Wild World of Wednesday - November 18, 2009

If you've been a frequent visitor over the life of this blog you will have noticed that I have a rather short attention span when it comes to sports. Bring the next shiny highlight on the screen and I've already forgotten what it was that I was doing in the first place. It doesn't bother me at all, I just go with it. Honestly, I don't understand why I should only follow one sport! For me, that would be completely impossible. Don't get me wrong - I truly admire those who can focus on only one sport. I would probably be a much better golfer if that was all I did. Heck, I know I'd really shred in the water if I only concentrated on surfing.

The wild thought I realized this morning was that I have barely written about much of anything but surfing and golf in the last few months. This hit me when I heard a news headline as I woke up and heard that the Galaxy are in the playoffs? Wow, where have I been? Disgusted with the whole Beckham thing last year I guess.

Actually, I have really been trying to DO as opposed to WATCH. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoy being at a stadium or even watching a good match up on television. Over the last year I've really been more focused on DOING. I can't sit quietly for long periods of time. I've got to get out and be active.

No matter the season or region, there is something that you can be DOING. Seriously. Get off the couch or bar stool and do something.

What are you going to do?






Today In Sports History - The Birthday Edition

Happy Birthday to: Warren Moon, Gary Sheffield, David Ortiz, and Jason Williams

In A Mood

I was looking back and laughing a bit at some of my posts that were written when I was feeling a bit feisty. I think they are pretty funny and the comments are certainly interesting on a few. Of course, I will never rant on like today's video about actually hating sports but I found it funny that this guy felt he needed to make a weekly show professing his hate of sports. All I have to say is that there is a thin line between love and hate. As for my rants - you be the judge:

I was tired of hearing about my hometown not being a "sports town". Read my rant and tell me what you think. Don't hate us.

This one sure got a reaction and even ranked up there on Digg after it was written. This was Brett Favre's first retirement. (Special note: please stay home Brett. Take up golf or something.)

One of my other favorites is when I wax poetic about the problem with sports in Los Angeles. The original image had to be replaced so some of the comments may not make sense.

Another of my personal favorites is this silly tirade. I just had to do it.

What is your favorite thing to rant about?

General Observations and Complaints

The last two weeks has been nuts for me! First, I was in Orlando at the PGA Merchandise Show and then in Tampa during Super Bowl weekend. While I was in Florida I ran into Golf Girl and BJ. I was pretty excited to actually see people in person that I had only known online. I got back in to Los Angeles on Monday night and immediately had a big project that I had to finish. Today I finally get to take a breather!

I've been keeping up as well as possible and falling asleep/waking up to SportsCenter so I'm not totally out of the loop. I thought I'd take today to make some observations, point you to some info, and complain about Manny Ramirez again.

Golf: If you haven't been to the Golf WRX website and are a golf fanatic then you are missing out. It has to be the largest online community for golfers around the world. I was in Orlando covering the PGA Show for them along with five other Golf WRXers. All of our pictures are in the threads here. I contributed some of the equipment, 95% of the fashion and accessories, and all of the Ian Poulter fashion show.

WNBA: Lisa Leslie has decided to retire from the WNBA. Lisa has been the face of women's basketball for the last decade in the eyes of many. We'll miss you, Lisa! Will there be an actual ceremony to pass the torch to Candace Parker? That would rock!

Lip Service: The Dodgers are allegedly actively pursuing Manny Ramirez. Yeah, and I'm a Boston Red Sox fan. Seriously, is this the way to keep the issue in the news so the McCourts can label themselves heroes when they resign him? Guess what, greedy folks? Angelinos are losing jobs in record numbers. Attendance just may suffer this year. Let me guess, you're still going to raise parking rates another $5 and claim poverty otherwise so that you can raise ticket prices. Yes, I'm bitter...

Thanks For Nothing: Thank you, Mr. Beckham. I just want you to know how much I appreciate that my local news has been filled with your family's every move for the last year and a half and you are now tossing us aside. Los Angeles was more than patient and good to you and your wife. Now, you insist on going back on your commitment and heading back to Europe. Pardon us for being a giant metropolitan area where there is more to do than just watch soccer. We have other sports, entertainment, outdoor activities year round, and millions of residents. Did you not get enough attention? Aww, poor baby.

My Dream For 2009

In my ideal sports world, this is what would happen in 2009:

The Dodgers re-sign Manny Ramirez and everyone else that they are dragging their feet about. They have a stellar season and win the World Series.

The Angels own up to the fact that their stadium is well over an hour away from Los Angeles, in another county completely, and drop the "Los Angeles" title from their name. They go back to the California Angels moniker.

The Lakers sweep the Celtics for the title.

The Galaxy and Chivas USA play so well that the city of Los Angeles is actually really interested in soccer. Really.

The Sparks start selling out and become an elite event to attend, complete with celebrity fans littered throughout the crowd.

Barry Melrose comes back to the Kings and makes them a real hockey team again.

An NFL team will return to Los Angeles. It will be IN the city of Los Angeles and not out in I.E. or some crazy place two hours outside of the city.

Yes, the chances are slim that ALL of these will happen, but one can dream!

What are your sports dreams for 2009?

Sports Logic

You know how sports fans sometimes have crazy logic for why we root for certain teams that aren’t from our hometown? Not everyone does this, but a vast majority of sports fans use creative sports logic to justify who they root for. For example, here are “my teams” that I root for and why I chose them:

Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles Galaxy, Los Angeles Kings: These are all the teams from my hometown. I was born and raised in Los Angeles so this makes sense, yeah? Not very hard to imagine why I’m interested in these. Now for the more "creative" followings:

I’ll follow what I call the “lesser” teams to root for SoCal against all other teams if one of my aforementioned teams are not playing, especially in a playoff position. For example, you’ll see me cheer on the Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Clippers, Chivas USA, and the Anaheim Ducks. This is ONLY if they are not playing my real L.A. teams or even certain Florida teams in playoff situations but this is not set in stone.

USC and UCLA: Yes, it is blasphemy, but they are both in my hometown and I have many good friends that attended one or the other.

USF: I went to college at the University of Tampa and we did not have a football team. (Well, they did up until 1974 when John Matuszak graduated.) Instead, we were granted admission to USF Bulls games for free. This program has only been around for a short time and they manage to be ranked high in the BCS lately so it’s great to cheer them on. Go Bulls!

University of Miami: I was accepted to college here but decided to be in Tampa instead. I absolutely love the city of Miami and visit when I can. Of course, they cannot be playing one of the teams that were mentioned earlier in any NCAA games. This rooting system for college teams goes for all sports - not just football.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning: Again, I went to college in Tampa and had an absolute blast going to all of these games that I could. By default, I might also root for the Orlando Magic since I was able to catch some of their pre-season games in Tampa. On that note the Carolina Panthers can disappear from existence without any tears from me.

Oakland Raiders: The only team to bring a Super Bowl ring to my hometown of Los Angeles. Al Davis is making this a real challenge nowadays.

San Diego Chargers: They are very close and the city loves them!

San Francisco 49ers: Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Bill Walsh - need I say more?

Manchester United: The Glazers own them. They also own the Bucs. Get it?

When there is any conference final or championship game, I will root for the West Coast or Florida team depending on the circumstances. There is an entire silly grid in my head of the order.

Golf: Phil Mickelson gets my vote since he is a left-handed SoCal native like yours truly. Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa are cheered for because they are class acts. Of course, California native Tiger Woods is a favorite as well.

Bottom line – I love sports. Chill out and let’s watch a game! Was this a totally lame post? Maybe...give me a break...I can't be full of wit and charm every day.

What is your odd sports logic for a team you follow?

Sunday Sports Wrap - August 31, 2008

I started this regular feature when the NFL was not in season to highlight that there were plenty of happenings in the sports world on Sundays without the NFL. I love the NFL just as much as anyone, but I also love MLB, MLS, NBA, etc. I'm sure now that what is now considered to be the most popular sport in the US starts its regular season next week the sports blogosphere will be filled with football, football, and more football (nothing wrong with that). I'm going to continue the Sunday Sports Wrap feature as I always have while including some NFL observations. Otherwise, we'll still have what else is going on in sports and a bit of history as always. The only exceptions are when I've covered a minor league in the area the night before. At any rate, that was all a long-winded explanation of the premise of the Sunday Sports Wrap for those of you who haven't been around here for very long. Now, on with it:

MLB: One of the biggest pleasures this baseball season has been writing about the Rays at the top of the AL. As of this morning they are 4.5 ahead of the Red Sox and 11.5 ahead of the Yankees. The Trop must certainly be a fun place to be right now. The Rays host the Orioles today after a 10-9 victory over them yesterday. A Tampa native I know commented that they might actually get a new stadium now. I never saw anything wrong with the old one but I hope they get the respect they deserve from the home crowd.

WNBA: The West is pretty tight with Seattle, San Antonio, and Los Angeles jockeying for the top. Seattle is at Connecticut today in a nationally-televised match-up.

MLS: Chicago travels to Houston today. The Dynamo are ahead in the West with 32 points. The Galaxy are waaaaay back with 25 points. Even Chivas USA is ahead of Los Angeles at this point with 27 points. Looks like the Galaxy took a page out of the Dodgers playbook - stay strong at first but finish out with a fizzle...


Today in Sports History

1964 - Ground is broken for Anaheim Stadium, future home of the Angels

1997 - Don Mattingly's #23 is retired by the Yankees

Football Blogspotting

With the NFL and Premier League starting up I thought we’d do some football blogspotting. I mean all football, futebol, and futbol in every form that you can think of. I've pointed out before that if you're only interested in the American variety you are missing out. Think about it...the entire planet is completely taken by the soccer variety. There certainly has to be something to that.

Dave’s Football Blog inspired me to create this edition of blogspotting. This site covers NFL, soccer, rugby, and forms of “football” you probably didn’t realize existed. Go through the pages and there is a description of what he calls the six most popular forms of football on the planet (Association, American, Australian, Rugby, Canadian, and Gaelic). Give it a look!

While you’re at it, hop over and see what Georgina is up to at For Girls Who Can’t Do Football and then go to FOOTBALL: Just Love The Game. These both cover the Euro action far better than I do! FC Football Blog also covers the European teams and has really cool highlight videos and I should give a shout to Football Videos and Pictures on that same note.

In The Bleachers has your NCAA College Football blog coverage. You can also check out their podcasts.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – if you want a ton of news about futebol all over the planet then you must check out A Futebol Fan. I’ve not seen a blog that covers nearly every bit of the happenings like this one does.

I can’t mention football blogs without pointing you to some of my favorite NFL teams. Here’s and Raiders blog, a 49ers blog, a Chargers blog, and of course…a Bucs blog! Draft Day Suit covers much of the NFL world as well. Speaking of NFL team blogs, check out Lombardi Ave…for guess what team…

Speaking of favorites…I came across this interesting blog for Manchester United and this one.

(What’s that? How could I be a Man U fan? Simple…if you’ve been paying attention you know that I did my undergrad in Tampa and followed the Bucs while there. Anyhoo, the Glazers own the Bucs…and they bought Man U a few years ago. Poof! That is how I chose which team to follow since I have no other justification to jump on any other bandwagons. But…I must admit…I watch Chelsea and Arsenal and then hop over to Real Madrid and AC Milan...oh yeah, and I get South American games with my satellite… If you didn’t believe that I had sports ADD before then you must now…)

You can follow ex-Man U star David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy here at The Offside. I also found MLS Fan Blog that covers the rest of the league.

Of course, I have to remind everyone that I give you Southern California Minor League football right here. Although the Southern California Breakers season is over for now, use the search bar to find coverage of this awesome women's professional team. Women's Football Talk also has coverage of the IWFL and NWFA leagues and does a weekly radio show with people in the sport. I also bring you the TC Titans who are in the midst of their season now.

At any rate…tell me what your favorite football blog is. I mean any form of football. Tell me about some that are not in this post or on my blogroll.

Sunday Sports Wrap - August 3, 2008

NFL Football: Well here it is. The first pre-season NFL game is today. All across America fans have an eager anticipation that has them waiting like a child before a birthday. Yeah, I get quite excited…and then I just feel robbed. The pre-season is fun for a moment but I lose interest quickly unless I actually go to a game. The plays don’t look the same as they do in the regular season nor do the players. Of course, I’ll always watch at least the first part of the Hall of Fame Game. Tonight’s matchup is the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Washington Redskins. I’m sure fans will be talking about what sort of season Peyton Manning will have after surgery and how the Colts will fare in the AFC. The Redskins have their own high hopes for the season as well but a preseason game doesn’t really answer many questions…we just get more to speculate about…

MLS Soccer: Today the Los Angeles Galaxy visit the San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas go to Toronto FC. The Galaxy have fallen back a bit and are third in the West.

MLB Baseball: Check out the schedule and see plenty. Let’s see how Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake do for the Dodgers. They’ve got more than one bat, now let’s see some wins!

Golf: The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational finishes today. Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh are at the top of the pack.

Today in Sports History

1944 - Tommy Brown, just 16 years and 8 months old, makes his MLB debut at shortstop for Dodgers

1970 – A 4 day NFL strike ends that started with a brief lockout by the owners.

1992 - Dodgers win their 3,000th game since moving to Los Angeles

Sunday Sports Wrap - July 27, 2008

MLS: There are four games today: New York vs. San Jose, Los Angeles vs. Dallas, Chicago vs. Kansas City, and Columbus vs. Colorado. The Galaxy are still slightly behind Real Salt Lake in the west and New England is alone atop the east.

Futbol: Real Madrid's coach is concerned about the club's obsession with Cristiano Ronaldo. He does not want the team to miss out on other athletes that may boost the roster. In another part of the futbol world, Ronaldinho will be the captain of the Brazilian team at the Olympics next month.

WNBA: Again, plenty of coverage today: New York vs. Atlanta, Connecticut vs. Washington, San Antonio vs. Detroit, Los Angeles vs. Minnesota, Indiana vs. Phoenix, and Sacramento vs. Seattle. After a strong start, the Sparks are near the bottom of the pile. Sacramento will be the one to watch today as they've won their last seven in a row.

MLB: As usual this time of year, there are baseball games all over the country. Tampa Bay is still on top of their division. Boston is two games behind and New York is three. Go Rays! Here in Los Angeles, the Dodgers are clinging to life a game behind Arizona. I feel like a broken record with baseball for sure and am considering just doing a copy and paste from the prior Sunday from here out.


Today in Sports History

1959 - William Shea announces that he plans to have a baseball team in New York City in 1961

1975 - New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is born in New York.

1997 - Stewart Cink wins golf's Greater Hartford Open by shooting a 267

Wild World of Wednesday - July 23, 2008

NBA and Basketball: Do you miss the NBA season? I do. There has been a lot to catch up on with the trades and other business happening. I’ve been getting my fill at Club Lakers and And One . Speaking of basketball, have you heard of 3BA? It’s a new league of 3-on-3 basketball with different rules that tours the country. They’ll be in Anaheim for the next stop on July 26th.

NFL Football: Brian Urlacher is finally happy with the Bears and has signed a contract extension that keeps him in Chicago until 2012. Peyton Manning will reportedly be ready to take the field with the Colts at the season’s start. Manning had knee surgery in the offseason that has some speculating if he’ll miss a start. Donovan McNabb claims to feel great and is ready to lead the Eagles to a winning season. We’ve all heard the phrase “I’d rather have Donovan McNabb in a full body cast than another healthy QB.” Hopefully it won’t come to that and he stays healthy through the season.

Golf: Rocco Mediate called in to the Dan Patrick show yesterday morning. Seriously, how can you not like this guy? He comes across as a real, down-to-earth, everyman. He says he’s even game to do a commercial with Tiger Woods where he’s at Tiger’s place cleaning his pool. Listen to his appearance here. Phil Mickelson also made an appearance and predicted that the San Diego Chargers would win it all this season…not that he’s biased there…

MLS Soccer: Real Salt Lake is now in first place in the West, followed closely by the Los Angeles Galaxy. New England is tops in the East with a comfortable lead over Columbus. Tomorrow MLS All-Stars face the Premier League’s West Ham squad. A hooligan alert has been sounded in North America for West Ham’s pre-season tour. Great.

Surfing: The US Open of Surfing has been going on since Friday and continues through Monday. The Festival Venue opens tomorrow and will feature skate, FMX, and concerts. The event takes place in Huntington Beach in spite of the marine layer.


Today in Sports History

1936 – Brooklyn Dodgers draftee Don Drysdale is born in Van Nuys, Ca.

1973 - Los Angeles Dodgers favorite Nomar Garciaparra is born in Whittier, Ca.

1974 – Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey is the MVP of the MLB All-Star Game.

1995 - John Daly wins the British Open.

Wild World of Wednesday - July 9, 2008

That other basketball team in Los Angeles (you know, the Clippers?) has been in the news quite a bit lately. First, they reportedly had a deal working with Baron Davis and then Elton Brand agrees to a deal with the 76ers. The next few days should be interesting for the team as they try to be relevant in Los Angeles. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s cool to have two teams here. We certainly have the population for it. I’ve just been a Lakers fan since I can remember.

Don’t look now, but the Dodgers are actually winning a few games. In fact, Kuroda almost had a no-hitter the other night. At any rate, they remain ½ game behind the Diamondbacks. I feel like a broken record talking about baseball. The Dodgers are mediocre and the Rays are awesome.

Tomorrow night is the Chivas USA vs. L.A. Galaxy match. Yes, we have two MLS soccer teams in Los Angeles also (gosh, it’s great to be an Angelino). This is an especially important meeting since the Galaxy are in 1st place and Chivas are in second.


Today in Sports History

1877 – The first Wimbledon tennis championship is held.

1947 - OJ Simpson, once a celebrated athlete, is born today

1996 – Mike Piazza, catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the MVP of the All-Star Game.

1997 – Mike Tyson gets banned from boxing for biting Evander Holyfield on the ear in a June 28th match.

2002 - The baseball All-Star game is played in Milwaukee and finishes in a 7-7 tie after 11 innings when both teams ran out of pitchers.

Sunday Sports Wrap - June 22, 2008

Baseball, baseball, baseball! With the NBA Finals over we can turn our attention back to the MLB. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are still in contention at only 0.5 back of the Red Sox. Remarkable. The Yankees, on the other hand, are 5 games back from the Red Sox. You can’t really say it was Joe Torre that made the difference for the Yankees. Why? Well, he sure isn’t steering the Dodgers into the fast lane. Sure, they’re in 2nd place in the division at 4.5 games behind Arizona. The only reason they are doing that well is because the rest of the division stinks so badly. Today the Astros visit the Rays and the Indians visit the Dodgers.

The ASP World Tour is still in South Africa for the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay. Taj Burrow is the defending champ and once thought he saw a shark at this event. Back in 2003, what he thought was a large dorsal fin turned out to be a whale according to judges. He was never able to get his groove back to get back in contention for that year. Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater have taken this event in the past, as has Andy Irons. Oh yeah, and Slater is the current world number one and totally on fire lately.

There are four WNBA games today. Indiana will come to Los Angeles for the night game. The Sparks are currently number one in the West with an 8-3 record. Indiana is 6-5.

Only one MLS game is on today, with San Jose visiting DC United. Each team is at or near the bottom in the standings. The Los Angeles Galaxy remain number one in the West. Woo Hoo!


Today in Sports History

1994 – The United States beats Colombia 2-1 in the 1994 World Cup (soccer). This is the team’s 1st win since 1950. Brazil went on to take all the marbles.

Sunday Sports Wrap - May 18, 2008

Another Sunday is upon us and with that some more to show that there is sports life without NFL games on this day. Of course, you can always watch the NFL Network for your fix. It is starting to get a bit more interesting since training camps have started. The lineup today also has replays of games from last year like the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants, and Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers. The replay shows are only 90 minutes and they cut out unnecessary pieces and add in parts of the press conference in another screen.

In the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics face off in game 7 of the series. The home team has won most of the games in the playoffs so far, although Detroit and Los Angeles have been able to go against the grain. Can Cleveland do the same?

The Los Angeles Galaxy travel to face FC Dallas today in Major League Soccer. Both clubs go into the match at 7-2 for the season, although Dallas has a better record in the division.


An interesting tidbit of news was on the Yahoo! homepage this morning. A mother didn’t show up for her shift at the concessions stand for her son’s little league game. The league suspended her son for two games. She’s obviously upset but I’m sure the parents that spend the time to volunteer for the league aren’t feeling bad for her. Sure, the child shouldn’t be punished for a parent’s actions but they should also have a solid example of responsibility. I’m sure the child will recall in the future that when he doesn’t live up to his commitments he is not the only one that suffers.


Today in Sports History

1929 – In the first game of a double-header, the Dodgers beat the Phillies 20-16. They lost the second 8-6 for a total of 50 runs for the day.

1942 – New York City stops night baseball for the remainder of WWII.

1971 – Montreal Canadiens capture Lord Stanley’s Cup by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4 games over three.

1977 – Juventus wins 6th UEFA Cup in Bilbao, Spain. They had been unsuccessful on two previous attempts.

Wild World of Wednesday - May 7, 2008

In spite of my complaints yesterday, I found some fun stories today about sports that made me smile. Besides that, there is so much going on this week! May is a great sports month with NBA and NHL playoffs, the MLB season getting in full gear, and action sports are happening everywhere!

The best story so far this week has to be that of high school freshman Gabby Sanchez. She pitches and beat out fifteen boys to make the cut on her junior varsity high school baseball team. Gabby has never played softball, but has played baseball since she was four years old. I’ve heard many say that if a woman was to play Major League Baseball, it would be a pitcher. Go Gabby go!

Another fun story is that of Brett Favre’s retirement. Sort of. David Whitthoft stopped wearing his Favre jersey after 1,561 days. Of course, plenty of mature people commented on this but if you ignore that the story is funny. Why is it newsworthy? Because it isn’t someone going to jail, doing drugs, or otherwise causing controversy. This is just a quip about a young boy that was an avid sports fan and someone found him to write a story about it. There are far more ridiculous stories in the news nowadays…

The “worst kept secret in the NBA” was finally announced yesterday. Kobe Bryant is officially, really the league MVP for 2007-08. There is plenty of chatter about this in the blogosphere and mainstream media. Many Angelinos have a love-hate relationship with Kobe. He is admirable on the court but causes controversy when off.

Hey, did you notice that David Beckham is scoring more? Really, he is! I’ve seen several highlights lately. In fact, he was named the MLS Player of the Week! Keep it up Becks!

Speaking of Player of the Week, Los Angeles Dodgers OF Matt Kemp nabbed the MLB NL title for his 11 RBI week! Is there hope for the Dodgers? They’ve won 10 of their last 11 games...

And while we are in Los Angeles, the Lakers play game 2 in their series against the Utah Jazz. New Orleans plays the Spurs in San Antonio and the Magic host the Pistons in game 3. The Celtics won a close one against the Cavaliers last night. Ah, the NBA playoffs…what a great time of year…

And the NHL playoffs continue as well with only 4 teams remaining.


Today in Sports History:

1959 – The first Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball attendance record at the Coliseum was set with 93,103 fans in attendance for Roy Campanella Night. Sandy Kofax pitched a 6-2 win against the New York Yankees. Not until this year (2008) did the worldwide record for one baseball game's attendance fall when the Dodgers returned to the Coliseum to celebrate their 50th year in Los Angeles.

1972 – Los Angeles Lakers defeat the New York Nicks for the NBA title 4 games to 1.

1982 – A federal jury rules that the NFL violates antitrust laws by preventing the Oakland Raiders NFL team from moving to Los Angeles.

5 Questions With GolTV’s Phil Schoen

If you’ve watched a GolTV soccer broadcast then you’ve likely heard Phil Schoen (pronounced SHANE) calling a game alongside the always emotional Ray Hudson (see video). In addition, Schoen is one of the hosts of the network’s “American Soccer” program. In the sports world for many years, he’s been involved in American football, baseball, and basketball reporting and is a fixture of the South Florida scene. A lifelong soccer fan, Phil was kind enough to be a guest for my five questions:

1. What do you find is the biggest resistance to soccer in the United States? We must be missing something here since it is so popular in the rest of the world - what do you think is the barrier?

The historic answer goes back around the time of World War I when many immigrants stopped supporting the game and took up other sports, mainly baseball in an effort to appear less foreign and show their patriotism towards their new home.

Many new fans don't realize how big soccer was back then. It rivaled baseball in many cities in the northeast - outdrawing, sometimes doubling the attendance of neighboring baseball teams. People talk about Crew Stadium being the first soccer specific stadium, but Marks Field in Rhode Island held 15,000 back when it was built in 1922 - and Bethlehem Steel built its soccer stadium seven years before that.

Since then, I would say it's a bit of a comfort-zone problem. Many people - especially those who have made a living in sports journalism and broadcasting - feel threatened when it comes to learning a new sport. The same situation exists with the people that control the purse-strings of sports sponsorship.

I think we are about to experience a huge opportunity in the near future as many of these 'bumps in the road' decision makers are retiring and being replaced by a generation that has grown up, not only familiar with the sport, but in many cases in love with it.

Couple that with a better infrastructure in regards to stadiums and training facilities and a younger generation that can do more than 'play with heart' and the future looks bright.

2. One thing I know gets even the most savvy sports fans confused is the offsides rule - can you give me the quick synopsis of that rule?

One thing that gets mentioned by ex-non-soccer people is that it's like a moving blue line in hockey. Personally I think that makes it more confusing. (smile) It's very simple, just like the sport. The hard part is the speed that everything is happening might be too much for a human official to judge all the time. However, mistakes keep the human element in the sport.

Basically, you need to have two people from the other team between you and the goal line at the moment the ball is last played by one of your teammates. Normally, that's the goalkeeper and another defender. And that touch could be a pass or a shot.

The rule was instituted years ago to prevent players from cherry-picking and harassing the opposing goalkeeper. However, then the rule was to prevent people from being yards offside. Now, it seems to be as fine as millimeters.

The rule has been modified in the past. Before you needed daylight between you and the second defender. Now you only need to be no closer to the goal than that defender, basically in line. In addition, the only parts of your body that matter are the parts that can legally touch the ball, in other words hands and arms don't count.

FIFA has asked officials to give the benefit of the doubt to the offense. However, every linesman seems top have the Wisdom of Solomon and no doubt whatsoever considering the number of blown calls around the world every week.

Personally, I would like to see them 'reverse' the earlier rule and make it so that the offensive player is onside until there is daylight separating him from the defender. That way, it would tend to be only blatant offside calls that would be made.

3. Another thing that has confused some of us - the Champions League and Champions Cup in Europe. Are they the same thing? What is the difference?

It's a progression of the same tournament. Basically, it's the championship for club teams in Europe for the European Cup. Not to be confused with the EURO tournament for nations which gets underway this summer in Austria and Switzerland!

4. Which American MLS team is the one to watch this year? Other than the one big name player that nearly everyone has heard, who are the big name stars in the MLS today?

It will be interesting to follow Los Angeles as they will either start to shine like the star that they are made out to be, or implode because of the salary restrictions placed on them by having so many high priced players. Kinda like waiting near that dangerous intersection for the next wreck! (smile)

I think this is the year that some of the non/under-achievers make their move. Columbus and Salt Lake will do better and I think Colorado could make some noise as well if they can acquire or develop a true center forward to take advantage of their midfield strength.

As far as league favorites, my pre-season picks were Dallas and DC, and even though DC is slow out of the gates they have the talent to come back strong, as does Houston out west.

5. What is in store for your show "American Soccer"? What can we expect in the near future? Any exciting guests coming up?

Ay, yay, yay... Love to have Amy Winehouse stop by for a quick chat. (smile) Other than that... hmmm. Well, since we don't have a team down here in Miami (frown) we have to be a little more proactive and take what we can get when we can get it. We have some arrangements in Europe for an occasional feature and we do go out on the road about 4-5 times a year.

We were at the World Cup in Germany. We were planning on going to the Copa America until we found out the US was not really going to try to win it. South Africa is already on the drawing boards although that has a lot of steps to take before it's a done deal. We're going to try to make it a habit to go to the MLS Cup, and continue to attend the NSCAA convention, which is an amazing place to meet and greet with true soccer nuts.

Really, star power is nice but American Soccer is more of a show where you will get critical analysis of the sport in the United States. It's a show where we try not to talk down to the existing knowledgeable fans in an effort to hopefully woo some new viewers. I believe that if you truly give soccer a chance you can't help but fall in love with it, and that love and passion needs to have a place to vent - and that's us!

More Fan Lawsuits!?

Alright, this one really makes me ill! Apparently David Beckham was being kind and handed the jersey off of his back to a child in the crowd at a game. Tugging and fighting resulted and now a potential lawsuit! The parents of these children have hired lawyers for possession of the jersey. Really!?

More frivolous lawsuits by fans. Great. What is wrong with people? This is a really crummy example for the children. Think about it, they are taking legal action over an article of clothing. While I am an admirer of athletes, they are just other humans on our planet and not deities. (Of course they are talented, well-off, and popular but that is beside the point). Certainly there was a more amicable way to deal with this. The children involved are now being taught that you should fight over trivialities in life and then sue when you don’t get your way.

In fact, a photo shows one of the boys struggling with other kids over the jersey with the other boy in the lawsuit standing behind him. What makes it even more disappointing is that the two boys are reportedly close friends.

Alexi Lalas told the media that a judge should teach the children about sharing and cut the jersey in half. Michael Wilbon of ESPN’s PTI pointed out that Beckham and the Galaxy could end the fight now by videotaping Beckham signing two jerseys and shipping them off to the boys. Of course, the caveat to the latter is that it teaches the kids that if they whine loud enough they will get what they want in life. Perhaps the answer is to take it away from both of them and auction it off for charity. On the other hand, this sort of gesture by the Galaxy could have ended the absurdity of this entire episode before it got to this stage. In addition, the MLS is not exactly the most popular sport in the States and this will certainly not help make them look good. Seriously, what is a jersey to them? These poor kids have lost a friendship over something trivial and made another argument for those who don’t like soccer and disappointment for those of us who do.

What do you think should happen?