Love or Hate: Manchester United Number 7

Nike strikes it rich again with another great ad campaign. No player brings up the emotion that Ronaldo does, people either love him or hate him and Nike understands that. The shoe giant has come up with a great ad campaign for Ronnie.

The Next Ronnie

Madin Mohammad is six years old and boy does he have the moves a new Ronnie. I hope that United move quickly for the youngster.

A 100 million pounds is not bad

During the summer the soccer world was held hostage by the on going Ronaldo saga, will he go to the Real Madrid or will he stay at United. Now during the winter transfer window, the soccer world will be held hostage by the possibility of Kaka swapping the red and black of AC Milan for the sky blue of Manchester City.

During the course of the last couple of days, City have offered at least a 100 million pounds for the Brazilian play makers, it appears that AC Milan might be in the position to accept it and that would be the best for the future of the club.

Sure Kaka has lead Milan to a ton of trophies during his time at Milan, but at this point with an aging squad a 100 million pounds would go a long way to rebuilding it. That type of money would allow the board to go and get a proven goal scorer like Villarreal striker Giuesseppi Rossi to team up with Pato up from and that would only cost approximately $20 million.

With Kaka gone, Milan could then recall Yoann Gourcuff from Bordeaux to be the play making midfielder. In addition to the recall Milan could then reinvest some of the Kaka money to be a speedy winger like Ryan Babel from Liverpool. Those are a couple of a number of moves that Milan could make to reduce their age and make this a young attacking team.

Its hard to say good bye to a player like Kaka, but in the long run this might be the best move for Milan and their fans cause a 100 million pounds is a ton of money, especially in these economic times.

ESPN showing its hand

For years ESPN has done ok with their soccer coverage but that appears to be changing.

First last summer the four letter decided to go out and get Sky Sports pundit Andy Gray to help with their EURO 2008 coverage, which was a great success. Then they decided to added a Soccernet Press Pass show once a week to ESPN Classic. Add all of that to this weekend, when ESPN showed extended highlights of the United Chelski game during their prime time Sports Center special focusing on the NFL. The network has also started showing scores from the Barclay's Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. Don't forget the network has been covering the UEFA Champions League for more then a decade.

So why after years has the network decide to commit to the beautiful game, its simple the network is trying to position its self to get the rights to the BPL. The right are due to come up in the next couple of years and the network might be tipping its hand to show that they can do a good job covering the league.

Save our show

Please save our show, sign this petition to bring the guys back.

It's all over

Please say it ain't so, the greatness of the show is over as the Special One does what he does best walk out on a team. Thanks for the last year or so, it was Fantastic. Pure Brilliance.

Really Super Sunday

Some sports days are better then others and Sunday was one of them. United vs. Chelski, Eagles vs. Giants in the divisional round, and then North Carolina vs. Wake Forest. With all of the games it will be a three shirt day. Here is a time line of the days events:

9:19: Church is over pregame meal time.
9:59: Pregame meal finished. Ihop country fried stake skillet. Can not beat that.
10:30: Just finished skimming the Sunday papers, its only an half an hour till the day gets rolling.
11:00: A sign at the Theatre of Dreams: Viva John Terry. Surprised by Neville seeing the field today.
11:05: Really Ian Dowie, no Robbie Earle. This is not good at all.
11:21: Ashley Cole is a bitch. Very simple
11:32: This is starting to really kick off.
11:43: Chelski seem like they are starting to get going
11:50: We got our goal, Vidic and Really Super Saturday is off to a good start.
Noon: Half time got the bathrooms trip out of the way and got the drink. Ready for the second half of United/Chelski.
12:27: The Rooney with the goal. But Park has been our best player, his work rate is amazing.
12:35: Drogba blows another chance. What a shock.
12:45: I wonder what the Special One thinks of the Gene Hakman, Big Phil.
12:55: Berba, 3-0. Change shirt, change location. Good start to the Really Super Sunday.
1:20: Second round under way and Eagels get a good hold. My hands are shaking not a good sign.
1:30: Birds have the lead. This is going well. Almost too well.
1:45: So good. Wow you could not ask for a better start for the birds.
1:50: Now the giants fans at the place I'm at, are starting to get pissed, gotta love the tag of favorites.
2:06: Wow the birds could not play worst and still have the lead.
2:45: Wow they have been terrible and still have the lead. I can not believe that. What the hell.
3:20: I really should have taken up something different for a hobby. This way to stressful. Eagles have the lead back. This is nuts. Heart rate on verge of going off the chart.
3:50: Birds up two scores and feel nervous. This is not healthy.
4:10: Wow three weeks a going to the NFC Championship Game seemed like a pipe dream. Now its a reality.
5: For some reason I have no emotional involvement in the Chargers v. Steelers game and just saw a quick kick, what an amazing day.
6:20: Third shirt of the day, North Carolina, is on and ready to go. Let's hope the Heels do what United and the Eagles have already done. Win.
8:00: Carolina vs. Wake Forest in HD. This day is getting better and better.
8:22: Wow this Wake team is better then I thought. Saw them during one of the Thanksgiving time and they were ok never, not this good. Jeff Teague is a player.
8:54: The Heels finally got the lead. Have not played well but now have the lead.
9:20: The second half of the final game is underway. Let's go Heels.
9:34: Starting to show affects of the day but trying to hang in there till the end.
9:45: Wow is Jeff Teague is reminding me of the performance of Randolph Childress put in at ACC Tournament a bunch of years ago.
10:08: So the Heels are not going with the plan today. But two out of three ain't bad.

Wow what a day, lots of yelling at the TV and text messages on the Blackberry but in the end it has been well worth it with United showing that they are not going to give up their Barclay's Premier League title and the Birds going to the NFC title game. Wow.

Arizona here we come

This season has been full of twist and turns, but now the birds are one step away from the Super Bowl. I really feel this has all been a dream from the benching to now this, what else is next. The Philly Daily News sums it up perfectly.

Jim Tressel: A Mans Man

In honor of another bowl game loss, I offer this T-Shirt, found on the Internet, to all of the Ohio State haters up there. Sweater vest and wine coolers, now that is a mans man.

Winners and Losers of the Bowl Season

Wow the Bowl Season has finally ended and what a season it has been. From the TCU vs. Boise State game early in the season to the Ohio State vs. Texas Fiesta Bowl, there have been a ton of ups and downs. Here are the winner and losers from the bowl season.

Winners

• Non-BCS Leagues: With Boise and TCU playing a high quality game early in the bowl season and Utah's win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl teams from non-BCS leagues showed that hey can be a major part of the bowl season.
  
• The Pac-10: For years the league was looked at as being soft. A bad national TV deal leads many in the media to think that they are less of a conference, but during the course of the bowl season they showed that they are force from Oregon's win over Oklahoma State to USC bitch slapping of Penn State.
• Senior Big East QBs Pat White and Mike Teal: Two of the more successful players in the history of the Big East, both ended their careers with bowl win. White over North Carolina, Teal over North Carolina State. It was great to see White fathers singing after is son's bowl win, while Teal, who was the laughing stock of the conference at the start of the year, showed the class he had by bounding back and leading his team to another bowl win. As a season ticket holder at Rutgers, I can only say one thing to Mr. Teal, "Thank you."
• Tulsa: They are the little school that could. Every year they do a great job in developing a great offense and this year was no different. With Todd Graham, the Golden Hurricanes will continue to grow.
• Ole Miss and Vandy: Two of the lower SEC teams each won bowl game and the future looks bright for both teams.
  

Losers

• The Big 10: No shocker their. Every year they look slow and not at pace with other teams it was no different this year. Outclassed in the Fiesta and Rose bowls. They need to go back to drawing board.
  
• Miami: As a fan of the U, this was a hard bowl season from the loss to the California to the mess with QB Robert Marve and the firing of Offensive Coordinator Patrick Nix. It was not fun at all.
• The Sun Bowl: 3-0, no it was not a game from the Barclays Premier League, it was a bowl game. Oregon State and Pitt played one of the worst bowl games in years.
  
• The National Media: So an impressive win over Hawaii has made Notre Dame a national program again. Be careful what you wish for.

This is not good for the Birds

Some times playoff teams can fly under the radar, but not the Birds. This week they are featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. So as a Bird's fan this is not a great sign cause now I have to worry about SI Cover Jinx.

An Ode to the World Juniors

When I was a young child, I know that makes me sound old, I could not wait to for my friend, who lived in back of me to give me the Hockey News during this time of the year so I could see what happened in the World Junior Hockey Champions. For years the tournament was hided from the American sporting public, but not this year.

The NHL Network showed the tournament and it may have reignited my love for the game that is played on a frozen pond.

In the end the Canadians showed why they have won five straight, they were the best team. The atmosphere in Ottawa was amazing, from the New Years Eve showed with the Americans to the final against Sweden, the crowd never stopped. They made the 19,000 seat area sound like a small college gym. Sometimes it made the hair on the back of you neck stand up. Canadian fans view the World Junior as their March Madness and that showed.

In addition to the atmosphere, there were the players. From John Tavares single handed taking over the New Years Eve clash against the Americans, to the fun loving P.K. Subban (picture right), to the giant Chris Pronger look alike Tyler Myers, the steadiness of the Sweds Mike Backlund and Erik Karlsson, to the power of American James van Riemsdyk. The players were the stars of the show. Some people view it as a step down from the NHL but the skills that were on display during the last 10 days were amazing.

In know somewhere up in sky that my friend is looking down smiling know that the tournament that we tried to follow, during the age before Internet was around, now has a home. Hey I can not wait till the puck drops in Saskatoon and Regina next year.

The Dream Continues

Wow the best weekend of the NFL season is behind us, as the Chargers, Cards, Eagles, and Ravens all advance to the divisional round. Here is how the Monday's newspapers covered Sunday games.

Philadelphia Daily News

The Examiner (Baltimore)

Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

The Miami Herald

It's Bowl Day

I think that Family Circus sums up New Years Day. Happy New Year all.

Starting 11 of the Year

With the calendar about to turn to 2009, its time to name the second annual Only Time Will Tell Starting 11. During the course of year the members of the Only Time Will Tell staff have watched countless games to develop this list.

Goalie: Iker Casillas Real Madrid. Back stopped the Spanish Champions and the Euro 2008 Champions. Not a bad year.
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid. Can play in the center or out on the outside.
Defender: Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United. Lifted the EPL Trophy and Mr. Big Ears.
Defender: John Terry, Chelski. Sure he missed the penalty but overall still one of the best.
Defender: Jose Boswinga, Chelski. Fixture at Porto before moving to the bridge. Was one of the few bright lights for Portugal at the Euros.
Midfielders: Franck Ribery, Bayern Munich: By far the best player in Germany.
Midfielder: Marcos Senna, Villarreal. Was the anchor of the Spanish midfield during the Euros and has been an anchor for his club.
Midfielder: Iniesta, Barcelona: During the La Liga season he was ok but during the Euros he was amazing.
Midfielder: Ronaldo, Manchester United. What do you say. Simply amazing.
Forwards: Fernando Torres, Liverpool. First season in the EPL was the stuff dreams are made off.
Forward: Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Inter Milan. Was ok during the first part of the year, but the second half has been his been special.

Manager of the Year and It's not the Special One

The manager of the year is a shocker.

What a Sunday!

A week ago, it looks like the Eagles chance to make the NFL's second season were done, but after a dramatic day the Eagles are flying and the Cowboys are crying. Here is how the papers all over the country covered the final Sunday of the NFL season.

Philadelphia Inquirer

The Philly Daily News

The Trentonian

The Courier Post

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Dallas Morning NewsPioneer Press

Boston Herald

Chicago Sun Times

The Tampa Tribune

Rocky Mountain News

The San Diego Union Tribune

The Miami Herald

The NHL got something right

Leagues all over the world are doing their best to make their television networks the best that they can be. One sport might have already started a network that is going to succeed, NHL Network.

The network, which started a year ago, continues to grow. Last year the networks showed the Memorial Cup. This year the network is fully covering the World Junior Championship. The championship, which is being held in Canada this year, is something that hockey fans have only read about in The Hockey News and on the Internet.

In addition to the world juniors and the Memorial Cup the network has covered college hockey and minor league hockey. The network also offers shows like NHL on the Fly and a broadcast of the XM Radio's Hockey Show. In the future the network could look at working with European Leagues and creating a game of the week type event.

While hockey might be lagging behind other sports in popularity, their network might top of other leagues.

Jose Clause

A Christmas message from the Special One.

Could things be turning for the Aztecs

For the first time in a while, San Diego State appears to be taking college football seriously. I know what people are thinking, San Diego State, why the hell is are you writing about that. Over the last couple of weeks the Aztec Nation has been getting really excited.

First the administration goes and hire Ball State head coach Brady Hoke (right) to lead the football program. Last year Hoke was talked about as the possible head coach at Michigan. Sure the school paid a lot for Hoke, but it shows the commitment that the school is making to improve its terrible football program. Hey if you can win at Ball State, San Diego State might seem like a breeze.

The second reason why things at SDSU are looking up is because Hoke then went and hired Al Borges as the his offensive coordinator. Borges, who took last season off, last was the offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2007. Borges joined the Auburn staff in 2004. Auburn was 33-5 in the three seasons Borges was the offensive coordinator. Borges was one of the guiding lights behind Jason Campbell's development as a quarterback on the plains. He was was the leader of the 2004 Auburn offense that featured running backs Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams. Borges is from the Bill Walsh School of Offense and likes to run a balanced offense.

So with a commitment from the administration the Aztec football might start to turn the corner of the next couple of years.