Happy Monday!
This week on 15MOF we recap a very interesting Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, we discuss the opening weeks of the NHL season and how the Edmonton Oilers are looking and we answer the question: who owns the Phoenix Coyotes?
In the GABBYs: Vincent Lecavalier, David Beckham, the NFL, Ottawa’s CFL team, PED’s and pro sports blackouts. The Punchline this week is OHL ref Joe Monette.
Happy Monday!
This week on the show we look at the latest Edmonton Eskimos news, check out what’s happening between the NHL & the NHLPA, plus some notes from around the league and the latest on the NFL bounty scandal.
In the GABBYs: Gabriel Landeskog, Sarah Crilly, Manchester United, the Maple Leafs, Paul Ryan and the MLB. The Punchline this week is a school district in Colorado.
Just how bad did English Premier League club Arsenal play this past weekend on the road in Manchester?
They played so bad that the manager is apologizing, former players are expressing their disgust…oh, and the team is offering to put some money back in the pockets of the fans who made the 650 kilometre round-trip to support them!
If you missed it on Sunday, Manchester United completely embarrassed Arsenal at Old Trafford by a score of 8-2! To make matters worse, Arsene Wenger’s men have now dropped eight of nine points to start the 2011-12 season.
Wenger told fans he was sorry on Monday, saying, “We can only apologize and come back in our strength and desire next game.”
Is an apology good enough though? (more…)
Happy Monday!
It’s another jam-packed week on 15 Minutes of Fame, as we hit our 50th episode!
This week: Will Sidney Crosby miss time this season? Will the SJ Sharks finally get that Stanley Cup this year and is Drew Doughty going to be a holdout for the Kings? Are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the “real deal” in the CFL? Also: Is this the Year of the Work Stoppage in pro sports?
In this week’s GABBYs: The NY Yankees, the BBC and Sir Alex, BYU, IndyCar and North Korea’s women’s World Cup team!
Eskimos: What’s Wrong?
The Edmonton Eskimos wrapped up week eight of the CFL season on Friday night with a performance that made their previous two losses look passable – a 36-1 loss to the BC Lions at Commonwealth Stadium.
Losing at home is never fun, but losing like that must really hurt. The Eskimos gave up eight sacks, Ricky Ray and Kerry Joseph combined to throw four interceptions and the team has now scored just 10 points in 11 quarters…after a 5-0 start to the season, during which time they looked like world beaters.
What the heck is wrong with the Eskimos?
For one, injuries are taking their toll on this team. You won’t hear them using it as an excuse, but when your top receivers are all hurt and you end up having to bring in three new guys before a game, you’re in trouble! Two of Ray’s interceptions on the night were attempted passes to guys he practically just met. When they lost Fred Stamps and Adarius Bowman, Jason Barnes stepped up and had two big games. Guess who got hurt next? (After the Jump: More Esks, Hilarious Jeremy Roenick video & More!) (more…)
The preseason fundraisers, I mean tournaments, continue around the world this week for many of Europe’s top soccer teams, and it seems to have been an especially bloopery few days!
To give you an idea of where some of the big clubs are playing at the moment: Manchester United, Man City and Real Madrid are three of the teams taking part in the Herbalife World Football Challenge, a tournament that pits some of the top sides in the world against a handful of Major League Soccer teams. Barcelona is about to join the WFC after winning the Audi Cup over in Germany, while Chelsea is spending the summer over in Asia, battling for the Barclays Asia Trophy.
Sure, fans around the world have been treated to some great soccer so far, but they are also getting to see their fair share of flubs as well! Why don’t we let Chelsea’s Yossi Benayoun kick things off for us…(After the Jump: Crazy soccer bloopers!) (more…)
For most North American sports fans, the off-season is a fairly boring period where the best you can hope for is a big trade or signing, or perhaps a new collective bargaining agreement.
If you’re a soccer fan though, the off-season apparently just means more highlights! I’m not even sure that there is an off-season for soccer fans, because when your European league of choice closes shop for the year, there is always Major League Soccer, which plays on an opposite schedule!
This year, while NFL & NBA fans sweat their respective lockouts and NHL fans get overexcited about player movement, the “off-season” for soccer fans has been jam packed with action. First, there was the Women’s World Cup, which really showed us all how far women’s soccer has come. Then we’ve got the Copa America, which has featured some massive upsets so far, and finally, the Herbalife World Football Challenge is now in full swing.
I know what you’re saying: “Kerrzy, the World Football Challenge is just a series of money-making friendlies where they make 10 subs at half time!”… (more…)
Lionel Messi (Darz Mol, Wikimedia Commons)
FC Barcelona is Europe’s best soccer team for the second time in three years.
On Saturday, FC Barcelona defeated Manchester United 3-1 at London’s Wembley Stadium in front of 62, 467 soccer fans.
It is FC Barcelona’s second title in the last three years and third in the last six years. Overall, Barcelona has won the title four times as they won their first UEFA Champions League in 1992.
On Saturday, FC Barcelona got goals from Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and David Villa. Wayne Rooney responded for Manchester United.
Messi, was named the top player, for delivering the game winning goal on a beautiful strike that broke a 1-1 deadlock nine minutes into the second half.
FC Barcelona played a brilliant defensive style of soccer as Manchester United only had one shot on net the entire game. FC Barcelona meanwhile had 12.
Even though Manchester United seemed to control the time of possession early in the first half, FC Barcelona dominated the majority of the final 45 minutes and controlled the play for 16 more minutes in all than Man U.
The 2012 UEFA Champions League Final will take place in Munich, Germany.
Alex Tagliani (Wikimedia Commons)
The greatest auto race of the year takes place Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis.
It is the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. (The race was not held for two years during World War One and for four years during World War Two). In 1911, Ray Harroun of the United States was the first winner. Over that time, drivers from ten separate nations have won the coveted race including Canada’s own Jacques Villeneuve in 1995.
Well in 2011, Montreal’s Alex Tagliani has a great chance in joining Villeneuve in making Canadian history. He will be on the pole representing Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
James Hinchcliffe of Oakville, Ontario, an IndyCar rookie will start 13th, and Paul Tracy of West Hill, Ontario will start 24th.
There are also four women in the race. Joining American Danica Patrick, are Switzerland’s Simona de Silvestro, Brazil’s Ana Beatriz, and Great Britain’s Pippa Mann.
Anderson (Gordon Flood, Wikimedia Commons)
The final is now set for the 2011 UEFA Champions League.
This afternoon at Old Trafford, Manchester United trounced German based FC Schalke 04 4-0, and won 6-1 on aggregate.
Brazilian midfielder Anderson was the star for Manchester United Wednesday as he notched a pair of goals in the second half to give them a convincing lead.
Anderson also led Manchester United with four shots on goal.
Another interesting storyline from this one was how much more accurate the Manchester United players were compared to Schalke’s. Even though FC Schalke had 15 shots compared to Manchester United’s ten, FC Schalke only had three shots on goal compared to Manchester United’s eight.
Ecuadorian right winger Antonio Valencia and Irish midfielder Darron Gibson also found the back of the Schalke net.
Manchester United will not have to travel very far for the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final. England’s soccer superpower will play FC Barcelona at 12:45pm MT on May 28 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Pedro Rodriguez Ledesma (Daniel Cort, Wikimedia Commons)
In an all-Spanish UEFA Champions League semi-final, FC Barcelona tied Real Madrid 1-1 this afternoon to win 3-1 on aggregate.
FC Barcelona had defeated Real Madrid 2-0 last week in Madrid to win the two game total point series.
Forward Pedro Rodriguez Ledesma of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain scored in the 54th minute to put Barcelona up 1-0 in the second game before Marcelo notched a goal for Real Madrid.
FC Barcelona had complete control of the game. Knowing they needed to completely self destruct in order to not advance to the final, FC Barcelona played a very strategic ball possession game (64%) in the pouring Barcelona rain.
Sometimes I wonder just how detached the higher-ups in pro sports actually are from the game itself, don’t you?
Perhaps the worst sport for that is soccer, and this weekend gave us another glimpse into that side of things. Quite often you’ll hear about a manager being suspended for something silly like swearing on the sidelines while arguing a call, for example. Of course you want your players and coaches to be respectful, but it’s a bit harsh to ban someone for colorful language, given how often it is used in pro sports, or sports in general!
The latest victim of this scenario is Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. (more…)
Football to Football for Ochocinco?
Now that the NFL has officially locked out its players, one guy is putting football aside to try his hand at…football!
Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco is taking this opportunity to give a childhood passion of his another go, suiting up for a four-day trial with Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City. Yes, the man who once raced (and beat) a horse is now trying to make it in soccer!
Here’s the crazy part: Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star says he’s actually a pretty good player!
According to reports, his first day on the pitch didn’t blow anyone away, but as he works off the rust and gets more comfortable, Ochocinco is starting to look like he belongs out there. Coach Peter Vermes commented afterwards that he’s “alright” at some things and “far behind” at others, but either way they’ll probably decide this weekend what to do with him. (more…)
Things are heating up in England as the race for the Premier League title takes a few sudden turns and gets much more interesting…
If you haven’t been paying attention, here’s the Coles Notes version of what’s been going on: The current leaders, to a Man, are coming Untied at the wrong time, the second place Gunners have a shot but no ammo and the defending champions, once singing the Blues, are now playing their way back into the conversation as the season winds down!
On Monday, Chelsea beat Blackpool 3-1 thanks to a double from Frank Lampard and while it wasn’t their best outing of the season, it certainly wasn’t their worst and it earned them a huge three points. With the win, the Blues move to within nine points of league leaders Manchester United as they try to mount a late charge and repeat as EPL champs.
Nine points is a long way to come back, but it’s worth noting that Chelsea have a game in hand and also have a say in United dropping at least three more points when the two sides meet again on May 7th at Old Trafford… (more…)
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