Author: Christopher Glotfelty (Page 57 of 67)

      Beckham wants release from Galaxy to stay in Milan

      February 5, 2009 /

      beckhamDavid Bekcham’s three-month stint in Italy playing for Serie A team AC Milan will conclude on March 8. Apparently, he’s had so much fun playing for the club that he wants out of his five-year $32.5 million MLS contract, of which he still has three years remaining.

      “At the moment my lawyers are not talking to the Galaxy but I have expressed my desire to stay at AC Milan now and it’s just down to Milan and Galaxy to come to an agreement,” Beckham said. “I have enjoyed my time here. I knew I would enjoy it but I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I have and do as well as I have.”

      Since arriving, Beckham has scored twice and helped to lift Milan up to second place in the Serie A standings.

      He has also been included in Milan’s 25-man roster for UEFA Cup games against Werder Bremen on Feb. 18 and 26.

      “I’ve expressed my desire to stay here for a while but at the moment I’m still a Galaxy player,” Beckham said. “I respect the Galaxy and everything they have done for me. They have always been great to me.

      “But I hope they can come to an agreement and it’s down to the clubs now. At this point it’s out of my hands. I’ve said what my feelings are to both clubs.”

      Honestly, I can’t blame him. I think we all saw this coming from the beginning. It’s kind of like when you’re in elementary school and you play basketball with your friends at recess or lunch. But your friends aren’t very good and you, well, you rock. Then one day some of the older and better players ask you to join them for a game. You have the choice of playing in a much more demanding and exciting competition or you could stay and play “Horse” for the umpteenth time with your friends. So, you compromise and tell your friends that it will just be one game. Of course you have the time of your life, knock down a couple buckets and get a pat on the back from the star sixth-grader. Then you tell your friends you will only play at recess. Then you’re telling them you’ll catch up with them walking home after school.

      In this case, while Beckham has done well and made friends in the MLS, the league doesn’t offer the same experience as the EPL. Also, this isn’t about money, as Beckham would probably make less if he continued to play for AC Milan. There’s just a lot less pressure for Beckham when playing in Europe. He already established himself as a world-class player when playing for Manchester United so he doesn’t have to act like the poster child for a league like he does with the MLS. When he came over to the U.S., most Americans simply associated him with that movie and his hot wife. He really is a great player and frankly, he’s better than the MLS.

      Think about it – would you rather play with Ronaldhino in beautiful Milan or (insert unknown player name here) in Los Angeles?

      Soccer

      The MLBPA to form a training camp for its unsigned free agents

      February 4, 2009 /

      seligNext week, pitchers and catchers will report to spring training. By this time, usually most of the league’s free agents have been signed. It’s been both an extremely lucrative or unbearably unfortunate offseason for these players. While 216 players originally filed for free agency, about a third still don’t have a job. Rather than have these players rot at home while their colleagues get ready to go, the MLBPA will decide next week whether to open a training camp for its free agents.

      With dozens of players still unsigned, the union is expected to decide within one week whether to organize a training camp of its own, with the Dodgers’ abandoned spring home in Florida among the sites under consideration.

      This would not be a first. The union organized a similar camp in 1995, with hundreds of free agents scrambling for jobs following a strike settlement.

      What baseball’s collective bargaining agreement means is that teams cannot act in concert to set or depress the market, no matter how rough the economy.

      The sport generated a record $6.5 billion in revenue last year, much of it insulated from the recession via long-term deals for broadcast rights, luxury seating and advertisements.

      The union isn’t sure how the economic slump can fully account for so many players out of work so close to spring training. For now, the union is neither alleging collusion nor ruling it out.

      Stewart smells something fishy, citing two stars he does not represent. Consider Sheets, for instance, who had an injury last season but still pitched 198 innings and made his fourth All-Star team at age 29.

      “I don’t see any reason why guys like Ben Sheets and Orlando Hudson would still be out there,” Stewart said. “They’re quality players.”

      That would be something else. To watch this mixture of free agents playing together would be interesting to say the least. They’d be vying for a job, essentially. As it stands, this is the closest that MLB can get to pick-up baseball.

      The article doesn’t state that the players are obligated to go this camp. Still, the dedicated ones will show up. It’s almost as if these guys are trying out for their high school team. Each individual has something to prove. The big name guys need to convince the scouts, GMs, and owners that they still have what it takes to earn a bulky contract, while the lesser-known players are just trying to make their case for any contract.

      I think it’s obvious what’s going to happen, though. Mark Cuban is going to show up and offer every player a deal in hopes of starting his own team. He’ll take this proposition to Bud Selig. Since the remaining 70 or so free agents would suddenly have a job playing for the upstart Dallas Cubans, Selig would suddenly be out of a bind and have to agree.

      MLB

      Australian Open Women’s Finals Preview

      January 30, 2009 /

      Serena Williams (2) vs. Dinara Safina (3)

      serenaAt 27 years of age, Serena Williams has seen more success than all the players on the WTA Tour combined. She has won nine singles Grand Slams and, after yesterday’s championship victory, eight doubles Grand Slams with her sister Venus. She’s been on the Tour so long that a distinctive pattern has emerged particular to the Australian Open: if it’s an odd-numbered year, Serena will win the tournament. She’s previously claimed the title in Melbourne in 2003, 2005, and 2007. Despite playing doubles and having to endure the sweltering heat, Serena has played well in every match and shown no signs of fatigue.

      Her opponent is Dinara Safina, an aggressive Russian with a powerful forehand, an endless supply of energy, and an outspoken dedication to winning. It’s fun to watch her at press conferences as it almost pains her to play the sweetheart. Safina has never won a Grand Slam, though this is supposed to be her breakout year. But that’s a bunch of bunk — just about every player on the WTA Tour is supposedly having their breakout year. There’s such parity that nearly every player ranked in the top 10 will surpass world #1 Jelena Jankovic after this tournament. (Jankovic failed to make it past the fourth round.) Safina is the obvious underdog. She’s lost her last two matches to Serena in straight sets. If she were playing anybody other than Serena, I’d say she had this one in the bag.

      Live coverage of the women’s finals will air early tomorrow morning (Saturday) on ESPN2 at 3:30 AM ET. It will then be replayed on Saturday at 9 AM ET and 8 PM ET on the same network.

      Tennis

      Australian Open Semifinals Preview

      January 28, 2009 /

      roddickWe’re down to the final four days of the Australian Open. In a few short hours ESPN2 will air its live coverage of both the men’s and women’s semifinals. So far, the tournament has been both intense and heartwarming. Jelena Dokic, after being out of the game for almost a year because of struggles with her domineering father, has made it all the way to the quarterfinals in front of a home crowd. Andy Roddick, whom many had written off last year, knocked out third-seeded Novak Djokovic and advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal in almost two years. I’ve previewed the four semifinal matches below:

      Women’s Semifinals

      Vera Zvonareva (7) vs. Dinara Safina (3)
      Zvonareva and Safina are just two of the eight million Russians who entered this tournament. However, along with countrywomen Elena Dementieva and injured Maria Sharapova, they happen to be the best. Whereas the talented (and pretty, pretty, pretty) Zvonareva has never advanced past a Grand Slam quarterfinal, Safina has been close to winning one a number of times. She’s coming off a semifinals loss to Serena Williams at the U.S. Open and would like nothing more than to win down under. Safina should take this one in straight sets.

      Elena Dementieva (4) vs. Serna Williams (2)
      Due to Jelena Jankovic’s poor showing at the Open, either Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, or Serena Williams will become the #1 ranked women’s player if they win this tournament. Dementieva is another one of those gifted players who has never won a Grand Slam despite getting extremely close over the years. Still, she won the gold medal in Beijing and made it to the semifinals at last year’s U.S. Open. Serena happened to win that tournament and has been playing beastly tennis in Australia. Expect this one to go three sets.

      Men’s Semifinals

      Andy Roddick (7) vs. Roger Federer (2)
      Thank you, Andy Roddick. The fact that there is an American male in a Grand Slam semifinal is reason enough to celebrate. Why, you ask? Well, in the last two years an American has only once advanced to a men’s Grand Slam semifinal. That was Andy Roddick at the Australian Open in 2007. The same Andy Roddick who won the U.S. Open in 2003 and faced Roger Federer on consecutive occasions at Wimbledon, only to lose. Critics predicted Roddick would retire early and settle down with his supermodel fiancé. Thankfully, Roddick dropped 15 lbs. and got into tremendous shape. In the quarterfinals, Roddick bounced around in the 120-degree heat as if he enjoyed it. His opponent, Novak Djokovic, was forced to retire after four sets. Roddick is on his game, ladies and gentlemen. Though Federer is still struggling to find his own, he’s still Roger Federer. This match will be long, extremely competitive, and intense.

      Rafael Nadal (1) vs. Fernando Verdasco (14)
      Just who in the hell is Fernando Verdasco? Honestly, I’m not sure, but in his last two matches he’s beaten fourth-seeded Andy Murray and fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The 24 year-old Spaniard has a good serve and nice placement, but it is his speed that has gotten his this far. The kid doesn’t seem to tire and manages to chase down every ball. Unfortunately for Verdasco, Rafael Nadal is the quickest player on the Tour. He’s also the best in the sport and is at the height of his career. It’ll be tough for Verdasco to take him down but I wouldn’t doubt that he takes a set or two.

      Live coverage of the semifinals will begin tonight (Wednesday) at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

      Tennis

      Australian Open Roundup

      January 24, 2009 /

      Round 4 of the Australian Open begins today. The first Grand Slam of the tour calendar has already seen its fair share of surprises, disappointments, scuffles, and nudity. I’ve recapped the highlights below.

      The top-ranked men advance

      Of the top ten-seeded men in the tournament, only David Nalbandian failed to advance, losing to unknown Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round. The others, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsongo, Gilles Simon, Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro, and James Blake have all made easy work of their competition. Really, things won’t get interesting until the Quarter Finals.

      Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic are eliminated

      It must be said that both matches in which they lost have been the most exciting matches of the tournament. Unseeded 20 year-old Carla Suarez Navarro, in only her fourth Grand Slam main draw appearance, defeated Venus Williams in the second round. It was an amazing match and both women gave it their all. Navarro, however, was able to consistently return Venus’ 192 mph serve and never seemed to tire. Williams was on the defensive during the final set and Navarro’s fine shot placement carried her to victory. The crowd congratulated the awestruck youngster with a standing ovation. Suarez has since advanced to the Fourth Round where she will face twenty-first-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues.

      It was less than a surprise and more of a disappointment to watch Ana Ivanovic fall to twenty-ninth-seeded Alisa Kleybanova. For those who follow tennis, it’s perplexing that Ivanovic is ranked fifth in the world judging by the way she played yesterday. Strictly speaking, the Serbian lost because she couldn’t find her serve. It was painful to watch Ivanovic toss the ball five feet away from herself. She double faulted more than a few times and rarely was able to hold serve. All in all, the three-setter was intense, but undeniably sloppy. While Ivanovic made 50 unforced errors, Kleybanova committed 44, 24 of which came in the opening set alone. It’s time for Ana to take a break and try to get herself into the mindset that helped her win the French Open in 2008.

      Serbian and Bosnian fans clash after Novak Djokovic/Amer Delic match

      Last year at the Australian Open, Serbian and Croatian fans attacked each other with flagpoles, bottles, and boots. This year, the Balkan rivalry consisted of Serbians and Bosnians. After Serbian Novak Djokovic’s victory over Bosnian-American Amer Delic, fans from both nations pelted each other with chairs.

      A streaker stalls a Williams sisters doubles match

      Although this article claims the gentleman was out there for only 14 seconds, broadcaster Patrick McEnroe has him at nearly a minute. While Serena and Venus laughed bashfully during the incident, tournament officials aren’t taking this lightly. In 1993, a man stabbed Monica Seles on court during a match in Hamburg, Germany. Still, it looks like this guy was just having a good time.

      Coverage of Day 7 will air at 7 PM ET and 12:30 AM ET on ESPN2.

      Tennis

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