Home » Archives » August 2007 » Coffee ... Check! Let's Do The Sports Rant!
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08/20/2007: "Coffee ... Check! Let's Do The Sports Rant!"
I'm looking forward to the day when my marlin fishing will interfere with my ability to watch sports on the weekends ...
- You knew it couldn't last, and this weekend another streak came to an end as the seemingly unbeatable tandem of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh lost in the finals of the AVP Boston Open to Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh. May/Walsh had a string of victories in event finals that ran back to July of '06 - a total of 21 AVP and FIVB tourneys. Truth be told, the streak should have ended last weekend in Manhattan Beach, where a clearly road weary May/Walsh only got past EY/Branagh when Youngs suffered a leg cramp. With this being the qualifying year for the '08 Bejing Olympics, leading teams are forced to make the trip overseas to FIVB events to earn points towards their Olympic berth. I can see where that could leave you seriously jet-lagged, but hey - all the top teams are facing the same pressure. I think the real story is the emergence of Nicole Branagh as a force on the AVP Tour. EY has been looking for a partner who could help her go toe-to-toe with the best in the world, and she may just have found her ...
- The Becksmania Road Show, otherwise known as the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS, rolled into the Big Apple this weekend and the fans weren't disappointed. Following his 63-minute performance last week in the SuperLiga semi-finals, David Beckham started for the Galaxy and played the whole game and came away with a pair of assists. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Galaxy was bested by Red Bull New York in what many soccer fans are calling an instant classic. It was exactly what MLS execs must have prayed for when the Galaxy laid out the dough to bring Becks across the pond - a back-and-forth high-scoring match that showed the best of what the MLS has to offer. And if you think Beckham doesn't have an effect on the bottom line, consider this - the match pulled in 66,237 fans, compared to the team average of 11,573, and there were literally thousands of Beckham jerseys in the crowd. Yep, they're laughing all the way to the bank ...
- In all likelihood, today is the day we find out just how badly Uncle Sam is going to give it to Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. All of the codefendants in his dogfighting ring case have rolled over and taken deals, leaving Vick to twist in the breeze. He was supposed to tell the government if he would accept his own deal by last Friday, but the decision is apparently still pending. Sources say the offer on the table includes at least 18 months of jail time, and if he turns it down they're going to add racketeering charges on top of the existing ones. The best suggestion I've seen so far is the one from Gene Wojociechowski (whew!) of ESPN.com - make Vick spend his days cleaning out the kennels at the Atlanta SPCA - and write'em a big fat check, while he's at it ... :-)
