has a similar set up with both the old Giant Stadium and Rutgers Stadium hosting different state football finals. The hosting should not be limited to soccer, maybe even have the lacrosse and football finals there, only if the field is big enough.

How great would a Bergen Catholic vs. Don Bosco sectional football final be in that building. In the past 20,000 people have shown up at Giant Stadium for the game. Sure that is a good number but in a building like Giant Stadium the people get lost, in Red Bull Arena that would be awesome and the atmosphere would be amazing. The Home Depot Center, where the Galaxy play, has a similar set up with hosting the state high school football finals.

These are just a couple of suggestions to make Red Bull Arena a profitable place, hey it did cost them almost $200 million to build the thing.

Front Page Story: Epic Fail

The Bruins had it all in their hands up 3-0 in game seven against the Flyers and then the wall came caving in and the Flyers stormed back and won 4-3. The Bruins had a 3-0 lead in the series and blew that, it will go down as on of the worst FAILS in the history of sports.

The Phily Daily News

The Boston Herald
The Boston Globe

Memorial Cup is here

The Memorial Cup starts tonight with the defending champion Windsor taking on the host Brandon. Its one of my favorite events and is always a great way to see the future of hockey. Rogers Sportsnet previews the fun.

Professional Tailgating: MLS here we come

For the first time in Only Time Will Tell history, the tailgating crew headed to an MLS game, well not really an MLS game more like a US Open Cup game. The crew headed to Harrison to check out the new Red Bull Arena and came away more then impressed. I think that its nicer then some stadiums in the Premier League.

It looks like someone dropped a spaceship in the middle of Harrison

Nothing says soccer pregaming like a bar that services Brazilian beer

and Portuguese beer

Love the color coded seats, very nice touchThe benches are nicer then most Premier League benches
Supporters celebrate a goal

I feel like a traitor

So today I went to Dunkin Donuts for a beverage. As getting they lady was getting my beverage I notice something was different about the cup it had a New York Yankees logo on it. For a split second, I thought of asking for a different cup but did not. So I had to drink a beverage out of a Yankees cup, I feel terrible, like part of my soul has been ripped out. I have to apologize to my friends at Sox and Phils for allowing this to happen, it was not a choice and I will not allow it to happen again.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Deuce, Deuce, Deuce, Deuce

Fulham's Clint Dempsey is set to become the first American to play in a European final later today. I honor of his achievement here is the video that he did before the start of the 2006 World Cup. Go get them Deuce.

The Hoop Group now holds all of the cards

This week Robert Morris University named former CBA guard Andy Toole as their new head coach, replacing Mike Rice who took the thankless job of turning Rutgers into a winning program.

With the hiring Toole (photo to the right as a player at Penn) becomes the fifth coach with ties to The Hoop Group to be named a head coach at the NCAA Division I level. He joins former RMU head coach Mike Rice (Rutgers), Greg Vetrone (Fairleigh Dickinson), Chucky Martin (Marist) and Jesse Agel (Brown).

"The Hoop Group (based in Neptune) is the worldwide leader in basketball instruction. 2010 will mark our 48th summer of hosting the country's premier basketball camps. Hoop Group Skills Camp offers a fun, instructional, rewarding experience in our unique camp setting in the Pocono Mountains! Develop your game the Hoop Group way while creating memories that will last a lifetime. Hoop Group Skills Camp - Campers Today...Stars Tomorrow,'' according to their website.

Between 2004 and 2006, Toole spent two years with The Hoop Group in Neptune, N.J. He served as the director of the Eastern Invitational Basketball Clinic, where he handled logistical management for the nation's largest high school exposure camp. As director, Toole maintained relationships with elite high school and AAU coaches. Also in 2004, Toole served as the director of Rebounds, a 28,000-square foot facility where high school players focus on development, according to the Robert Morris website.

I know smaller schools have to look at different places to find their head coaches like Wagner did with the hiring of Danny Hurley from St. B's but with the hiring of so many coaches with ties to the Hoop Group, question has to be asked. Is hiring someone with ties to the Hoop Group just like hiring someone who is an AAU coach, while I'm not saying that anything is wrong with this, it just seems strange that so many coaches at lower Division I schools have been hired with ties to the Hoop Group. It just seems weird to me, that is all I'm saying.

The 2010 Memorial Cup in Jerseys

The Memorial Cup kicks off on Friday in Brandon and boy I can not wait. The Memorial Cup is Canada's version of the NCAA Final Four. Here is the jerseys of the teams that will be battling it out to be called Canada's Best Junior Hockey team. This years event features defending champion the Windsor Spitfires, Calgary Hitman, host Brandon Wheat Kings, and Moncton Wildcats. It should be an awesome event just like it was last years.

Windsor Spitfires (home)

Windsor Spitfires (road)


Calgary Hitman (Home)

Calgary Hitman (Road)

Manchester City Fans wish it stood like this

During the game between Spurs and City yesterday ESPN put up a graphic (above) that showed City heading to the Champions League and that could be further from the truth. Spurs won the game and are heading to the Champions League playoffs but ESPN got the graphic wrong so they get a FAIL.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

10 Brave Lions, 1 Silly Boy

A couple of nights ago, I got home from a meeting around 10 p.m. and all of the hockey games were over and I could care less about the NBA playoffs, so I was searching for something to watch. After searching around the channels, I switched over to on demand and found ESPN on Demand and was able to watch the England v.s Argentia Round of 16 game from the 1998 World Cup in France.

It was fun watching it, from seeing a young and healthy Michael Owen to seeing a young and very talented Juan Sebastian Veron pulling the strings in the Argentina midfield. But the one thing that will also be remember about the game was the red card David Beckham recieved for the kickout on Diego Simone. The incident spurn one England newspaper to run the front page headline of ""10 Brave Lions, 1 Silly Boy.''

ESPN on Demand World Cup sections features a variety of different games including the ""Hand of God'' goal game, USA vs. Mexico in the Round of 16 in 2002, USA vs Columbia from the 1994 World Cup and features on players such as Aaron Lennon. This feature will give newcomers to the beatful game a crash course on some of the great game that have been played in past World Cups.

The last time EPSN did the World Cup they struggled with all aspects of it from announcers to pregame show to prdocution, but this time it has a been a different story. They have done a great job from being over great announcers to showing classic game On Demand. They have done a great job and they should be applauded.

Soccer takes over Vanity Fair

You know soccer is growing when Vanity Fair decides to put Drogs and Ronnie on its cover and that is what they did for this months issues. The cover story is about a photo shoot that was done with some stars of the upcoming World Cup.

Please Make it Stop

So on Saturday, my brother and I headed to Citizens Bank Park to see the Phillies and Mets. Besides seeing a great pitching performance by Roy Halladay, another thing stood out in my mind, why are so many girls with big sunglasses at the game.

During the game, two girls were sitting across the isle from us and both had on the trade mark huge sunglasses. The pair looked like they were headed to a club for a night rather then an afternoon baseball game. At one point during the game, in between text messages on their blackberrys, one girl kept putting on lip gloss like she was going to meet a couple of guys. I don't think that they watched the game for more then two minutes.

Then there were two other girls in our section that had tight mini-skirts on and heels and kept getting up, with one hand on their blackberry and the other hand on their beer, to walk around the stadium. If you asked the pair to explain what was going on, they would only be able to tell you that they are meeting their friends at a club after the game.

I know this rant sounds sexist, which in some ways it might, but their is a point. I'm not against girls going to baseball. I am against girls that treat the game like some type of club they go to on a Friday night. So true fans of the game that are girls are more then welcome to go, but girls that wear the big sunglasses and high heels to the games are not welcome.

Professional Tailgating: The Doctor is in the house

So the OTWT Tailgating crew headed to Citizens Back Park yesterday for the Phils and Mets game. The game featured a great pitching match up between Mike Pelfrey and Roy Halladay.

Flyers goal scorer Jeff Carter, who will miss the rest of the season with a leg injury, watches his teammates battle the Bruins in game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at McFaddens

The Doctor warms up for his start. The Doctor was amazing another complete game shutout.

Nothing says baseball like a four wheeler that shoots pork products

Jason Werth really needs to get a uniform that fits, he makes Barry Bonds seem form fitting

I may have missed on this one

Last year I picked Blue Jay's outfielder Travis Snider to the win the American League Rookie of the year during predictions for my friends over at Sox and Phils. Wow I might have missed the boat on that one. Snider came into last season as one of the highest rated prospects in baseball.

Coming into last season, Baseball America ranked Snider sixth on their annual ranking of the best baseball prospects, moving him up five spots from the previous year's rankings. During his time in the Blue Jays system, Snider was praised for his quick, powerful swing from the left side of the plate and his mental and competitive make.

Things started off well for Snider and my prediction, Snider had a home run and double on Opening Day, 2009. He had his first two home run game on April 13, 2009 against the Minnesota Twins and became the youngest player in Blue Jays' history to hit two home runs in a game. But things started going south, Snider was sent back to Triple-A Las Vegas 51s in May, after a prolonged hitting slump, but was recalled by the Blue Jays in August, going on to hit a home run in his next at-bat. Last year he finished hitting .241 in 77 games.

This year has also been a struggle for Snider, so far this year in 20 games Snider is only hitting .147 with 3 home runs and 5 rbis in 68 at bats. If this continues it might not be too long before Snider is dropped as a prospect and moved on.

After the first game of last season, I thought I had hit a home run with Snider but now more then a year later it looks like I might have struck out.

Professional Tailgating: Rutgers Lacrosse

Last week the OTWT Tailgating Crew made the trip up the Rutgers Spring Game. Because we got there so early we also go to take in a Rutgers Lacrosse practice, which was interesting to watch. This year, Rutgers, competing the in the new formed Big East Lacrosse Conference, is 5-7 so there is still some work to do. This was on my camera so I figured I would just post it.

So we now have a Champions League Final

This about some up the Special Ones feeling after eliminating the holders Barcelona today. Saw this on facebook and had to post it. So now we have a final Munich vs. Inter, it should be a great final. I can not wait.

Rutgers Spring Game In Videos

A record setting number of people showed up for the Rutgers Spring game on Saturday and here are just a two of the big plays from the day.

Joe Martinek makes a great cut on a run


QB Tom Savage hooks up with Mark Harrison for a big play.

Jevan Sneed and John Walsh might need to talk

What do a Texan who played QB at both Texas and Ole Miss have in common with the a former quarterback at BYU. Jevan Sneed (right) and John Walsh (above) both have a lot in common from the skills at playing college football to their bad judgement in deciding to go to the NFL.

Coming into the season, some scouts and media people said that Ole Miss signal caller Jevan Sneed would be the top player eligable for the 2010 NFL Draft. After a so-so season, Sneed decided to test the NFL water, while few people thought he would be in the top part of the draft that was predicted at the start of the season, some still thought it was a good idea. During the recently completed draft, Sneed went undrafted in the draft and ended up signing with the Bucs.

While BYU QB John Walsh came into the 1994 season as the top ranked QB on many NFL teams' boards. So after a solid season, Walsh decided to leave the Cougars and head for the money and just like Sneed the decission was a bad one. Walsh ended up getting drafted in the seventh round by the Bengals and not making anything out of his talents. The current location of Walsh is currently unknown.

Sneed and Walsh should maybe sit down and talk about what happened to them and their talents. Both chose to leave school early instead of returning to a team with talent. Maybe the two of them can sit down and enjoy an adult beverage and talk about where everything all went wrong.

Professional Tailgating: Rutgers Spring Game

College football is still  a couple of months of away, but the OTWT Tailgating crew got their fix during the Rutgers Spring Game yesterday. Here are some of the sites from the recording setting day.

Bottle caps mark the spot of tailgates past

 The cow was telling us not to eat hamburgers and eat chicken it was weird

 Spring Game was ok, Savage played well and showed that they might be a force in the Big East

68 is nicer then 96

I can almost live with this. So the NCAA is expanding its field from 64 to 68 as part of their new TV contract with CBS and Turner Sports, which was approved earlier this week.

For one I could not be happier, three more opening round games is not that bad compared to what could have happened with 96 team field. The good thing about the increase is that it does not reward teams that have underachieved. If a 96 team tournament would have been around this year teams like North Carolina would have made the tournament for no other reason to fill out the numbers. For the last couple of weeks media people and fans from all over have been screaming about the NCAA changing the best thing that they had. For once maybe they did listen and for that college basketball fans Thank you.

I would have to say that 68 teams is a lot nicer then 96 teams.

A Great World Cup Spot

Last month, I killed ESPN for continuing to show the same World Cup commercials every time that there was a break. ESPN is in the process of releasing some of the new commercials and they are great. So I figure I would say something positive about the four letter sports network.

OTWT NFL Mock Draft

The Only Time Will Tell Scouting Department has viewed all of the tapes and needs and here is the departments Mock Draft.

1. St. Louis (1-15): Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma.
2. Detroit (2-14): Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
3. Tampa Bay (3-13): Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
4. Washington (4-12): Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
5. Kansas City (4-12): Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
6. Seattle (5-11): Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
7. Cleveland (5-11): Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
8. Oakland (5-11): Bruce Campbell, OT, Marylan
9. Buffalo (6-10): Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
10. Jacksonville (7-9): Joe Haden, CB, Florida

We are still the Kings of Manchester and Will Always Be

In April, soccer fans around the world thought that Manchester United had lost their grip on the City of the Manchester. Fast forward a couple of months and that could be father from the truth. City are not in the same class as United. Sure they have spent a ton on players like Tevez and others. But spending money does not lead to you taking control of a city.

United have old war horses like Giggs, Scholes and Neville. The trio, who all played a huge roll in United 1-0 win over City yesterday, would go to war for the red shirt. They are breed United and will die United. This is something that City miss, people who will go to the war for the shirt. The only people that are breed City and will die City are Ireland and Richards and neither at this time can make it into the squad.

So when City fans start to say that they are the new kings of the Premier League, just remember they are not even the kings of the their own city and their record against the so-called old king was 1-3 this year.

This would be a nice look

So the wife went shopping with the little guy today and she decided to buy him a phillies hat, but not the traditional one. This one (pictured above) features a white panel in the front with a red P outlined in blue. While its not the traditional all red, it has a nice look to it. Maybe its just a hat that is made for the sub one year old crowd. If it is they should make it available to for all ages.

I'm not saying that the Phillies should get rid of their current hat but this one might be a nice change of pace.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Nothing beats Legos

The German's have recreated Bayern Munich win over Manchester United in the Champions League in Lego form, yes Lego form. It might be one of the funniest things that I have ever seen. I know that Arjen Robben is going bald, but this is not funny.

Really Nike

So Duke is the national champion and as a Carolina fan this is not good.
But now Nike is getting into the act. In this week's SI, Nike took out a full page ad saying that "order has been restored". I wish I was making this up but I'm not. Where was Nike when Carolina won two titles in the last five years. I guess they were never gone, so they had nothing to restore.

Rooting for a different group of names

Future Nat Bryce Harper?

So the Nationals season has already started and ended for the most part. Instead of rooting for names like Zimmerman, Guzman and Morgan. I'm stuck rooting for names like Harper, Tallon, Ranaudo, and Cole. That is Bryce Harper, James Tallon, Anthony Ranaudo, and AJ Cole a couple of the top prospects in the 2010 MLB Draft.

Instead of waking up and checking the box scores of the big league team, I'm searching the Internet for information on their performances. I don't care if Zimmerman hit two home runs, I care more about Harper and what he did for the College of Southern Nevada. The Nats have the number 1 pick in the 2010 Draft and hitting another home run, like they did last year with Strasburg, is a key to making this a good team.

Such is life as a Nationals fan, the season means nothing and the future is all that we have to look at.So at this point I'm no longer a National's fan and I'm now a fan of the College of Southern Nevada, So go Coyotes.

We're not good enough

So in the space of a week, Manchester United season appears to have gone up in smoke. Lost the lead in the Premier League and knocked out of the Champions League all in the same week.
So as a United fan, I should be going crazy, but I'm not. This team is a couple of years away. Gibson, Nani and the Brazilian twins winning one of the two major prizes would have been a shock. Rooney has been the only reason that we have been around in both competitions.
Maybe United will come back and win the Premier League, but if they don't I can not be upset. They have given everything that they can and Sir Alex has pushed all of the buttons that he could and it just might not be enough,which I'm ok with.

Windsor: The Real Home of American Hockey

Cam Fowler

Most American hockey fans view Detroit as "Hockeytown," but maybe the true home of hockey is right across the border in Windsor. During the course of the last couple of years more and more young American hockey players have spurned college hockey and turned to the Windsor Spitfires.

Austin Czarnik

This year the roster features a bunch of American players including a possible top five American pick. Cam Fowler turned down the Gold Dome to play for the defending Memorial Cup Champions. The move has appeared to pay off for Fowler. He is joined on the roster by fellow Americans: Kenny Ryan, Craig Duininck, Saverio Posa. The roster also featured another another American earlier this year in Austin Watson, who was traded to Peterborough. Watson turned down the University of Maine to play for the Spitfires.

Next year, American World Junior Championship hero goaltender Jack Campbell has signed on to part of the American revolution in Windsor. Rumors are flying around that fellow U-18 team member

Austin Czarnik will take his shot in the OHL.

Both Windsor and the USA Hockey have benefited from the influx of Americans. For the Spitfires it gives them depth and an influx of quality players like Fowler. For USA Hockey it gives players great experience at the highest level in their age group. This experienced showed for Fowler during the WJC when he was the best players on the United States roster. If this continues maybe we should just remain Windsor, Canada "Hockeytown USA.""

Unbeaten Nats, has a nice ring to it

You know the season is not going to be the best, when the local newspaper that covers the teams announces on opening day that "Unbeaten Nats open the season.'' This might be the only time during the season that they are unbeaten, so I'm going to enjoy it. Happy Opening Day to all out there. Strasburg can not get here fast enough.

So this is the end

So my new born son will never see Donovan McNabb in an Eagles jersey. McNabb is a Redskin, is this all a dream or something.

So the era ends, I was ready for the Kevin Kolb era to start, but this night is hard. I will be honest Donovan has not won the big one but he is the qb that turned everything around for the birds and for that all you can say is thank you. Maybe Kolb will be the next Aaron Rodgers or maybe he will be the next Bobby Hoying only time will tell. After the last two losses to the Cowboys, everyone knew it was for change but this type of change is really hard. For the first time in a decade next season is going to be a mystery and maybe that will be fun.

It will be weird to see McNabb in a maroon jersey when he comes to the Linc. One day I will sit Gregory on my knee and tell him all about Mc5 and his career and how great a player he really was in a birds jersey.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

No Suit, No Service

Maybe Huggins should wear this suit instead of his track suit

The Final Four is only a day away. All of the teams are in Indy making sure that everything is perfect for the players that means making sure that their kicks are fresh and for the coaches that means making sure their suits are ready for the big time. Well most coaches do. Bob Huggins is a different matter. For the last couple of years Huggins has been prowling the sidelines in a warm up top and dress pants, not the worst look in the world but not the best. Huggins, who I like, might become the first coach in god knows how long not to wear a suit at the Final Four. If he does not get dressed up for the event maybe he should not take part. Huggins dressing style has the support of his fan base.

According to ESPN.com, Most West Virginia fans seem to want Huggins to stick with the tracksuit, according to an online poll at the Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail. According to the poll, 53 percent of voters want Huggins to stick with the tracksuit. Only 9 percent want him to "totally rock a new, gold, tailor-made suit."

Thirty-eight percent of voters were more optimistic, saying Huggy Bear should wear "the basketball net. Right after he cuts it down."

In England, managers where track suits all of the time, but come an FA Cup Final day all of the coaches are dressed in suits that are designed by the club. Maybe we should have the same deal for the Final Four. No Suit, No Service.

When taking a college job is a step down

So St. Benedicts head coach Danny Hurley has been mentioned for the opening at Wagner. At some point Hurley is going to want to take a shot at college coaching. If he took the job at Wagner he is going to have to take a step down when it comes to talent. Has there even been a high school coach that took a college job and had less talent at the new job then the old job. But I doubt that Wagner will have any JR Smiths or Corey Stokes on their roster and that is something that Hurley might have to get used to.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Where is Ace?

Not the greatest picture, but just take my word for it.

With the NCAA Women's Tournament on to the Final Four, one question sticks in my mind. Where is Ace? Ace Clement that is. Clement was a member of the 1997-1998 National Championship team at University of Tennessee. Clement was different then many of the girls on the team, she made sure her makeup was done and always looked hot, yes I said hot. Ace looked like she could be a model if she was not a basketball player. She was a favorite and I will admit that I even had a crush on her.

Clement did not get by on looks alone, she had amazing game. Here list of accomplishments is as follows: three back-to-back high school state championships, four years as a high school All-American, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s scoring record for the city of Philadelphia, winning gold in Brazil for the USA Junior National Team, and an NCAA National Championship and 39-0 season with the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers.

OTWT Champions League Predictions

The business end of the season is here and the Champions League last eight kicks off today. The slate is littered with good match ups including the rematch of the 1999 Final between United and Munich. Here is how the OTWT Scouting Department sees the ties breaking down.

Lyon (France) vs. Bordeaux (France): Lyon has the feeling of a team that is built better for Europe then the league. I know Bordeaux has taken over as the force in France, but for some reason I can not turn my back on Lyon. So Lyon it is.
Bayern Munich (Germany) vs. Manchester United (England): The '99 Final rematch. As a United fans, this is a tie that worries me. Robben and Ribery worry me to no end, but in the end United are the more complete team and therefor head to the semi-finals.
Arsenal (England) vs. Barcelona (Spain): Barca and it will not even be easy. Arsenal are doing what they do best implode at the end of the season.
Inter Milan (Italy) vs. CSKA Moscow (Russia): Inter Milan. CSKA has had a nice run and shown that Russian soccer is nothing to mess with in the coming years. Inter stay on course for the final.

Cover Story: The Final Four

The games have been played and finally we have our Final Four teams. Butler, West Virginia, Duke, and Michigan State. Here is how the newspapers in those towns covered the events.

The Herald Dispatch (West Virgina)

They're no Cinderella

OK lets put a stop to this before it start, Butler is not a Cinderella. If you call them a Cinderella then you know nothing about college basketball. This is a good team. During the regular season they beat UCLA, Ohio State, Xavier, and Siena. So during the regular season the Bulldogs beat two teams that where in the Sweet 16. Then in the tournament add Syracuse and Kansas State. Now those are quality wins. Hey when was the last time a top 10 team was considered a Cinderella.

Coming a long way

A couple of years ago, when former UNLV guard Greg Anthony made his debut on TV all I could think was ""Wow he is terrible,'' but that thought does not run through my mind any more. During this years NCAA Tournament Anthony has been at the front of CBS's desk coverage of the event.

After retiring from the NBA, Anthony joined ESPN as an analyst for NBA coverage on ESPN and ABC. On Dec. 13, 2008, Anthony made his debut as a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports, replacing Clark Kellogg, who was promoted to lead commentator.

Facebook here we come

After months of debating the brain trust of Only Time Will Tell has decided to start their own facebook fan page. You can become a fan of the site and post your thoughts and interest. It was a big step and we are happy that we made it.

The Tournament has lost something

On Sunday night the Big Ten Network was showing the Regional Final between St. Johns and Ohio State from a bunch of years ago. While it was fun seeing Scoonie Penn, Michael Redd, Eric Barclay, and Ron Artest play again in college something really stood out to me.

The game was played at Thomspon Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee and you knew this because the court was orange and had all of its marking. But this weekend while watching the games, I kept forgetting what venue the games I was watching was being played at.

A couple of years ago one of the highlights of tournament was seeing all of the different colored courts. Like the one at the Huntsman Center in Utah and Boises State. The one thing that having those different courts was that everyone knew what site they were at , now its hard to tell where they are unless you read the baseline. A couple of years ago the NCAA decided to introduce universal court designs to the tournament and the blue and black courts are kind of cookie cutter and lack any character. That move started to take a little fun away from the tournament.

It seems that a little of the character of the tournament has been taken away by going to these standard courts.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

When a catcher is the biggest story in the state

Few people think that the position of catcher is he most glamours position in baseball, but in Minnesota that is all that they care about. Yesterday the state of Minnesota celebrated when favorite son Joe Mauer agreed to sign a new eight year deal with the Twins. The story was such a big story that it appeared on the front page of four of the five major state newspapers.
Mauer is as such a part of Minnesota as the twins. Mauer played football, basketball, and baseball for Saint Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. During his senior year he became the only athlete ever to be selected as the USA Today High School Player of the Year in two sports (football in 2000 as a quarterback and baseball in 2001 as a catcher. Mauer averaged more than 20 points a game as a point guard for Cretin-Derham Hall. He was also named to the All-State team during his final two years on Cretin-Derham's basketball team. In football Mauer was a such a good quarter back that Florida State decided that he was a future, but he spurred the Seminoles and head to play for the hometown Twins.

As a Twin he has been become the poster child for both the state and the baseball. Getting Mauer signed to a new deal was more important then getting a new ball park for the Twins.