So effing proud!

Preach on, Rafa! Any time we beat the Scum, its a day to celebrate. Without even taking any pills, LFC's 2-1 win over Manure might give me a boner for 24 hours. No, I will not go to the hospital. Felt so good to watch. Cheers to Riera, Babel, and Carra! Oh, and a very special thanks to Wes Brown, that git.

YNWA!

Those damn skanks

It's been all college hoops, lately (as it should be), but just want to switch it up for a brief moment and recognize the scariest soccer I've seen in ages. Yes, Liverpool scored a MAJOR win over Everton, yesterday, pushing them a creaky five points ahead in the race for the final Champs League spot. But it's not my Reds that I'm alluding to when I talk of "scary soccer." It is, in fact, our mortal enemies: ManUre. Far be it from me to wave the flag of the enemy, but this incarnation of Manchester United might be the best club team that I've ever seen. They're thorough and spectacular just about every time they take the pitch. All four goals against Villa, yesterday, were sterling.

I will say this about the Mancs: I don't want to see them in the Champions League final. Let's go, Roma.

I don't like Manchester United

Never have, never will. And neither should you, if you consider yourself to be a decent person. They're the monster, the evil empire. It looks like Carlos Tevez is going to land there -- not that his arrival should surprise anyone. The team with the most money generally gets it's way with the English FA. But that's not the signing by The Scum that's turning heads. Check out 9-year-old, Rhain Davis.

Stick around, Freddy

Still on the US soccer tip, today. Surprising no one Freddy Adu clearly isn't ready for the trials of Manchester United and the English Premiership. Spurred on by the notion that Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo signed with the Old Trafford side at 18, but for a phenom who hasn't exactly knocked MLS on it's ear, it seemed fairly easy to predict at the start of his two-week training stint that Sir Alex wouldn't be terribly impressed either.

Adu's got talent, there's no arguing that. But strictly from a size and strength perspective, he'd be torn to shreds in the EPL. Perhaps a second-tier, less physical European league would be more to his suiting for the time being (although he'd have to wait until he turned 18 in June, anyway). Somewhere like Holland or France or Portugal, leagues where the level of competition is higher than in MLS, but also where he won't be punched in the face on a regular basis.

There's little question, in my mind, that this whole charade of getting Adu to train with United was orchestrated by the Glazer family who undoubtedly would love to have an American presence on the team. But just any American? Why not the future of the national team? To that end, I've confirmed my own belief that this was little more than a poorly conceived publicity stunt on behalf of the Glazers. Sir Alex is the one who evaluates talent. He would know what's best for the club.

As the annointed savior of the national team, it remains my contention -- despite this setback -- that Adu must play his club football in Europe if he is to ever truly elevate his game to an elite level. But as far as the here and now are concerned, I think another season (possibly two) in MLS would be best for the youngster. We all forget, he's only 17. He's a well-adjusted kid and he's headed for big things. To throw him into the fire now, however, would be a dreadful mistake.

The results are in!

Election night was kind. Winners, the lot of them....

Heath Shuler - In 1993, he finished 2nd in Heisman voting. Then he flamed out in the NFL. But the former Volunteer QB won last night, following in the footsteps of Jack Kemp and Steve Largent into the political arena. Weird, this is actually an election story. At any rate, congrats to Shuler and the Dems for ostensibly championing the checks and balances our nation has relied upon. Hopefully, he has a better record in Washington as a member of congress than he did as a Redskin. (Oh no, I did'un!)

Lakers - The most impressive thing about Andrew Bynum's line last night wasn't his 20 points, 14 boards, or 3 blocks (one of which put a nail in the T-Wolves coffin). No, it was his 0 turnovers and 0 fouls. Granted, the kid wasn't going to get much flak going against Mark Blount, of all people, but it's encouraging to see that kind of poise. What's troubling, though, is that the Lakers are developing a nasty tick: inability to close out games. Last Friday, they blew a 20-point lead against the Sonics, only to salvage a win late in the 4th quarter. Then, after getting blown out at Seattle, the exact same thing happens last night. The Lakers were up by as much as 19 in the 3rd quarter and again allowed their beaten opponent to crawl back into the game. Here's the big red flag: neither Seattle nor Minnesota are any good. Coach Phillip is going to have to instill some drills where the team has to stomp on the neck of a rabid puppy, just to make sure it stays down. Solve this problem now, or else it will haunt us down the road.

Sean Avery - The LA Kings sparkplug was voted #1 Star by NHL.com for his 2-goal effort last night as the Kings downed the hated Avs in a 6-5 shootout (not an actual shootout, I mean a high scoring ga-- whatever). Important win for a team so low on confidence (we just got lit up by lowly Phoenix 6-4 on Saturday) and a positive note to end a road trip on. Up next: San Jose on Thursday. Let's just say that I wouldn't be surprised if Joe Thornton had 7 points in that game.

Southend - People in England are quick to dismiss the League Cup when talking football -- err, soccer, labeling it an "unimportant" trophy. To me, a trophy is a trophy and in a sport where your club is measured by the size of their medal collection, I'd say the Carling Cup is worth winning. This makes Southend's (last place in the Championship -- i.e. last place in the 2nd division for all you American newbies) 1-0 stunner over Manchester United (top of the Premiership, right now) all the sweeter. People, that's like the Saskatchewan Roughriders beating the Joe Montana-era 49ers. It's a BIG upset.

Hornets - Are they in New Orleans? Are they in Oklahoma City? Seattle in a year? Nome, Alaska? Well, where they are is undefeated. 4-0 for the first time since anyone can remember. Chris Paul, when it's all said and done, will be on the honor list of legendary point guards. Right up there with Magic, Stockton, and Kidd. But it's Peja Stojokovic that's making the real difference. For all the noise made by the Bulls during the off-season, people didn't realize that it was actually the team receiving Tyson Chandler that would be the one to watch. His presence gives David West a little more flexibility and Peja represents the dead-eye assassin from the outside that the Hornets have never had. Provided they stay healthy (because they have virtually zero depth) this is a bonafide playoff team.