Like many people, I was excited for the arrival of David Beckham to America, but I did not think that he could revive soccer here. After Beckham played only a handful of minutes in his first couple of MLS games, he finally started against D.C. United on Thursday in a Super Liga game . Beckham’s impact was felt immediately, especially after his goal in the 27th minute. He added an assist later in the game to cap off a Los Angeles Galaxy win. One of the worst teams in Major League Soccer, the Galaxy managed to beat D.C. United mainly because of Beckham. The goal and assist are what stand out, but his presence on the field is what may have won the game. Unlike most MLS players, Beckham has the ability to make great pass after great pass. This leads to multiple scoring chances for the Galaxy. With Landon Donovan at striker, Los Angeles will score a lot more goals than they are used to scoring. Against D.C. United, Beckham’s assist was to Donovan who put the ball in the back of the net. Expect that combination to hook up many more times this season. Read more…
Now that Bonds’ chase for 756 has ended, focus has switched to division and wild card races. Right now, more than half of the teams are within six games of either their division or the Wild Card. This is setting up for an extremely exciting finish to the season and one that baseball fans are really looking forward too. Here is a quick overview of each division and wild card:
AL East
The Red Sox have been playing mediocre ball since the All Star break and their lead in the division has been cut by 4.5 games since then. Their lineup has struggled recently, but their pitching is good enough to balance out the poor hitting. The Yankees have been on fire since the All Star break and they have stormed to the front of the AL Wild Card, with a division crown not out of the picture. The offense has pounded the ball, but recent struggles by Mariano Rivera leave a few question marks in the back of the bullpen. Predicted Winner: Boston Red Sox Read more…
This weekend turned out to be the biggest milestone weekend in years with Tom Glavine getting his 300th win, Alex Rodriguez hitting his 500th home run, and Barry Bonds tying Hank Aaron’s home record. Hideki Matsui even became the first Japanese player to hit 100 home runs, but that was completely overshadowed by the other achievements. With all of these amazing accomplishments come big questions. How does Glavine rank with the game’s best pitchers? Will A-Rod eventually break Bonds’ home run record? What will be the reaction to Bonds’ breaking Aaron’s record?
Let’s begin with Glavine, where he is only the 23rd pitcher and 5th lefty to win 300 games. When you think of great pitchers, Glavine isn’t the person who comes to mind, but should he be? His 3.41 career ERA is excellent and 300 wins makes him a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but if you are picking the best ten pitchers of all time, is he in it? I’d say no, but it is not Glavine’s fault. In this era, pitchers pitch fewer innings, giving them less chance to pick up victories and complete games. That makes 300 wins even that more astounding. Here is my list of top ten pitchers of all time: Read more…
Like many people, I was excited for the arrival of David Beckham to America, but I did not think that he could revive soccer here. After Beckham played only a handful of minutes in his first couple of MLS games, he finally started against D.C. United on Thursday in a Super Liga game . Beckham’s impact was felt immediately, especially after his goal in the 27th minute. He added an assist later in the game to cap off a Los Angeles Galaxy win. One of the worst teams in Major League Soccer, the Galaxy managed to beat D.C. United mainly because of Beckham. The goal and assist are what stand out, but his presence on the field is what may have won the game. Unlike most MLS players, Beckham has the ability to make great pass after great pass. This leads to multiple scoring chances for the Galaxy. With Landon Donovan at striker, Los Angeles will score a lot more goals than they are used to scoring. Against D.C. United, Beckham’s assist was to Donovan who put the ball in the back of the net. Expect that combination to hook up many more times this season. Read more…
