Weekend heartache and Beckham-watch

It looks as if Chelsea is going to be out of the chase. It will just be Manchester United followed by Liverpool as hopefuls for the league title. It will be a big battle. I don't know if I can root for either team. Also, Aston Villa (my number 2 team) pulled into third place leapfrogging Chelsea.

This weekend AC Milan offered $10 million for Becks, a cool number just for a transfer. The Galaxy countered asking for $22 million according to the Daily Mirror. If the report is accurate, it looks as if LA is atleast in a bidding mood and will allow to see if AC Milan will jump $12 million to their asking price. There may be another reason for them letting him go, I will look into the rumors and see if I can pull any news stories.

Tonight I will do my third hybrid posting.

Adam

Beckham really wants to stay, really

Oh, David Beckham. That handsome man that America loves so much. Well, he hates us all. He really wants to stay in Europe to play because he wants to play in the 2010 World Cup and thinks he won't be selected for the team if he continues to play at MLS level.

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

Here is a link to his statement. I couldn't get the video loaded directly.

If he doesn't want to be in America, I don't want him here. He didn't do much really. And I understand MLS play is different than the rest of the world. But don't cry me a river David. Please.

Adam

Lamps wins his Red Card appeal

Thank all that is holy! He isn't suspended for three games! (the normal suspension for a red card)

Here is the article from the official site of the Premier League. It's possible that Chelsea's hopes for the title are dashed but at least justice was kind of served. Kind of...

Adam

US World Cup? Hopefully.

The United States Soccer Federation has announced it is hopeful that America will host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup! Yes, this is super news for the USSF. It is launching a bid for both Cups at the same time.


According to Wikipedia the US is joined by Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic, Mexico, Qatar, and Russia as bidders, with Belgium and the Netherlands, and Portugal and Spain as joint bids.



Ever since the US hosted the 1994 Men's Cup it has also hosted the '99 and '03 Woman's Cup. This makes the Federation hopeful they'll get one of the Cups. South Africa has the 2010, while Brazil has the 2014.

Right now it seems like the US is going to be a popular choice for one of the years it has bidded for.


Adam

Is Becks staying?

As promised I have returned with more information on the Beckham-AC Milan-LA Galaxy love triangle. It seems as though the Italian club does not seem to care that the loan is almost up on the superstar. They have decided to put him on their UEFA Cup roster.

Speculation has been swirling for links, especially since Beckham said that some games in the MLS were just ridiculous to play in. Now, that may be true, but the level of the States is strengthening and has a chance to be a real powerhouse someday.

Don Garber (MLS Commissioner) never responded publically, which stinks. I would love to hear him rip Becks a new one, but know he would never dare because everyone is kissing up to him now.

I think Becks will return for the season with the Galaxy, but he has a clause in his contract that says he can leave (even though his contract still has a few years left on it) in October. This means he is splitting when he has the chance.

Adam

494 - Class 2

It's time for another hybrid class activity. We were asked to look at blogs and see how the visual aspect of them affected how we view and think about the author and page itself.

In response to Meredith Badger's quote: "[w]hen we encounter images in weblogs the sense of entering a private space is enhanced, particularly as weblog images often reveal information about the blogger, either intentionally or by accident. Some weblogs include an image of the blogger at the top of the page and we carry this face in our minds as we read the text. Is the blogger young or old? Male or female? What nationality? The information imparted by the blogger’s photograph inevitably influences how we react to the words that surround it," I feel that having the blogger's photo makes it seem more relatable. I feel credit is given in some cases, seeing who is actually writing makes what I'm reading seem real. For instance, if I was reading a blog about politics, I wouldn't want some high schooler who chose their party based on what their parents like. I want to see somebody with experience, intelligence, and older than I am.


First I viewed mysoccerblog.blogspot.com and which I found by googling soccer blog. It is similar to my idea, but more news oriented. I found it bland, but very informative. There was little graphics and I got no sense of the author whatsoever.

Next I went more professional and read http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/ which is run by the New York times and gives me loads of information. I cannot say I actually think of this as a blog, but a...newsblog? I don't know what I would call it. Very informative, but lacked any visuals.

Soccer by Ives gives great information, and each post starts with a picture of the subject. I have found that I do a good mix of linking, video, and pictures to give the reader a sense of what I'm talking about. Maybe it is because I am not trying to be professional, and just trying to show my fandom.

Now, in the future, I am going to link more, put more video (I know that's what everybody wants) and expand what I talk about. I want to give interesting tidbits, I want to make this blog not just about footy, but about the culture surroudning the world's most popular game.

Next I'm going to try and find classmates blogs to respond to. I'm excited to see what others are saying.

Adam

Red Card to Lamps

Chelsea lost today. A red card given to Lampard early in the second half forced them to play a man down for the remainder of the game. While I'm trying to find a photo or video evidence that he in fact made contact with the ball, therefore proving the red card was uncalled for, all I can find is this link about the call by the referee. http://www.premiershiplatest.com/news/01-02-09/5517061,html

It was written before Liverpool scored their two late goals. This means Chelsea is five points behind Manchester United. While Liverpool is now in second, only two points behind.

It's a tragic thing that Riley (the referee) could make a terrible snap decision that directly effects the outcome of the game. Now, even though I am biased, I think that all will agree that the red card on Lamps was a terrible.

This is Mike Riley, the referee. The photo is not of today's match, but if you google "Mike Riley, red card" you will see he gives many, many red cards. In fact, he has handed out more red cards this season than any other referee in the League.

He is ridiculous. I'm beyond words today. I cannot even express my dissapointment in Riley today.

Adam.