Friday, September 30, 2011

SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM | SELECTOR DEL BOSQUE HANDS IN LIST - CALLS UP JORDI ALBA

SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL Coach & Selector Vicente Del Bosque handed in his list of Spanish Football Players that will make up the National Team for the upcoming Euro Group matches against the Czech Rep & Scotland to be played on the 7th ( Praga) & 11th ( Alicante, Spain) of October respectively.

The novelty is the call up of Valencia defender JORDI ALBA & perhaps the surprise, the call up of

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Rain Delays and "the Integrity of the Pennant Race"

An interesting side-note from Wednesday night, which is becoming widely accepted as one of the best nights of baseball ever.

The Red Sox game against the Orioles in Baltimore was delayed by rain for about 90 minutes in the seventh inning with Boston leading 3-2. This is not an inordinately long delay, but it's much more than the minimum (30 minutes) required for the umpires to decide to call the game. If they had, the Red Sox would have won, and presumably would be in a one-game playoff with Tampa Bay for the AL wild-card spot. But the generally accepted practice is that a game that important should not be called because of "the integrity of the pennant race." (Most agree that if the game had been between two non-contenders, it would have been called.)

I am not saying the game should have been called (or that it shouldn't). But I don't agree that the integrity of the pennant race is best protected by changing the rules in the interest of the integrity of the pennant race. Much like basketball referees who swallow their whistle at the end of the game in the mistaken belief that they are allowing the players to determine the result, deciding not to enforce a rule is as much an example of referees determining the outcome as overzealously enforcing one. In either case, one team is given an advantage it wouldn't have at another point in the game or season.

In this example, it worked out well for the Orioles, and through them the Rays. And it worked out well for baseball, which had a much more interesting outcome than it would have with a rain-shortened game. (Although had Boston won there would have been a one-game playoff on Thursday.) I'm just not sure that having different rules for "important" games is something baseball should be promoting.

Live today (30/09/2011)

30/09 World Cup Rugby: South Africa – Samoa (09:30h CEST)
30/09 Kaiserslautern – Stuttgart (20:30h CEST)
30/09 Boxing: Gents boksgala (21:30h CEST)

Live today (30/09/2011)

30/09 World Cup Rugby: South Africa – Samoa (09:30h CEST)
30/09 Kaiserslautern – Stuttgart (20:30h CEST)
30/09 Boxing: Gents boksgala (21:30h CEST)

EUROPA LEAGUE RESULTS | ATHLETIC DE BILBAO 2 PSG O - RENNES 1 ATLETICO DE MADRID 1

EUROPA LEAGUE Group matches tonight with two SPANISH FOOTBALL Clubs in action with relatively positive results. Here is a quick summary of the games , the results & the scorers.

At.Bilbao

ATHLETIC DE BILBAO managed to put together a good performance at home against French team PARIS ST GERMAIN winning 2 - 0. The Group F match saw the first goal arrive in the 14th min when Bilbao player

FC BARCELONA | LIONEL MESSI EQUALS KUBALA WITH 194 GOALS

Hi, I may have "breezed throught" in yesterdays post below on FC BARCELONA & their 0 - 5 victory , although mentioned, of an important historical milestone achieved in the game against BATE BORISOV. Argentine midfield star LIONEL MESSI made Barça History again.

Kubala - Messi

Yesterday Messi scored two goals & thus took his all-time tally with Barça to 194. This may sound normal if it wasn´t

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS | VALENCIA 1 CHELSEA FC 1 | BATE BORISOV 0 FC BARCELONA 5

SPANISH FOOTBALL Clubs Valencia CF & FC Barcelona had their turn tonight in CHAMPIONS LEAGUE with each in their respective Groups & in their respective scheduled matches. Good results in each case with a brief summary below, along with results & the scorers.

Lampard-Soldado-Torres

VALENCIA CF drew in their Group E clash with CHELSEA FC 1-1 in an exciting & entertaining match. The first half

THE FOOTBALL COUNTER-ATTACK | CRISTIANO RONALDO - REAL MADRID GOAL AGAINST AJAX IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | VIDEO

Yesterday during the REAL MADRID - AJAX Champions League match we had the chance to all witness a perfect text book example of the use of a "counter-attack" in Football. It occurred around the 23rd min & it all started from defender Sergio Ramos ending up with Cristiano Ronaldo 16 seconds later & goal. Here is the VIDEO:

For the youngsters & the technical profiles here is an image of the

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

New Sports Illustrated Column: Court ruling keeps Mets owners in limbo regarding Madoff lawsuit

I have a new column for SI on a key decision today by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff to permit the two most serious claims against Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, who are facing a $1 billion lawsuit over whether they fraudulently earned money through investments with imprisoned Ponzi scheme artist Bernie Madoff. Rakoff dismissed nine of the lawsuit's 11 counts, but refused to dismiss the most damaging counts: that Wilpon and Katz earned $295 million in fictitious profits through investing in a scheme that they knew to be too good to be true -- that is, they knew to be fraudulent -- and that they should return their $700 million principal, as well.

Could Major League Baseball take over the team? Here are my thoughts:

Wilpon and Katz also have to worry about Major League Baseball's interest in the matter. Commissioner Bud Selig has already taken over the Los Angeles Dodgers this season from Frank and Jamie McCourt because of the team's financial woes. The commissioner is armed with several legal weapons -- the best interests of the game clause, which provides Selig with wide discretion to regulate any aspect of the game, including ownership interests; the waiver of recourse clause found in ownership purchase agreements, which nominally prevents owners from suing Major League Baseball; and the historical exemption enjoyed by Major League Baseball under federal antitrust law -- that make it possible for him to wrestle control of privately-owned teams from their owners. Although Selig has a much better relationship with Wilpon than with the McCourts, he cannot ignore the potential fallout of the Mets mired in a $1 billion lawsuit.

To read the rest of the column, click here.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS | NAPOLES 2 VILLAREAL 0 | REAL MADRID 3 AJAX AMSTERDAM 0

Two SPANISH FOOTBALL Clubs participated tonight in their respective CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Group matches with mixed end results. Here is a brief summary of events, along with the final results & the scorers.

Napoles scores from penalty

VILLAREAL travelled to Italy to face NAPOLES in their Group A ( "Group of Death") match & lost 2 - 0. Villareal knew beforehand that a victory here was vital for

Zelinsky on The Supreme Court (of Baseball)

Aaron Zelinsky, who has blogged here and written on aspects of the judge-as-umpire metaphor, has a new piece, The Supreme Court (of Baseball), at Yale Law Journal Online, that continues his argument that the Supreme Court and the Justices are analogous to the Commissioner of Baseball.

Worth a read.

Professional Sports Counseling Panels: Financial Incentive for Schools

This past winter I co-wrote a law review article (with Glenn Wong and Chris Deubert) titled "Going Pro in Something Other than Sports: Improving Guidance for Student-Athletes in a Complicated Legal and Regulatory Framework." This article appeared in the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal and, among other things, we argued that schools should be serving student-athletes in this capacity because it is the right thing to do.

After some thought, I've added a new argument for schools to consider--it will save millions of dollars. Maybe this argument will be heard. You can check out this article on the Huffington Post here.

SPANISH FOOTBALL LOSES JESUS PEREDA AT 73

SPANISH FOOTBALL has lost a member of its historical family with the passing away of Spanish Football player JESUS PEREDA at the age of 73 due to cancer.

Pereda on the left

Jesus Pereda played for FC BARCELONA, REAL MADRID ( his only Spanish League Title) & SEVILLA FC. He was also member of the Spanish National Football Team that won the 1964 European Nations Cup against Russia. His last

REAL MADRID | ARSENAL-PARIS ST GERMAIN DON´T FORGET KAKA

The new season has been just a few weeks operating & already there is talk & rumour about possible moves in the January "Winter Transfer Market". Today REAL MADRID Brazilian midfielder KAKA is again in the news with apparent interest from ARSENAL & French Club PARIS ST GERMAIN.

Kaka

The interest from theses two Clubs is not new & sounded even before the start of this current season. Both

Monday, September 26, 2011

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LIGA ROUND 6 MONDAY NIGHT RESULT | GETAFE 1 REAL BETIS 0

Round Six of the SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE - La Liga - concluded tonight with its Monday match between GETAFE & REAL BETAS. Real Betis landed back to earth after a string of victories placed them flying high as Spanish League Table leaders . Tonight's game gave Getafe a much needed 1 - 0 victory & halted the aspirations of Betis escaping from the rest of the teams on the leader.

Diego Castro

University of Maryland School of Law Symposium on Intersection of Sports and Business in Today’s Legal Arena

I look forward to participating in next Monday's sports law symposium at the University of Maryland School of Law -- this event is open to the public; hope to see Sports Law Blog readers there.

University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law

Upcoming Symposium

"The Intersection of Sports and Business in Today’s Legal Arena."

Journal of Business & Technology Law Fall Symposium, Co-Hosted by the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Association

Monday, October 3, 2011, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Ceremonial Moot Court Room, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, 500 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Distinguished speakers will take part in panel discussions on stadium development, the legality the Bowl Championship Series, and athlete images/media rights. A highlight of the event will include a speech by Ed Durso, Executive Vice President, Administration for ESPN, who is currently scheduled to give a luncheon keynote address. Additionally, Jay Bilas, ESPN commentator and analyst, will also speak and moderate a panel discussion. Other recognized speakers include Irwin Kishner, a Partner at Herrick, Feinstein and lead counsel for the new Yankee Stadium transaction, Alan Fishel, a Partner at Arent Fox and supporter of the Bowl Championship Series, and N. Jeremi Duru, Associate Professor of Law at Temple University Beasley School of Law and author of the book, Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL.

RVSP HERE or reply by email to ngrim004@umaryland.edu.

Schedule of Events

9:30 – 9:35	Welcome from JBTL/EASL members
9:35 – 10:20	A discussion with N. Jeremi Duru, visiting Associate Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Law, about equal opportunity in sports.
10:20 – 11:00	Opening Remarks from moderator Jay Bilas, ESPN commentator and analyst
11:00 – 12:30 p.m.	Complex Sports Transactions: Stadium Development Panel Stan Kasten, Former President of the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks Irwin Kishner, Partner, Herrick, Feinstein Irwin Raij, Partner, Foley & Lardner Paul Tiburzi, Partner, DLA Piper
12:30 – 1:00	Lunch and message from Dean Phoebe Haddon
1:00 – 2:00	Keynote speech by Edwin Durso, Executive Vice President, Administration for ESPN
2:15 – 2:30	Introduction to the afternoon panels from moderator Dionne Koller, Associate Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law
2:30 – 4:00	Bowl Championship Series Panel Alan Fishel, Partner, Arent Fox Philip Hochberg, Law Offices of Philip R. Hochberg Josephine (Jo) Potuto, Professor, University of Nebraska College of Law Robert Wierenga, Principal, Miller Canfield
4:15 – 5:15	Athlete Images/Media Rights Panel Ronald Katz, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips Michael McCann, Director of the Sports Law Institute and Professor of Law, Vermont Law School Stuart Paynter, Partner, Paynter Law Firm. Lead plaintiff's counsel in Sam Keller v. Entertainment Arts
5:15 – 5:30	Closing Remarks from Dionne Koller

REAL MADRID "FOLLOWING" FRENCH TALENTS GONALONS - GREINER OF LYON

Big Football Clubs are constantly looking for & at new talent, so this story coming out of France should not really surprise. This would be correct if it was any another Club than SPANISH FOOTBALL giant REAL MADRID. Football magazine France Football claims that Real Madrid is following very closely 22 year defensive midfielder MAXIM GONALONS & 20 year old attacking midfielder CLEMENT GREINER both

Sports Lawyer Matthew Lane to speak at Vermont Law School on Representing Olympic Athletes

This Thursday, between 12:45 and 2:00 p.m. in Oakes 208 on the Vermont Law School campus, Matthew Lane will speak on representing Olympic athletes and runners. Lane is a sports attorney at Preti Flaherty in Portland, Maine. His clients include the American Milers' Association, NJNY Track Club, and Andrew Wheating, a 2008 Olympian. Lane is a summa cum laude graduate of University of Maine School of Law and the College of William and Mary. He was previously a professional runner, sponsored by Nike, and was a member of two U.S. national teams.

This event is sponsored by the Vermont Law School Sports Law Institute and is open to the public.

New Book Chapter on Mike Williams

Congrats to Sports Law Blog contributor Warren Zola, who contributed a chapter to a recently released book "Sports for Dorks: College Football" which was edited by Mike Leach. The book is intended to "address the information needs of college football fans who seek a deeper understanding about the game and its intricacies." Warren wrote a chapter entitled "Understanding the College-to-NFL Transition: The (Cautionary) Tale of Mike Williams.”

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Live today (28/09/2011)

28/09 Zenit St Petersburg - FC Porto (18:00h CEST)
28/09 Bate – Barcelona (20:45h CEST)
28/09 Valencia – Chelsea (20:45h CEST)
28/09 Bayer Leverkusen - Racing Genk (20:45h CEST)
28/09 Champions League highlights (22:45h CEST)

Live today (28/09/2011)

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE | ROUND 6 SUNDAY NIGHT RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL continued today with the Sunday scheduled games of Round 6 in the SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA with the following summary of events, results & scorers.

Mallorca scores a goal

REAL MALLORCA breathe some well need oxygen with a 2 - 1 victory over REAL SOCIEDAD. However, they can thank the wood-work as Real Sociedad hit the post twice & the cross-bar! Real Sociedad got ahead first via

Saturday, September 24, 2011

The future of GLBT athletes

Ari Waldman has a short post at PrawfsBlawg discussing the new NFL CBA which prohibits discrimination because of sexual orientation. Waldman describes this as an important next step in the slow acceptance of homsexuality in sports (especially male sports), along with numerous athletes speaking out on marriage equality and anti-gay bullying.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA | ROUND 6 SATURDAY NIGHT RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL celebrated four matches games tonight as part of the scheduled Round 6 of the SPANISH LEAGUE - LA LIGA. Plenty of action, goals & thus I´ll jump straight into the brief run-down of results & the scorers

Kanoute

SEVILLA FC defeated VALENCIA CF 1- 0 & ending up with nine men. Sevilla dominated the first half & KANOUTE scored in the 18th min. The second half was all Valencia CF

Who Is It That Should Protect You at All Times?

Is Boxing’s Oldest Adage Under Fire Following Floyd Mayweather’s Controversial and Crushing KO of Victor Ortiz?

This past Saturday night, following a seemingly intentional head-butt to his mouth and conciliatory kiss and hug by “Vicious” Victor Ortiz, Floyd (Money) Mayweather, Jr. scored a spectacular fourth round knockout which will have a permanent home in boxing infamy.

While Mayweather was ripped by fans and boxing cognoscenti alike for his facially unsportsmanlike conduct, there is no real consensus as to who of the three individuals in the ring should truly bear the brunt of the post-fight firestorm.

Did Ortiz get what he deserved for setting off Mayweather, who has a history of forcefully laying waste to boxers such as Diego (Chico) Corrales, Phillip (The Time Bomb) N’Dou, Ricky (Hitman) Hatton, and Arturo (Thunder) Gatti when he is facing an actively dangerous opponent? Should Mayweather be deemed the epitome of a bad sportsman for landing the two worst-intentioned punches in his career when Ortiz tried to apologize again after touching gloves? Should referee Joe Cortez have been looking away during a volatile moment in the bout?

More important perhaps than any of these questions, however, is the question of whether boxing’s oldest adage, protect yourself at all times, survives a bout such as Mayweather-Ortiz and is truly the exclusive responsibility of the boxer himself anymore and not a referee. A quick analysis follows...

For the full article, please go to this link.

ARSENAL FC EYEING SPANISH FOOTBALL PLAYER PAREJO FOR JANUARY ?

DANIEL PAREJO is a young 22 year old SPANISH FOOTBALL player, already an International in the junior categories & considered a big future promise. Raised at Real Madrid the youngster had to leave to find "playing time" at Getafe & now at VALENCIA CF. However, Parejo is not getting all the time wished to develop further his talents & some Clubs are "smelling" the opportunity to talk to the

Friday, September 23, 2011

Live today (25/09/2011)

25/09 rUGBY: Argentina - Scotland (09:00h CEST)
25/09 Road race Elite Men (09:30h CEST)
25/09 F1 GP Singapore (13:10h CEST)
25/09 Queens Park Rangers – Aston Villa AC (17:00h CEST)
25/09 Argentina - Scotland (09:00h CEST)
25/09 Standard - Cercle Brugge (20:30h CEST)

Live today (25/09/2011)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

THURSDAY NIGHT ROUND 5 SPANISH FOOTBALL - LIGA RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL mid-week Thursday Night action with the last two games scheduled of Round 5 of the SPANISH LIGA celebrated. Here is a brief summary of events, with the results & the scorers.

Real Betis

One of the games of the Round with REAL BETIS winning 4 - 3 REAL ZARAGOZA, & in doing so, leads the Spanish League table. Real Betis was down to 10 men after they lost their goalie Casto in

Live today (23/09/2011)

23/09 Road race Junior Women (09:30h CEST)
23/09 F1 GP Singapore (12:00h CEST)
23/09 World Cup Rugby: Australia - USA (13:00h CEST)
23/09 Road race Under 23 Men (13:00h CEST)
23/09 FC Porto – Benfica (21:15h CEST)

Live today (23/09/2011)

Family of hockey scout settles last remaining 9/11 lawsuit

The family of Mark Bavis, an LA Kings scout who died aboard United Flight 175 when it crashed into the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 attacks, has settled its lawsuit against the airline and its security company. See the AP story here

Bavis' family, including his identical twin brother Mike, a BU assistant coach, had insisted that they would not settle (see my earlier story here) because it was more important to them to investigate and expose the failures of airline security. They had hoped to house their findings at the 9/11 memorial at ground zero. But the family, and its lawyers, say U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein gutted its case, limiting the amount of time for the trial to three weeks. He also kept much of the information under seal, for national security reasons.

The family explained its change of heart this way:

"This change is the result of a recent ruling by the Honorable Judge Alvin Hellerstein. With the stroke of his pen, Judge Hellerstein very cleverly changed this lawsuit. The lawsuit was about wrongful death, gross negligence and a complete lack of appreciation for the value of human life. He instead made it a case about a federal regulation. He ignored 100 years of aviation law and relied on an environmental case to apply federal preemption. He essentially gutted the case so that the truth about what led to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, would never be told at trial."

The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed. I would be interested in seeing whether it came in higher than the average $2 million payment from the Victims Compensation Fund, and higher than the $5.5 million average from the other cases that went to court before settling.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA MID-WEEK ROUND 5 RESULTS | WEDNESDAY GAMES

Five matches played tonight, full of high intensive SPANISH FOOTBALL action, as part of the scheduled mid-week Round 5 SPANISH LEAGUE calender which broke the idea that LA LIGA was a "two horse" race. Real Madrid suffered in their match & has entered into a worrying downward spiral, & Barcelona drew & suffered at Valencia. Here is a summary of all the games, with results & the scorers.

CR7

Boston Panel Tonight: Understanding the NFL & NBA Labor Disputes and Their Economic Impact

The Boston Chapter of Women In Sports and Events (WISE) is pleased to present a networking and panel discussion covering the NFL and NBA lockouts.

Don't miss out on your chance to hear our panel of industry experts discuss the impact of the NFL and NBA lockouts on teams, owners, players, fans, and the media.

We are also pleased to announce the addition of Jimmy Golen, Sports Writer for the Associated Press, as panel moderator.

Our Panelists:

Robyn Glaser - Senior Advisor to The Kraft Group, Club Counsel to the
New England Patriots
Keith Glass - Sports Agent, NBA
Michael McCann -Sports Illustrated & NBA TV Legal Analyst, Law Professor at Vermont Law School
Gary Washburn -National NBA Writer, Boston Globe

In addition to what is sure to be a lively discussion, a fantastic lineup of food and beverage will be provided by Davio's and Wachusett Brewery, followed by a networking reception sponsored by Croft Pink.

When

Wednesday September 21, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT

6:00-6:30 Registration/Networking
6:30-7:30 Panel Discussion
7:30-8:30 Q&A/Networking Cocktail Hour

Where

Nixon Peabody LLP
100 Summer Street
25th Floor
Boston, MA 02110

WISE Boston members: This event if FREE for WISE Boston members. Simply register via the link above and select the "WISE Boston Member: No Charge" option*

Non-Members: The registration fee for this event is $15 by Credit Card/PayPal. (If you'd prefer to pay by cash or check on the evening of the event, the fee is $20. You still must RSVP via the link above but select the "Non-Members Paying Cash or Check at the Event" option)
*Not sure if you are a current Member? Please email info@wiseinboston.com to inquire about your status or sign-up to become a WISE Boston member today.
Join WISE Boston by October 7th and we will apply your event registration fee towards your annual membership dues.

FIFA WORLD RANKING SEPTEMBER 2011 | SPAIN REGAINS Nº 1

World Football governing body ( organization) FIFA has released its monthly "World Rankings" for September with the SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM regaining its Nº 1 spot after falling to Nº 2 place last month. The victories over Chile in a Friendly International & Liechtenstein in their Group Euro 2012 match have served to allow SPAIN to overtake Holland.

Football World Champions star

Here

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Live today (22/09/2011)

22/09 World Cup Rugby: South Africa - Namibia (10:00h CEST)
22/09 cycling docu: Welcome to My World (18:30h CEST)
22/09 TV-show: Komen Eten (20:05h CEST)
22/09 AS Roma - Siena (20:45h CEST)

Live today (22/09/2011)

22/09 World Cup Rugby: South Africa - Namibia (10:00h CEST)
22/09 cycling docu: Welcome to My World (18:30h CEST)
22/09 TV-show: Komen Eten (20:05h CEST)
22/09 AS Roma - Siena (20:45h CEST)

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE MID-WEEK ROUND 5 RESULTS | TUESDAY NIGHT GAMES

SPANISH FOOTBALL mid-week action with Round 5 split between three days ( today, tomorrow & Thursday) of the SPANISH LEAGUE - LA LIGA. Three matches tonight, which were relatively low scoring & as habitual of late, with referee controversy.

Real Sociedad in white - blue

It wasn´t beautiful but it was effective Football for REAL SOCIEDAD as they managed to win GRANADA 1 - 0 thanks to the 63rd

FC BARCELONA | BRAZILIAN OSCAR DOS SANTOS ON THE AGENDA

News from Spanish online paper "elconfidencial" alerts us that FC BARCELONA is seriously following INTERNACIONAL DE PORTO ALEGRE 20 year old attacking forward OSCAR DO SANTOS. The Spanish Football Club has accelerated talks after another target "Neymar" has apparently finally decided to make Real Madrid his next Club.

Oscar do Santos

According to the source, Coach Guardiola himself has asked

Monday, September 19, 2011

Live today (19/09/2011)

20/09 UCI Road World Championships-Time trial Junior Men (09:30h CEST)
20/09 UCI Road World Championships-Time trial Elite Women (13:30h CEST)
20/09 World Cup Rugby: Italy - Russia (09:30h CEST)
20/09 Tennis: Rochus - Robert (16:00h CEST)
20/09 Tennis: Berrer - Malisse (19:30h CEST)
20/09 Tubize - Mons (20:30h CEST)
20/09 Bordeaux - Lille (21:00h CEST)
20/09 Villarreal - Mallorca (22:00h CEST)

Live today (19/09/2011)

THE MOST EXPENSIVE TRANSFERS FOR 2011

Found this interesting "Infograph" on the most expensive transfers for 2011, & thought you maybe interested. There is a SPANISH FOOTBALL connection with departures ( Aguero to Man City) & arrivals ( Falcao to At Madrid , Coentrao to Real Madrid & Cesc Fabregas to Barça).

By the way, while on the transfer angle, rumours are that REAL MADRID has "shut" NEYMAR for 60M€ plus a 7M€ salary / season

Sunday, September 18, 2011

New Group seeks College Football Playoffs

Interested in BCS reform? Want a playoff system for college football? A new community of fans is emerging: Fix The Post Season. They also can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Definitely worth checking out if you're hoping to see playoffs in college football.

Live today (19/09/2011)

19/09 UCI Road World Championships-Time trial Junior Women (10:00h CEST)
19/09 UCI Road World Championships-Time trial Under 23 Men (13:30h CEST)
19/09 Komen Eten (20:05h CEST)
19/09 Ipswich Town – Coventry City (20:45h CEST)
19/09 Extra Time (22:05h CEST)

Live today (19/09/2011)

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 4 | SUNDAY NIGHT RESULTS | REAL MADRID LOSE

SPANISH FOOTBALL action today with the remaining five Round 4 games scheduled in the SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA. Big surprise with the Real Madrid defeat, plus lots of goals from Atletico de Madrid & for Falcao. Here are all the details, results & scorers.

Rayo Vallecano score their goal

GETAFE lost to RAYO VALLECANO in the local derby between the city of Madrid lesser known Liga Clubs. The

BASKETBALL | SPAIN WINS 2011 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP DEFEATING FRANCE 98 - 85

Big day of celebrations for SPANISH SPORTS after Spain managed two out of three Moto GP bike wins, a birth in the upcoming Davis Cup Tennis Final & tonight the EUROPEAN BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS Title. SPAIN defeated FRANCE 98 - 85 to proclaim themselves Euro Champs repeating the Basketball achievement to retain the title.

Pau Gasol

This is an exceptional generation of Spanish Basketball players

SPANISH SPORTS | GREAT DAY IN MOTO GP - INTO THE DAVIS CUP FINAL IN TENNIS

Great afternoon for SPANISH SPORTS & Sportsmen with grand performances in MOTO GP & DAVIS CUP Tennis. In the Motor-bike area, Spanish riders won two out of the three categories, & in Tennis SPAIN qualifies for its 8th Davis Cup Final after winning France in the semi-final held in Cordoba (Spain).

Marc Marquez Moto 2

Firstly, MOTO GP action from the ARAGON GP ( SPAIN ) with NICOL TEROL winning

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Live today (18/09/2011)

18/09 Rugby: France – Canada (10:30h CEST)
18/09 Daviscup Belgium - Austria (12:00h CEST)
18/09 Tottenham – Liverpool (13:30h CEST)
18/09 AA Gent - Anderlecht (14:30h CEST)
18/09 Manchester Utd – Chelsea (17:00h CEST)
18/09 Schalke 04 – Bayern (17:30h CEST)
18/09 Racing Genk - Standard (18:00h CEST)
18/09 Levante – Real Madrid (20:00h CEST)
18/09 Lokeren - Club Brugge (20:30h CEST)

Live today (18/09/2011)

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 4 | SATURDAY NIGHT RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with 5 games of Round 4 of the SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA with plenty to write about with the usual exciting action & high level performances, not to mention a storm of goals at "Camp Nou" that will be discussed below. Here is a summary of the games, with results & the scorers.

Malaga - Mallorca

MALAGA FC continue adding points, this time at the expense of a

Friday, September 16, 2011

Live today (17/09/2011)

17/09 Australia - Ireland (10:30h CEST)
17/09 Daviscup Belgium - Austria (12:30h CEST)
17/09 Blackburn – Arsenal (13:45h CEST)
17/09 Barcelona – Osasuna (20:00h CEST)
17/09 KSV Roeselare - KAS Eupen (20:00h CEST)
17/09 Bergen - KV Mechelen (20:00h CEST)
17/09 Cercle Brugge - Lierse (20:00h CEST)
17/09 MultiLive (20:00h)
17/09 Lille – Sochaux (21:00h CEST)
17/09 Stadion (23:00h CEST)

Live today (17/09/2011)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

NBA TV: What to expect in NBA Lockout

A few hours ago I was on NBA TV to join Steve Smith, David Aldridge, Vince Cellini and Steve Aschburner for a roundtable discussion on what to expect going forward in the NBA lockout. One thing not to expect: the 2011-12 season starting on time.

EUROPA LEAGUE RESULTS | ATHLETIC DE BILBAO - ATLETICO DE MADRID WIN THEIR MATCHES

Two SPANISH FOOTBALL Clubs started their adventure in the EUROPA LEAGUE competition with ATHLETIC DE BILBAO playing away & ATLETICO DE MADRID playing at home. Both gave good performances & results that allowed them to begin the new Euro season with a right foot.

Here is a quick summary of events, final results & scorers.

Muniain for Bilbao

ATHLETIC DE BILBAO defeated 1 - 2 SLOVEN BRATISLAVA

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

REAL MADRID TEAM PHOTO 2011 | RED UNIFORM

This is an interesting REAL MADRID TEAM PHOTO taken before the start of their CHAMPIONS LEAGUE match against DYNAMO ZAGREB. Apart from highlighting the starting 11 it shows the team in their RED UNIFORM , something very unusual & maybe of value for all the Real Madrid fans around the globe whom collect images of their favourite team. I think this maybe worth conserving somewhere in your

Live today (16/09/2011)

16/09 New Zealand - Japan (10:00h CEST)
16/09 Daviscup Belgium - Austria (14:00h CEST)
16/09 IAAF Diamond league Brussels (19:30h CEST)
16/09 FC Zwolle - FC Volendam (20:00h CEST)
16/09 Freiburg – Stuttgart (20:30h CEST)

Live today (16/09/2011)

VILLAREAL 0 - BAYERN MUNICH 2 | DYNAMO ZAGREB 0 - REAL MADRID 1 | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL Clubs VILLAREAL & REAL MADRID had their turn tonight in CHAMPIONS LEAGUE with their respective Group A & Group D participation. The final outcome & results were mixed as the following summary shows with results & scores.

Kross scores for Bayern

VILLAREAL hosted German giants BAYERN MUNICH in their Group A - "Death Group" - match & lost 0 - 2. The Germans were the better team

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Sports Law Discussion at Suffolk University Law School today (Wednesday) at 4 p.m.

I'll be giving a talk today at 4 p.m. at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. It will be held in the moot court room on the 4th floor. Topics will include the NBA lockout, collective bargaining issues for Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players' Association, and how to break into the sports law industry. If you're in Boston and have some free time around then, hope to see you there!

Live today (14/09/2011)

14/09 Scotland - Georgia (09:30h CEST)
14/09 GP van Wallonië (14:45h CEST)
14/09 Benfica - Manchester United (20:45h CEST)
14/09 Ajax - Olympique Lyon (20:45h CEST)
14/09 Villarreal CF - Bayern München (20:45h CEST)
14/09 Manchester City – Napoli (20:45h CEST)
14/09 champions league highlights (22:55h CEST)

Live today (14/09/2011)

FC BARCELONA 2 - AC MILAN 2 | GENK 0 - VALENCIA CF 0 | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP MATCH RESULTS

Spanish Football Clubs FC BARCELONA & VALENCIA CF started their CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Group games & their respective quest to win European Football most pretigious Club prize. Th experts insist that a loss is to be avoided at all costs in the first match & both Spanish Football Clubs avoided this but both drew in the respective games.

Here is a quick summary of events with results & the scorers.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RETURNS | FC BARCELONA - VILLAREAL TONIGHT

The much awaited CHAMPIONS LEAGUE competition returns tonight with Group matches scheduled, & in the Spanish Football case, the participation of Valencia CF ( vs Genk GROUP E) & FC Barcelona (GROUP H). Perhaps the latter is of greater interest due to the fact that Barça plays AC MILAN.

courtesy of SPORT

The Spanish Sports paper based in Barcelona, Sport, have ventured to "predict" a possible

Monday, September 12, 2011

MALAGA FC 4 - GRANADA 0 | SPANISH FOOTBALL - SOCCER - LEAGUE ROUND 3 MONDAY NIGHT GAME RESULT

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with the last game of Round 3 of LA LIGA ( Monday Night Football ) with MALAGA FC defeating GRANADA 4 - 0 at home.

Cazorla for Malaga scores goal

Malaga has spent "big time" for this new season & two of those signings SANTI CAZORLA & JOAQUIN were fabulous & proved their worth with two goals each. The Cazorla goals came in the 3 rd & 48th min, while Joaquin

Ryan Hart's federal lawsuit against Electronic Arts dismissed

Electronic Arts, publisher of the NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball video games, has been sued by various former college players who argue that these video games have featured the players' likenesses without the players' permission. The "likenesses" have varied by game, but normally include reference to the player's number, position, skills/talents, hometown, and a digital representation of his height, weight and race/ethnicity, but not his name. Even without the players' name, it is usually clear to the typical fan of a team as to whom the digital players are referring.

U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson, who in 2002 was nominated by President George W. Bush to the U.S. District for the District of New Jersey, has just dismissed a lawsuit brought by former Rutgers player Ryan Hart against EA. The judge reasoned that the First Amendment and its protection of free speech (and significant transformative elements) empowered EA to create digital representations of the players.

The dismissal by no means signals that similar lawsuits, such as Ed O'Bannon's class action lawsuit against the NCAA, will also fail, especially since those lawsuits have been brought in other jurisdictions and since they raise other types of claims, including those based in antitrust law. Still, a defense based on the First Amendment to use college players' identities does appear bolstered by Wolfson's dismissal.

Here's IGN on the news:

Hart, a former Rutgers player, accused EA of using his name and likeness in the NCAA Football series without his knowledge or consent, suing the company in 2009. But U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson has ruled that the likeness is permissible under the first amendment, and has dismissed the case.

EA's lawyer Elizabeth McNamara said the decision "validates Electronic Arts' rights to create and publish its expressive works." Hart's lawyers have yet to comment publicly.

This case is one of many currently pending against the publisher in relation to likeness issues in NCAA titles, largely stemming from players' wishes to be compensated for their inclusion in the games. NCAA Football 12 released in July for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Live today (12/09/2011)

12/09 Finland - Belgium (16:00h CEST)
12/09 Komen Eten (20:05h CEST)
12/09 Queens Park Rangers – Newcastle (21:00h CEST)
12/09 Djokovic - Nadal (22:00h CEST)
12/09 Extra Time (22:10h CEST)

Live today (12/09/2011)

12/09 Finland - Belgium (16:00h CEST)
12/09 Komen Eten (20:05h CEST)
12/09 Queens Park Rangers – Newcastle (21:00h CEST)
12/09 Djokovic - Nadal (22:00h CEST)
12/09 Extra Time (22:10h CEST)

Sunday, September 11, 2011

New Bests at World Strongest Hands 2nd Leg

Had a great day on saturday down in Stafford at the 2nd Leg of the Worlds Strongest Hands Comp.

I set new best in all events - Vulcan - Level 15 dipped black spring (1mm off level 16), 105kg In the 2 Hands Pinch (now on top 20 all time list), 19.64kg on the griptopz stub and 16.22kg on the griptopz half penny.

These lifts got me 2nd place in the UK and 6th Over all in the World on the 2nd leg so very pleased with that.

David Horne won first place overall on everything and set an new WR in the half penny lift with 19.22kg. His wife Elizabeth(who is 8 months pregnant I might add), hit 80kg in the 2HP which is totally mind blowing!!!!

Also, got to meet bending legend Gary Hunt and some other new guys I've never met before. Gary also took photo's all through the comp.

105kg 2 Hands Pinch

As always after the comp there's lots of feats of grip strength taking part. This time hub lifting seemed to be the flavour with Pete Kerr and Richie Bevan going barmy loading a 25kg plate up with discs.

To see the full results and get involved with grip training get yourself over to David Horne's Grip Forum

Personalizing the national anthem

Patriotic and political rituals that pervade our sporting events. And the performing of The Star-Spangled Banner, a part of just about every game, is heightened at major games and events (championships, Super Bowls, all-star games, event finals). And we expected that to even more so at today's Women's Final of the U.S. Open, played in New York on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

What I find interesting is the way artists can and do try to personalize the anthem, changing the entire tune and musical style of the song (particularly in non-traditional styles), and the way our reactions to that have changed. What is widely regarded as the first attempt at restyling was Jose Felciano's acoustic slow Latin jazz rendition before Game 5 of the 1968 World Series in Detroit, which outraged fans (NBC stations were inundated with angry phone calls) and lead some radio stations to stop playing Feliciano's music for a time. On the other hand, the response was much more favorable to Marvin Gaye's rendition at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. And in 2010, Feliciano was invited back to Detroit to perform his version of the anthem during a memorial ceremony for late Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell. Are there other recent examples of performers making stylistic changes to the song?

All of which is by way of saying that our reaction to Queen Latifah's gospel/soul rendition before today's match is a product of its time:, It probablt would have been a subject of controversy 40 years ago; it now becomes an instant classic. Enjoy.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 3 | SUNDAY NIGHT RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL action all day-afternoon-night with the continuation of Round 3 of the SPANISH LEAGUE. Strange day with lots of drawn results & less goals than yesterdays 4 LIGA games. Here is a quick summary of the matches , the results & the scorers.

Rayo Vallecano laments missed penalty

Madrid Club RAYO VALLECANO will be kicking themselves as they let off the hook REAL ZARAGOZA &

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Tennis Bracketology

Only sort-of sports-law related, kind of: The top 4 seeds made the Men's Semifinals at the U.S. Open. In today's semis, # 1 (Djokovic) played # 3 (Federer) and # 2 (Nadal) played # 4 (Murrary). But brackets are always set up for semis of 1 v. 4 and 2 v. 3.

Anyone out there know why the Open does it differently?

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 3 | SATURDAY NIGHT GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL was back in action, after the International matches break, celebrating Round 3 of the SPANISH LEAGUE with four games full of goals & controversy. Here is a quick round-up of events, results & scorers.

Real Sociedad

REAL SOCIEDAD came from behind in the 2º half to draw 2 - 2 against FC BARCELONA. This match also had some controversy due to a hand-ball from Barça defender

Live today (11/09/2011)

11/09 Juventus – Parma (12:30h CEST)
11/09 Formule 1: GP Italy - Monza (13:10h CEST)
11/09 KV Oostende - Eendracht Aalst (15:00h CEST)
11/09 Tour of Spain - Vuelta (16:00h CEST)
11/09 Us Open (17:00h CEST)
11/09 Fulham – Blackburn (17:00h CEST)
11/09 KV Mechelen - Club Brugge (18:00h CEST)
11/09 Anderlecht - Kortrijk (18:00h CEST)
11/09 GP Montreal (18:15h CEST)
11/09 Zulte Waregem - AA Gent (20:30h CEST)

Live today (11/09/2011)

Friday, September 9, 2011

Phillies protest denied

I missed this two days ago: To no one's surprise, MLB denied, without explanation, the Phillies' protest over the use of replay in last Sunday's game with the Marlins.

Live today (10/09/2011)

10/09 Rugby World cup: France - Japan (08:00h CEST)
10/09 Rugby World cup: Argentina - England (10:30h CEST)
10/09 Formule 1: GP Italy - Monza (11:00h CEST)
10/09 Formule 1: GP Italy - Monza (14:00h CEST)
10/09 Paris-Brussels (14:30h CEST)
10/09 Bayern Munchen - Freiburg (15:30h CEST)
10/09 Tour of Spain - Vuelta (15:45h CEST)
10/09 Sunderland - Chelsea (16:00h CEST)
10/09 Us Open (17:00h CEST)
10/09 Real Sociedad – Barcelona (18:00h CEST)
10/09 Werder Bremen - Hamburg (18:30h CEST)
10/09 Real Madrid – Getafe (20:00h CEST)
10/09 Standard - Westerlo (20:00h CEST)

Live today (10/09/2011)

University of Wisconsin Law School Symposium related to Sports Law and Gender

If you are writing about sports law and gender issues, be sure to consider submitting your piece:

The Wisconsin Journal of

Law, Gender & Society

Announces our 2012 Symposium…

When Gender Norms Become Law:

Recognizing and Correcting for Gender Bias

February 10, 2012

University of Wisconsin Law School

Madison, Wisconsin

We are seeking original scholarship, from both scholars and practitioners, addressing ways in which gender norms are reflected in legislation, judicial precedent, and administrative findings. Ideally, proposals would highlight:

· An analysis of the inherent and functional gender biases in these policies and practices and

· Recommendations as to how the same policies could be pursued without the resulting gender disparity.

Topics could include: findings of fact that shape evolving areas of law, the role of social sciences in evidence, and differing approaches to gender considerations across legal systems. Interested parties should send an abstract to WJLGS.Symposium@gmail.com by October 15, 2011. Those selected for the Symposium will be notified by November 2011. The Journal’s Symposium issue will be published in Fall 2012.

Questions may be addressed to Symposium Editor Meredith Davis at mdavis7@wisc.edu.

Sledgehammer Workout - Cardio Crusher

14 mins of Hammer Slamming in preperation for my 1000 rep Hammer Challenge - Total reps 280.

Basically, I'm attempting to hit 1000 reps in 1 hour with the 25kg Sledgehammer for the charity 'Children in Distress'.

I've been training since 23rd May this year and have completed 45 sessions so far with over 7000 reps in total. With only 36 days left before the event I'm aiming at over 12000 reps total in training. Let's bring it on.

After the event I'll be publishing my training tables, hopefully someone may find this interesting.

Sledgehammer Workout

The interesting thing about Sledgehammer Training is the carryover to kettlebell snatching. I've been using the 24kg kettlebell snatch test as a gauge for my progress with the hammer and have pushed out my SSST best to 252 reps (so far) over the next 36 days I intend on 2 more snatch tests and will also on the back of my sledgehammer fitness be pushing the snatch test as far as I possibly can before Christmas.

If you fancy supporting me please check out my 2011 Sledgehammer Challenge JustGiving Page

Can you hear the beep in this video? This little fella keeps me going

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Live today (09/09/2011)

09/09 Formule 1: GP Italy - Monza (10:00h CEST)
09/09 Formule 1: GP Italy - Monza (14:00h CEST)
09/09 Tour of Spain - Vuelta (15:45h CEST)
08/09 Us Open (17:00h CEST)
09/09 GP van Québec (18:30h CEST)
09/09 STVV - Racing Genk (20:30h CEST)
09/09 AC Milan – Lazio (20:45h CEST)

Live today (09/09/2011)

Olympic Sports Law Symposium hosted by Preti Flaherty and University of Maine School of Law

Sports Law Symposium: Law and the Olympic Movement

Please join The University of Maine School of Law and Preti Flaherty on September 13, 2011 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm for a Sports Law Symposium featuring:
Law and the Olympic Movement

Join us in exploring the law as it affects the rights of athletes. Hear from sports professionals and attorneys who will discuss the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, the World Anti-Doping Code, and the athlete's right of publicity.

Please join us for a reception immediately following the panel discussion.Cost to attend is $35.00. This event has also been approved for 2 hours of general CLE credit for Maine.

Speakers:

		Peter Carlisle: Peter Carlisle is the driving force behind the success of Octagon's Olympic & Action Sports division. An expert at the forefront of the booming action sports industry for more than a decade, he has emerged as a leader in the representation and marketing of Olympic and action sports athletes. He oversees a global business that provides career management for Olympics and action sports clients through contract negotiations, endorsements, licensing, merchandising opportunities and more. Before joining Octagon, he founded Carlisle Sports Management and served as an attorney for Preti Flaherty Believeau & Pachios. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Maine Law.
		Paul Greene: Paul J. Greene focuses his sports law practice on protecting athletes' rights. He handles anti-doping and eligibility arbitrations, rights of publicity matters, cybersquatting cases and immigration issues for athletes. He has successfully represented, among others, the gold-medal winning U.S. Men's Olympic Bobsled Team and the Michael Phelps Foundation. Paul credits the University of Maine School of Law, where he took a course in sports law, for giving him his start as a sports lawyer. Paul is listed in Chambers USA 2011 as one of America's Leading Lawyers for Sports Law in the Nationwide category. Chambers USA writes, "He is making a considerable name for himself in sports law."
		Sonja Keating: Sonja Keating is the Senior Vice-President & General Counsel of the United States Equestrian Federation, the national governing body for equestrian sport. Before this appointment, Keating served as Associate General Counsel for the USEF. Prior to joining the Federation staff, Keating was associated with the Lexington office of the Cincinnati-based law firm of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, where she practiced in the litigation department. Sonja lives and works in Lexington, Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky College of Law.
		Matt Lane: Matt Lane is an attorney with Preti Flaherty where he practices Business, Litigation and Sports Law. Prior to launching his law career, Matt was a professional runner and competed against the world's best. Maine Law gave Matt the training and vision to explore new challenges in track and field. Today, his sports practice is focused on representing individuals and entities performing at the highest levels. His clients include the American Milers' Association, NJNY Track Club, and Andrew Wheating, a 2008 Olympian. Matt serves as a legal correspondent for Letsrun.com, the premier internet site for track and field news and results.
		Nancy Hogshead-Makar: Professor Nancy Hogshead-Makar is an Olympic champion and national leader in the fight for women's rights in sports. She is one of the nation's foremost exponents of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, particularly within the context of intercollegiate sports. She is a former President of Women's Sports Foundation (1992-94) and currently serves as its Senior Director of Advocacy. She has testified in Congress numerous times on the topic of gender equity in athletics, written numerous scholarly and lay articles, and has been a frequent guest on national news programs on the topic. Nancy capped eight years as a world class swimmer at the 1984 Olympics, where she won more medals than any other swimmer—three Gold medals and one Silver.

FC BARCELONA FOLLOWING BRAZILIAN LEANDRO DAMAIO ?

The story circulating these couple of days in SPANISH FOOTBALL circles is the apparent interest of FC BARCELONA for INTERNACIONAL DE PORTO ALEGRE forward LEANDRO DAMIAO. Spanish Sports media are making echo that Barça has been following the new Brazilian International & maybe thinking about next season as a new incorporation to the squad. Supposedly this player is to the liking of Coach

AMIR SAYOUD FAIL PENALTY | BAD DAY AT THE "OFFICE"

Hi guys!
Not much significant & "brain catching" happening around the Spanish Football scene today, except that the "medium-lower" LIGA Clubs under Sevilla FC President Del Nido has called a summit ( at Sevilla ) to create a pressure group against Real Madrid - FC Barcelona to re-negotiate TV rights contracts. Dont´t wish too get into this because behind it all is money, power & some personal

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Will Baylor University and Ken Starr stop Texas A&M from joining the SEC?

Baylor University and its president, Ken Starr (the same Ken Starr who was Independent Counsel investigating President Clinton) may file a lawsuit to stop Texas A&M from joining the SEC. I talk to Maggie Gray of Sports Illustrated Inside Report about it.

Live today (08/09/2011)

08/09 Tour of Spain - Vuelta (15:45h CEST)
08/09 Us Open (17:00h CEST)
08/09 Diamond League - Zurich (20:00h CEST)
08/09 Komen Eten (20:05h CEST)
08/09 GP van Québec - sprint (22:00h CEST)

Live today (08/09/2011)

08/09 Tour of Spain - Vuelta (15:45h CEST)
08/09 Us Open (17:00h CEST)
08/09 Diamond League - Zurich (20:00h CEST)
08/09 Komen Eten (20:05h CEST)
08/09 GP van Québec - sprint (22:00h CEST)

Catching up with Links

* The Dodgers ownership mess gets messier and messier. If you're a law student looking for a note topic, I'm pretty sure you could have a field day writing about the Dodgers situation, the powers of the MLB commissioner, and the relationship between a league and bankruptcy and divorce courts.

* My column for SI on the Barry Bonds case ending not with a bang, but a whimper (thanks to T.S. Eliot for that line)

* Last week I spoke with Sports Illustrated Inside Report about Texas A&M trying to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC:

More Statistics and Sports Law

The American Statistical Association's Section on Statistics in Sports is sponsoring a conference September 24, 2011 at Harvard University. The schedule includes a mix of oral presentations and poster presentations. A panel featuring NBA front office executives is also included. Much like the ASA's general meeting last month, there are a number of papers being presented that address quasi-legal issues in the sports industry. Examples include cheating in soccer, market efficiency in tennis, seed distribution in the NCAA basketball tournament, the efficacy of the NBA's minimum age rule, and referee bias in hockey. Paper abstracts can be found here. Proceedings from the conference will be published in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis of Sports. Conference registration and contact details can be found here.

SPAIN - FERNANDO TORRES - BUILDING UP TO EURO 2012

Yesterdays Spain - Liechtenstein Group Euro qualifying game has given food to the local "press dogs" to chew this morning. The bone that they are munching on is FERNANDO TORRES, taking sizable space in the Spanish Sports papers debate & opinion sections.

Apparently, Torres was very disappointed ( some say fuming ) last night for being discarded from the Spanish Football Team & Forced to watch

How Bad Do You Want to Succeed?

When you want to succeed as bad as you wanna breathe you will succeed

I love this inpirational video there's a lot to be learned from this, so listen up. Just wanting something won't get you it, get up off your fucking arse and get done what you need to succeed!!

Transcribed by some good fellow, sorry if the english is poor
"As a young man who you realize wanted to create a great deal of cash, and so he went to this guru right, he told this guru he wanted to be on the same level your on and so the guru said in the event you wanted to be on exactly the same level I’m on, I’ll meet you at the beach at four in the morning.
He liked the beach. I stated I wanted to "make money", I do not want to swim.

The guru said if you wanted to create money I’ll meet you tomorrow 4 am.
So the young man got there at 4am, all prepared to rock and roll got the suit on, he ought to of worn shorts. The old man grabs his hand and says how bad do you want to be successful?
He said "real bad", The guru says walk on out there. So he walks out onto the water, watch this, when goes out to the water he goes waist deep, like this crazy guy. I just wanna make cash; he got me out there swimming. I didn’t ask to be a life guard. I wish to make money!
So he says come on out just a little further after which he had him right about this region (The shoulder area), so this old man is crazy, he may be making cash but he crazy. He stated come on out just a little further, it was correct about his mouth. My man I'm about to go right back in here, this guy is out of his mind. But the old man stated, believed you wanted to be effective.
He stated I do! he said "walk a little further". He came dropped his head in, held in him down! Hold him down! My man didn’t scratching hold him down! I got you, I know you brushed it off but I got you. He had him held down; I require you for an illustration. He had him down just about before my man was going to pass out, so he raised him up, he stated I got a question for you, somebody answer the question for me, he stated when you had been water what did you want to do?

He said I wanted to breathe. He told the guy, he stated whenever you wish to succeed as bad as you wanted to breathe and then you will be successful.

I do not know how many of you all have asthma in here today, but in the event you ever had an asthma attack before you short of breathe (sob) short of breathe, you weezy ( breathes in deeply). the only factor you trying to do is get some air! You do not care about no basketball game! whats on television! You don’t care about nobody calling you! You do not care about a party! The only thing you care about whilst trying to breathe is obtaining some fresh air, that’s it! and whenever you get to the point where all you would like to be is effective as bad as you would like to breathe, then you will be successful! I’m here to let you know number 1 that the majority of you say you want to be successful but you do not want it bad enough, just kinda want it.
You do not want it badder than you would like to party, you don’t want it as much as you wanna be cool, the majority of you do not want success as much as you want to sleep!
Some of you love sleep more then you love success. I’m here to tell you today if you’re going to be effective, you got to be willing to give up sleep, you gotta be willing to work off of 2 hours of sleep 3 hours of sleep! In the event you really wish to be effective some days you’re going to need to remain up 3 days in a row, simply because in the event you go to sleep you might miss the chance to be successful, that’s how bad you got to want it.
You got to go days with out sleep. You would like to be effective so poor you forget to eat! Beyonce stated as soon as she was on the set performing her factor, 3 days had gone by and she forgotten she didn’t eat! Because she was engaged. I’ll by no means forget when 50 cent was performing his movie, I did a little analysis on 50 and 50 stated that when he wasn’t doing the movie he was performing the sound track, and they said when do you sleep 50, sleep? Sleep is for those people who are broke, I don’t sleep. I got an opportunity to create a dream come a reality. How many individuals in here like football? Emmy smith I utilized to be a cowboy fan prior to they give my boy tom lance I use to be a cowboy fan. watch this, there use to be a commercial, emmy smith had won his first super bowl and he had this commercial where he was lifting weights, I do not know in the event you saw the commercial and he was lifting and he said “you know what I won the super bowl, I can rest now, so he throws up about 325! And rests for about 2 seconds and then boom once more, again. Did you see that? he already won the super bowl!, he stated I’m going to rest, how long did he rest? Only a second, most of you all won’t be effective because whenever you studying and you get tired, you uite! And I’m here to let you know these days don’t cry to give up! cry to keep going! do not cry to unite! you already in discomfort! you already hurt! get a reward!"

The voice in the video is from this video

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

SPAIN 6 - LIECHTENSTEIN 0 | SPAIN GRABS ITS GROUP TICKET FOR EURO 2012

The SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM assured their qualification & presence in the upcoming EURO Championships next year with a 6 - 0 victory over LIECHTENSTEIN in their Group qualifying game. The current FIFA World Championship, Spain, have 18 points from their six from six Group victories.

Alvaro Negredo

The match was a one way affair & Spain could have scored more goals, thus not much really

Live today (07/09/2011)

07/09 Tour of Spain - Vuelta (15:35h CEST)
07/09 Us Open (17:00h)
07/09 Komen Eten (20:05h)
07/09 De pedaalridders (21:00h)

Live today (07/09/2011)

07/09 Tour of Spain - Vuelta (15:35h CEST)
07/09 Us Open (17:00h)
07/09 Komen Eten (20:05h)
07/09 De pedaalridders (21:00h)

SPANISH FOOTBALL - THIAGO ALCANTARA | THE AWAITED BAPTISM

A marked day for SPANISH FOOTBALL & for FC Barcelona young sensation THIAGO Alcantara. Tonight the Spanish National Football Team plays an official Group qualifying match against LIECHTENSTEIN & a win basically assures the current European Champions a place in next years edition.

Spanish Football player Thiago

But its also a big day for THIAGO. If the youngster manages to start in tonight's

Monday, September 5, 2011

UConn: NCAA Rules (Still) Don't Apply To Us

Anyone paying attention to what the University of Connecticut just did down in Storrs with their basketball program? Coach Jim Calhoun seized the opportunity to bring highly touted Andre Drummond, the top ranked recruit by ESPN, to campus to play for his basketball program in their efforts to defend last year's national championship.

Current player, Michael Bradley, a 6'10" backup center, has decided to give up his scholarship so Drummond can join his team. Wait...what? Many across the country are applauding Bradley for exhibiting a selfless dedication to his school so they can bring in another star for Calhoun's program. Don't cry for Bradley, apparently he is going to apply for financial aid and, one can only assume, be taken care of by UConn.

This isn't unique to UConn as other schools have pulled similar stunts as well....both Calipari at Kentucky and Pitino at Louisville took similar courses of action. I'm uncomfortable with this...anyone else? Check out my story here at the Huffington Post.

Live today (06/09/2011)

06/09 Argentina – Nigeria (15:00h)

06/09 Tour of Spain - Vuelta (16:00h CEST)

06/09 Azerbaijan – Kazakhstan (17:00h)

06/09 Finland – Netherlands (19:00h)

06/09 Austria – Turkey (20:30h)

06/09 Belgium - USA (20:45h)

06/09 Poland – Germany (20:45h)

Live today (06/09/2011)

SPAIN 2 - GEORGIA 0 | EURO U - 21 GROUP 5 QUALIFIER

Good night for the SPANISH FOOTBALL U-21 NATIONAL TEAM with a 2 - 0 victory against GEORGIA. If you can remember Spain defeated a few days back Georgia away 2 - 7. Here is a very brief summary.

Sergio Canales

The young SERGIO CANALES, the newly signed Valencia CF midfielder, starred with two goals in Spain's victory in the second qualifying match for Euro U- 21 Championships to be held in

The Re Play’s The Thing

A remarkable event occurred during the 6th inning of the Phillies Marlins game Saturday (which Howard Wasserman also blogged about yesterday). With Ryan Howard on first, Hunter Pence hit a long drive to the fence in right field. As Brian Peterson attempted to make the catch, two South Florida University students who happened to be Phillies fans (who else would be at a Marlins game?) reached over the fence and appeared to touch the glove of the outfielder. As the ball fell to the ground, Pence ended up on second and Howard on third. Out came Manager Jack McKeon to argue fan interference which, if called on the field, could negate the double and return Howard to first. Umpire Joe West and his crew listened then retreated to view the replay. When they returned, West ruled Pence out. Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel then came out to argue and was promptly tossed.

The problem was that the baseball’s rule clearly limits the use of replay. The rule states: "Instant replay will apply only to home run calls -- whether they are fair or foul, whether they have left the playing field, or whether they have been subject to fan interference. The decision to use instant replay will be made by the umpire crew chief, who also will make the determination as to whether or not a call should be reversed."

To make matters worse, after the game, Umpire West later gave a false statement as to what had given him “jurisdiction” to consult the replay, claiming Manuel had contested whether it should be ruled a Home Run. The replay shows no such thing; Manuel never approached West until after the reversal was made. The only reason West consulted the replay was to see if it was a double or an out.

For his part, octogenarian McKeon was candid in his assessment of the events, saying, “I don’t know. I’m not the judge. But I would think, isn’t what we want from the umpires: To get it right? Did they get it right? Yes. Did they make a mistake in how they went about getting it right? Yes.”

It’s a classic law school ethics question: is the truth more important than the process? Can a lawyer, or judge or jury go around the rules to see justice is done?

In the end, the game will matter not a bit. The Phillies should easily go on to win their division with the best record in baseball, securing home field advantage along the way.

And as to those Phillies fans? The blogosphere has already rendered its verdict. They will have a tough time buying a cheesesteak when they get home.

Who Is The Third Best Team in the Big Sky?

This was originally posted on Big Sky Basketball.

From what I have seen, read, and know about the Big Sky, Weber State and Montana look like they will be ranked 1-2 in the conference this season, and in my mind, they look like the favorites. But the race is wide open for third. Ranking from (in my opinion and subject to change!) least likely to most likely:

- Shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifacramento State - It will be a tough season for Coach Katz. They were one of the worst offensive and defensive teams in the country last year, and I'm not sure there is a lot of reason to be more optimistic this season. Dylan Garrity looks solid, but there are simply not a lot of impact players on the Hornets roster.

- Idaho State - By all accounts Joe O'Brien is almost definitely on the way out after this season, so he will try to make it count. He shouldn't expect any miracles. He lost his two best players, and while there are some decent players back, the cupboard is not too well stocked right now. A lot of their hopes will rest on how quickly Melvin Morgan can become the leader of the team.

- Northern Arizona - In my opinion, spots 3-7 are all pretty close, and things could go any direction. I wouldn't want to bet against Mike Adras, but NAU did lose some good talent off a team that finished 4th in the conference. Gone is Cameron Jones and Shane Johannsen, with no clear replacements for either. Gabe Rogers will be called upon to be the star, and he does have the talent to the an All BigSky performer. Perhaps the biggest key will be the development of Danny Cheek, one of the top incoming recruits in the Big Sky. If he can be productive early, NAU will be very competitive.

- Northern Colorado - It is tough predict what UNC will do this season after losing 4 key contributors, notably Devon Beitzel and Neal Kingman. They have some talent and BJ Hill put together a nice recruiting class, but it is a team that relied heavily on Beitzel last year, so there will be an adjustment period. Who will step up and be the go-to guy for the Bears? I'm guessing even the coaches are wondering at this point.

- Eastern Washington - There are a lot of unknowns with a new coach, so it will be interesting to see how things play out for Jim Hayford (last year's first year coach in the Big Sky was BJ Hill, and that turned out ok). EWU has a lot of solid returning guards, and they have brought in a solid recruit in Collin Chiverton. If their frontcourt can produce, they will be dangerous.

- Montana State - The Bobcats will be very interesting, as they will be bringing in a ton of talented new guys, so they will be as good as the team can learn to play together and Brad Huse can find a consistent rotation. The word is that Antonio Biglow, one of their most highly rated newcomers, might not play until January (if he plays this year), which is definitely a blow. Still, JUCO wings Jamie Stewart and Xavier Johnson-Blount should be a nice duo. They have the talent to be one of the best teams in the Big Sky, but it is difficult to say how quickly Huse will be able to mold the talent.

- Portland State - Craw's Corner really opened my eyes that they could be the third best team in the Big Sky, and it seems like they now have the talent to do it. Two solid holdovers are Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott, both seniors with a year of Big Sky experience under their belt. Lateef Mcmullan looks like he will be a nice contributor right away, Michael Harthun is ready to play after sitting out a year (after a transfer from Washington State), and Brandon Cataldo could be a big contributor if he is healthy. The Vikings are a bit of a darkhorse, but if they can find a way to improve the defense from last year, they will be dangerous.

Would love to hear thoughts on who everyone else thinks will be the third best team in the Big Sky. I also have a poll up, so please vote, and leave your reasoning in the comments. I think it could be a pretty fun debate.

IFFHS WORLD FOOTBALL CLUB RANKINGS | AT.MADRID Nº 1 ( FOR AUGUST 2011 )

The FIFA backed International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) has handed in the Top World Ranking Football Clubs. There are no surprises to the top positions with FC BARCELONA first placed followed by REAL MADRID.

However the surprise is ATLETICO DE MADRID which is placed Nº 34 BUT is ranked as "The Best Club in The World" for the month of August 2011. From an Atletico de

SPANISH HANDBALL | AT MADRID 33 FC BARCELONA 26 | SPANISH SUPER CUP FINAL

ATLETICO DE MADRID has won its first title this season, not the Football Club, but its "newly" acquired HANDBALL Team. Atletico de Madrid defeated the powerful FC BARCELONA 33 - 26 to take the SPANISH HANDBALL SUPERCUP which traditionally signals the start of the new season.

Atletico de Madrid Handball

For those who may not know, Spanish Handball Club CIUDAD REAL went through financial

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Law at the old ballgame

Jen, Lily, and I went to Sunday's game between the Phillies and Marlins, which turned into a game that shows why lawyers love baseball so much. In the top of the sixth and a man on first, the Phillies' Hunter Spence hit a drive to deep right that Marlins rightfielder Bryan Petersen could not pull in against the wall; Spence ended up on second with a double. The Marlins claimed fan interference (a Phillies fan reached his red Phillies hat over the fence and it looks like the hat hit Petersen's glove as he was leaping to make the catch). The umps went to replay, deciding that the fan had interfered and calling Pence out. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel argued the call and was ejected (watching the video, it almost looks as if he asked the crew chief to run him). The Phillies played the game under protest (the link has the video--MLB.com does not allow blogs to embed video), which the Marlins won on a bases-loaded walk in the fourteenth inning (we didn't last that long).

MLB allows replay in three situations: Fair/foul on a home run; home run or in play; and fan interference. The Phillies objection appears to be that fan interference can be reviewed only on a home-run play; in other words, replay can be used to determine whether a ball should have been a home run or should have been an out for fan interference--basically, the Jeffrey Maier play). But it was not clear whether the Phillies argues that this was a home run or seek review; it appeared that only the Marlins sought review for interference; it was either a double (the call on the field) or it was fan interference. Thus, the argument goes, it was not reviewable.

Three thoughts.

First, the adoption of limited replay demands vigorous policing of the boundaries of reviewability. The decision as to what is reviewable grows from a balance among the flow of the game and the need to keep reviewable plays to a minimum, administrative workability (related to flow, as well as to the means for handling overturned plays), and the desire for correctness and accuracy. MLB determined that home run calls should be the focus of replay--homers are inherently important plays on which we know with absolute certainty runs would score and because it is easy to administer, since a home run is such a final play (batter and all runners score, bases empty). But that means a play that is not claimed to be a home run should not be subject to the five-minute break in the action (ten if you count the subsequent argument) associated with review.

Second, I actually was surprised at the fan-interference ruling because it went against the visiting team. My assumption had been that fan interference could only go against the home team, that the rule is designed to prevent the home team's fans from helping their team. I was wrong on that; the rule is written to require that any batter be called out for any interference by any fan with any team. But that actually creates incentives for home fans to interfere on this precise play--rather than taking a chance that the home team's fielder will make a tough catch against the wall, the fan can interfere and assure an out. That can't be right. Of course, this being Miami, the stadium was probably 2/3 Phillies fans, so maybe the umps acted as if the Phillies were the home team. And the guy who interfered was wearing a Phillies hat and jersey, so perhaps the umps determined that the fan was, in fact, trying to aid the Phillies batter.

Third, my guess is that MLB will reject the protest. At least one game story states that both managers protested the call--Manuel wanted it called a home run and the Marlins manager wanted interference. Thus, both issues (home run/in play and home run/interference) were under review. The umpires were looking to see both if the ball went over the yellow line at the top of the fence and might have been a home run, thus bringing it within the scope of replay review. Moreover, to overturn the rule would create a real administrative (remedial, if you will) headache--does MLB order the game replayed at that point in the top of the sixth, nullifying eight more innings of play? As I argued in my post on the anniversary of the pine tar game (one of the rare times a protest was upheld), the difficulties that follow from accepting a protest may affect the decision whether to accept it in the first place.

By the way, this was not the only law-related stuff at this game. A kid was injured by a hard foul ball into the stands and a woman was injured when the barrel of a cracked bat struck her in the head--so you have the age-old issue of liability over fan injuries from things flying into the stands. And we sat in front of one of the more obnoxious fans I've met, so we got a very heavy dose of (mostly whining) cheering speech.