BAD NIGHT FOR ATLETICO & BARÇA WINS

Two matches played tonight with SAMUEL ETO´O starring in one& FERNANDO TORRES begin sent off in the other.FC BARCELONA played at home OSASUNA & won 3-0 with twogoals from forward Eto´o & the other by young Argentine starLeo Messi. Great game by the team, specially Deco, Ronaldinho &company.The other match saw ATLETICO DE MADRID stumble to VALENCIAat home, losing 0-1. Valencia scored early with a

SPANISH FOOTBALL. ROUND 2 OF "LA LIGA"

The Spanish 1º Division get back in action after a week ofEuro football with some interesting matches. Tonight wewill see 2 clashes that will excite fans.Fc Barcelona - OsasunaAtletico de Madrid - Valencia CFHere is a video for all the VALENCIA fans Rest of the fixture will be played Sunday with,Gimastic de Tarragona - CeltaGetafe - RacingBetis - At BilbaoR.Sociedad - SevilleLevante - Real

College Football Picks: Week 2

In case you missed it last week, I pick what I think are the 5 biggest games of the week, and then pick who I think will win.

Minnesota at (22) California
We all know about Cal's game last week, where they took a trip to Knoxville and promptly got embarrassed. This week, they stay at home, with a Minnesota squad that's feeling good about itself coming. There was RB questions coming in for the Gophers, but then converted LB Alex Daniels ran for 155 yards and 3 TD, and Amir Pinnix chipped in 124 yards and a TD. Meanwhile, Cal still has Lynch & Forsett, but the QB position is unsettled, as both starter Nate Longshore and Joe Ayoob struggled last week. Still, even with the QB questions, I think Cal is too talented a team to lose at home to Minnesota... CALIFORNIA 34-24.

(18) Clemson at Boston College
Boston College was less than impressive in the NCAA opener against Central Michigan, aside from a big day from the QB. The victory was not in hand until Central Michigan tried an absurdly awful trick play in a 31-24 game. Meanwhile, Clemson was one of the most impressive teams in the ACC last week, led by RB James Davis and freshman CJ Spiller. I suspect it is the rushing attack from those guys that will lead Clemson to a tough ACC road win. CLEMSON 20-17.

(12) Georgia at South Carolina
It was a rough go of it for South Carolina last week in Year 2 under the Ole Ball Coach, even if they did beat Mississippi St. 15-0. The line was awful, and because of that Blake Mitchell had very little time to throw, and Sidney Rice was a non-factor. Well, now throw in a team that is a lot better defensively and offensively, and I see a lot of strugging for the Gamecocks. The offense should be better this week, but not good enough. GEORGIA 31-14.

(19) Penn St. at (4) Notre Dame
Well, how good is Anthony Morelli? That seems to be the big unknown going in here. Notre Dame didn't look overwhelming in a 14-10 win, but we know all about that offensive firepower, and what it should do to a largely inexperienced Penn St. defense. Morelli has some weapons as his disposal - young receivers like Derrick Williams, and a good RB in Tony Hunt. So what does that all mean? I think we could have a relatively high-scoring game with these talented offenses. But, playing in South Bend, I like the Irish in this matchup. NOTRE DAME 34-27.

(1) Ohio St. at (2) Texas
Finally... the rematch and the game we've all been waiting for. Even better now that's it's 1 vs. 2 in the polls. In the classic battle last year, Texas won in a hotly contested matchup. This year, Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, and co. look to get even in Austin. Texas initially had some questions at the QB positions, but Colt McCoy answered a lot of those with a great performance against North Texas.

It's almost sick how much offensive talent will be on display here... for the Buckeyes, there's Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr, Antonio Pittman, and Chris Wells. For Texas, there's the aforementioned McCoy, Jamaal Charles (pictured), Selvin Young, and Limas Sweed. Not to mention a couple of solid O-Lines. Um, yes, there's the potential for a few big plays here. So who do I like here? At home, with the emergence of McCoy, I like Texas. With everything the Bucks lost on defense, I think the Longhorns are definitely the better defensive team at this point, and they should be able to contain Ginn just enough to allow the offense to do the work and control the ball. In another classic, I'll take TEXAS 27-24.

Last Week: 3-2
Season: 3-2

Overseas Epiphany? Coach K Now Opposes NBA Age Limit

We spend a lot of time on this blog discussing the NBA age limit, and doing so has generated some great debates. To continue in that tradition, I bring you news that Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski--a longtime supporter of a higher NBA age limit--has done a 180 and now vehemently opposses it. Ken Tysaic of the Charlotte Observer has the story on Krzyzewski's stunning change of heart, which occurred while he recently coached Team USA to a bronze medal in the FIBA World Championships (and thanks to D'arcy Mulligan for the link). Here are some excerpts:

After coaching Team USA's LeBron James and Dwight Howard, who went straight to the NBA from high school, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski said he opposes the year-old rule that prevents NBA teams from drafting high school seniors . . .

Now he is speaking out against it, saying basketball holds back teens while tennis, soccer and golf do not.

"We have a 16-year-old girl (Michelle Wie) that's winning money, a beautiful girl," Krzyzewski said. "They should be given those opportunities, and we should be able to adjust. It's not going to hurt the college game. The college game is going to be OK no matter what. I think this puts the college game in more of harm's way than it needs to be" . . .

He said when basketball players who don't want to attend college are forced onto campus for a year, college officials have trouble guaranteeing players will take their academic responsibilities seriously.

"There are a lot of successful people in this country who didn't go to college," Krzyzewski said. "They should be given the right to do that. We have one of the richest men in the world (Bill Gates) who didn't finish college, giving away hundreds of millions of dollars. To me, I'd rather have it the way it was (with no age limit)."

Some of us have been saying the same things for years, but I'm glad that Coach K has crossed over and joined the ranks of dissenters.

Daunte Culpepper

When Daunte Culpepper was traded from the Vikings to the Dolphins this summer, in a lot of people's minds it seemed to move the Dolphins from fringe playoff team to Super Bowl contender. Apparently those people forgot a few things. As the Pacifist Viking wrote a couple days ago:

For some reason, the rest of the world is pretending Culpepper isn't the quarterback that threw 6 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the first 6 games of 2005. Or that he's the quarterback with 81 career fumbles in 81 career games (well, I guess not everbody--obviously John Bolster is aware of it of I would have nothing to link to there). Or that he's had 6 seasons as a starter and has 2 playoff wins on his resume.

Don't get me wrong, Culpepper is one of the most gifted athletically QBs ever. I am a Vikings fan, I've seen probably every NFL game of his career. He has one of the 5 greatest NFL seasons ever on his resume.

But 18/37, 262 yards, and 2 INT? Being outplayed by Charlie Batch?

Now, I know the Steelers have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but that's really a sparkling debut. Especially when, down 21-17, you throw 2 INT in the 4th quarter, including one that's returned for a TD. For Vikings fans, this seemed too familiar... bad game against a good team... it was kind of the story of a lot of Daunte's career.

These are probably some of the same ideas I would have dismissed a year ago, but let's look at some things:

- He has never really been successful without Randy Moss - Sure, it's a small sample size. But Daunte was absolutely atrocious before he got hurt last night, and he was pretty darn bad Thursday.
- He doesn't read defenses well - This ties back to the first point if its true, because he has seen many defenses where teams aren't geared up for Moss... it didn't even look like he saw Joey Porter on his 2nd INT.
- He's not as mobile as he used to be - Of course, even the fact that he's out there playing this soon after the injury is an incredible thing, and beggars probably can't be choosers, but Daunte is significantly less dangerous if he's not a big threat to run. He had 8 rushing yards in the opener, and didn't really even look to run.

Now, it's true that I did not like the trade at all when the Vikings made it... and I still don't... but I feel a whole lot better now after watching last night's game.

Do I think Daunte is as bad as he showed on Thursday? Of course not. He's always been an accurate passer, and he was playing a top-flight defense. But I think some of the questions remain... he will force some passes, misread coverages, but a lot of that was covered up by his athletic ability. If that's been diminished by the injury, how dangerous does that leave Daunte Culpepper?

One thing's for sure, I feel very comfortable about my pick of the Patriots to win the AFC East.

The NFL's New Sideline Ban: Another League Effort to Control Content

The NFL season kicks off this weekend. But for the first time this season, you will not see the same coverage that you experienced in the past from your favorite local T.V. newscaster before and after the game. That's because last March, NFL owners adopted a resolution that bans local television photographers from the sidelines during regular season games. The only media affected by the new rule are local television photographers. The new rule does not impact still photographers from newspapers or other print outlets. All local stations, including affiliates of networks that have rights to televise games, must clear the sidelines 20 minutes before kickoff and they can return to do postgame interviews. Also, local stations are banned from having sets for pre-game shows on the field or anywhere that uses the field as a backdrop.

The NFL says the purpose of the rule is to protect their most important asset, the video content of the games, as well as clearing congestion from the sidelines during games. The NFL also says that stations can continue to show highlights using every play of every game from network telecasts. But local news stations are very upset about the new rule. According to Mike Shipley, news director at KSDK in St. Louis:

It's a question of fairness. It's a question of access. It's a question of creative control over our own storytelling process....We see great disparity in the fairness of this new rule... Our photographers will be kept in a room behind the scenes during the game. Should something happen in the stadium where the game is being played, we won't have the ability to photograph it for reporting purposes. In our role as the surrogate for the public owners of the building, we feel this controlled access is a slap in the face of the people who made it possible for the team to play here by building the Dome with tax dollars. The game itself notwithstanding, there are other reasons why access to the sidelines during a game should be allowed. Other newsworthy events can happen during a game that we would not be able to show you. Over the previous years, we've covered the heartwarming and the tragic with pictures and reporting our viewers have come to trust. That will no longer be possible.

The Detroit News interviewed the sports director of a local station in Detroit:

"It hurts us in so many ways," said Don Shane, sports director of Channel 7. "Therefore, it hurts the fan or the viewers. We care about the product. We care about making it look as good as we can for the fan." Shane contends that personal touches of game-day coverage will be lost. An example is a three-touchdown game by Roy Williams last season in the Lions' 29-21 victory over Arizona. After each touchdown, Williams handed the ball to a different fan in the stands. Channel 7's crew shot each fan. "The network was lucky to show one of those," Shane said. "We had each one of those plays. We went over and interviewed each kid. You no longer will have access to do those kinds of stories."

While the sideline ban may not be "fair" to local stations or to the local fans, the NFL appears to be within their legal rights to impose such a ban. The NFL has the legal right to control the broadcasts of its games. Indeed, networks pay the leagues huge fees in return for the right to broadcast the games. Furthermore, the news does not have any constitutional right to access sports facilities (even publicly funded stadiums) in the name of gathering newsworthy information. A constitutional law professor colleague of mine forwarded me this case quote in support of that proposition: “Where a private commercial venture presents a newsworthy event and grants exclusive rights of coverage to a news organization, freedom of the press does not confer an equal right of access on other news organizations, even though the event is presented in a facility which is owned and operated by government.” Post Newsweek Stations-Connecticut, Inc. v. Travelers Ins. Co., 510 F. Supp. 81 (D. Conn. 1981) (case involving a skating championship).

Putting the legal issues aside, is it a good business decision for the NFL to deny access to local television stations? Is this new rule another indication of a movement by the leagues to protect their most valuable asset, the content of their games, and to prevent the unjust enrichment of third parties? -- for example, MLB's disputes with CBC (the fantasy league) and the Slingbox maker. If so, doesn't that make good business sense?

NFL Picks Against the Spread: Week 1

Let me first say I don't actually gamble and have no money on any NFL games, but I think picking them against the spread just to see how I do is fun. For odds, I just used the first column here, because I don't really know the good place to get odds. But enough talking, let's get to the picks.

Steelers (Pick 'em) over Dolphins - Yes, Roethlisberger is out, but I still like the Steelers here. They're great defensively, and Willie Parker should get the ball a lot. As long as Batch can avoid big mistakes, I like the Steelers in a defensive battle.

Broncos (-3.5) over Rams - I like the Rams offense, and the game is being played indoors in St. Louis, but the Broncos do the same things the Steelers do well - run the ball and play great defense. I think it will be enough to cover the spread.

Jets (+2.5) over Titans - I like the Jets outright here... both teams are awful, but I think the Jets have a little more stability at QB as long as Pennington is healthy. One thing's for sure, this is a not a game I would like to have to watch.

Panthers (-5) over Falcons - There are concerns about Steve Smith's health, but I think the Panthers have enough to cover. Delhomme is nice, and Keyshawn is now in the mix. Plus, with Deshaun and DeAngelo in the backfield and that great defense, they should be able to control the game.

Bengals (+1) over Chiefs - The Bengals are a team I really like (though not enough to pick them to win it all like this guy) Carson Palmer looked fabulous in the preseason game I saw, and the rest of the offense is at potent as ever. LJ should run wild for the Chiefs, but I like the Bengals to win the game.

Lions (+7) over Seahawks - I like the Seahawks to win the game, but I think the Lions can cover the spread. As we all know, Martz is in town, and the Lions are playing at home. A weak vote for the Lions here.

Eagles (-6) over Texans - Same old story for the Texans... on the other hand, the Eagles will be much improved with better health all-around. I think the Eagles got a real shot at winning the East, and this should be the start of it.

Bucs (-3) over Ravens - These are two teams that I really like... the Ravens have McNair which should make the offense better if he's healthy, and the Bucs have a good defense, and young and talented QB and RB. I like the Bucs at home.

Browns (-3) over Saints - Reggie Bush is in town, but the Browns are headed in the right direction under Romeo Crennel. Charlie Frye is a very solid young QB, and I like them to cover at home over what will be an improved Saints team.

Patriots (-10) over Bills - The Bills are just awful. And Tom Brady should be better than ever, especially with a running game. The spread seems rather high, but I think the Pats will cover.

Bears (-4.5) over Packers - The Packers are just an awful club this year (sorry Packer backers)... Favre should have retired yesterday, the line is a mess, and Greg Jennings is their #2 WR. Enough said.

Cardinals (-7.5) over 49ers - Warner, James, Fitzgerald, Boldin... ah, if the Cards only had a decent line! But I still like them to cover, although I think Alex Smith will be a heck of a lot better this year than last, and Frank Gore is a solid RB.

Cowboys (+1.5) over Jaguars - The Jags will again be in the playoff mix, but I think the initial burst the Cowboys will get from TO on the field, along with their stout defense will be enough to cover in Jacksonville.

Colts (-3.5) over Giants - Obviously this is a preview of my Super Bowl, and I like the same result here. Plus it's early in the regular season... Peyton Manning should be on top of his game, right?

Vikings (+4) over Redskins - Quote of the preseason, courtesy of Bill Simmons:

To the dumbest plan of the year: the Redskins investing in two free agent receivers (Antwan Randle-El and Brandon Lloyd) and an expensive offensive coordinator (Al Saunders) to go with their expensive gamebreakers (Clinton Portis and Santana Moss) … only they're going with a washed-up Mark Brunell at QB again. How does that make sense? Does Joe Gibbs do this with NASCAR, too? Does he spend a ton of money on his cars and pit crews, then find the most mediocre drivers possible?

In other words, I'll take the Vikings outright.

Chargers (-3) over Raiders - This line seems like it should be higher... did someone forget to tell the oddsmakers that Aaron Brooks is the starting QB for the Raiders this year?


So, what picks of mine are horribly wrong? :)