Dude, with Cisse out, who will win the “Golden Hair Dryer” for best hairdo of the World Cup?
I’m totally depressed....
In my first week in Tallahassee, two of the subjects I wrote about are heading in totally opposite directions. One, FSU All-American shot putter Garrett Johnson, is off to Oxford this fall as FSU’s first Rhodes Scholar in 30 years. Johnson is intelligent, articulate and one of the most impressive interview subjects I’ve encountered.
On the flip side, former FSU linebacker A.J. Nicholson can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Despite being given multiple second chances already, Nicholson was arrested for breaking into former teammate Lorenzo Booker’s apartment and stealing stereo equipment and other items. His latest mental/moral blunder came only weeks after the Bengals selected him in April’s NFL Draft. Whether he is found guilty or not remains uncertain, but what is clearly obvious is that Nicholoson has some serious issues to take care of if he is ever going to lead a productive life beyond the football field.
I’m not sure if Nicholson and Johnson ever crossed paths during their time on campus, but if Nicholson ever decides to turn his act around, he might want to seek out Johnson for some advice.
On a lighter note, how does Nicholson’s latest arrest and the circumstances surrounding it rank with some of the biggest mental blunders ever made by big-time athletes? Remember former LSU running back Cecil Collins? What about Devil Rays prospect Delmon Young throwing his bat at an umpire? Think Ricky Williams really wants to play in the CFL?
What’s your favorite bonehead move by an athlete?
France’s attack was dealt a serious blow when Liverpool striker Dijbril Cisse was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a broken leg against China in a ‘friendly’ game on Wednesday.
While not neccesarily expected to be in the French starting eleven when the squad was announced, Cisse was being given the opportunity to start for the French with the thought being that he may have played his way into a starting position for France’s opener against Switzerland on Tuesday. Now not only is his World Cup over, but he may struggle to find someone to play for next season after having stated his desire to leave Liverpool during the summer.
France has Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet to lead its attack, along with reserves Sylvain Wiltord and Louis Saha, but Les Bleus cannot afford another injury to a striker if it hopes to contend for a second title.
France’s attack was dealt a serious blow when Liverpool striker Dijbril Cisse was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a broken leg against China in a ‘friendly’ game on Wednesday.
While not neccesarily expected to be in the French starting eleven when the squad was announced, Cisse was being given the opportunity to start for the French with the thought being that he may have played his way into a starting position for France’s opener against Switzerland on Tuesday. Now not only is his World Cup over, but he may struggle to find someone to play for next season after having stated his desire to leave Liverpool during the summer.
France has Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet to lead its attack, along with reserves Sylvain Wiltord and Louis Saha and Cisse’s replacement Sidney Govou, but Les Bleus cannot afford another injury to a striker if it hopes to contend for a second title.
And so the collective nation of England breathes a giant sigh of relief.
As a native of England, and devotee of every World Cup since 1982, I feel relieved that for once the signs are pointing to England having some luck on their side this time round. But before we get ahead of ourselves and proclaim Wayne Rooney as the second coming, there are some things that need to be pointed out.
Four years ago the English team faced a similar predicament with now captain David Beckham, and when he was announced as available from the opening game it appeared as though the English team was poised to make a concerted run at the title. We all know how that one turned out, finishing second to, uh-oh, Sweden in the first round before being eliminated by Brazil in the quarterfinals.
Rooney is a better player than Beckham was then and has more talent than anyone who will start the opening game against Paraguay for England, but to rest the entire tournament on one player’s shoulders is nothing short of ridiculous. Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has been right to try and focus attention on the rest of the team, to little avail with the English media, understanding that it is going to take a concerted effort from the whole team if England is to win its second World Cup. Hopefully the focus can now switch to Saturday’s important opener rather than what some are calling the ‘Blessed Metatarsal’ and it’s recovery.
5:30 p.m.
It seems the whole of England has been waiting for this good news: 20-year-old striker Wayne Rooney is headed back to Germany with what appears to be two healthy feet.
This comes on the heels of fevered speculation today the Manchester United and England star has been cleared to play following a scan of the bone he broke in his right foot more than five weeks ago. Of course, there was no official announcement from the England’s Football Association on whether Rooney has actually been given the go-ahead to play by his doctors. Most web sites have only speculated Rooney’s foot is OK by the smile he flashed as he left the hospital. But in a country whose media has gone what British sports minister Richard Caborn calls “a bit mad” over Rooney’s foot, the smile was enough confirmation. A handful of fans chanted “Rooney! Rooney!” and “England! England!” as his Mercedes was driven through the hospital gates. The status of his foot has drawn national headlines ever since he broke it against Chelsea.
England and coach Sven-Goran Eriksson have until Friday to determine if Rooney should stay on the squad or be replaced by Jermain Defoe. FIFA’s official website, however, says Rooney is going to play:
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060607/1/76mk.html
Nothing against DeFoe, but I think everyone except for the teams England will face want to see Rooney play. The kid is special. He does some amazing things with the ball at his feet, running straight at goal with defenders draped all over him. He’s strong, elusive and fiery. England need him. This World Cup will be better if he plays. Right now, however, it appears that will not come until the second round round. That’s better than no rounds of Rooney.
The 2006 World Cup begins Friday and to me, it feels like Christmas is coming. For the next month, some of the best soccer players on the planet will leave their club teams and represent their country. It’s like the Olympics, only it’s just one sport with higher stakes because when it comes to sport, soccer is the world’s common denominator. And no matter what the soccer-haters say, that includes the United States, which holds the No. 5 spot in the FIFA world rankings.
To me, you either get soccer or you don’t. It’s called “The Beautiful Game” for a reason. It’s not just what’s going on the pitch, it’s what’s happening in the hearts and minds of the people watching the games from the stands and via satellite thousands of miles away. For two hours, you can be part of a spectacle. For two hours, you can support your country or the country of the team playing the one you want to see lose. Or you can just sit back and take it all in—the fans, the players, the ebb and flow of the game.
For the next month, come hang out Online for the World Cup with me, an American who fell in love with the game watching soccer during late-summer vacations in London, and Nicholas Murray, a transplanted Englishman who is the biggest sports fanatic I know. We’ll give our takes on the tournament watching from pubs, restaurants and homes around the Tampa Bay area. If you’ve got a take on a game, you can share it with us. If you’ve got snacks and beverages and live close by, we might come watch a game with you!
In 2005, FSU centerfielder Shane Robinson was named Collegiate Baseball’s Player of the Year after hitting a whopping .427. He dropped to only .350 this season—I’m embarrassed to even use that phrase—which was still good enough to lead the Seminoles.
When Tuesday’s MLB draft started, some expected Robinson, who played at Tampa Jesuit, to go as high as the second or third round. Instead, he dropped to the fifth round, selected by the Cardinals with the 166th pick overall. FSU coach Mike Martin was aghast that Robinson, a two-time All-American and FSU’s all-time leader in stolen bases, didn’t go higher.
“You’re telling me there are 165 players better than Shane Robinson? That just blows my mind,’’ Martin said.
Do you agree with Martin? Should Robinson have gone higher in the most unpredictable draft in professional sports?
Either way, the Cardinals could have their future center fielder once Jim Edmonds retires if Robinson can develop through their farm system the way he did after arriving at FSU from Jesuit.
What happened Monday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals wasn’t exactly history, but it did officially signal the renaissance of the new NHL we had been promised by those that run the game.
Carolina’s 5-4 victory had to be one of the most exciting playoff games I have seen in a long time. It had all the elements those of us that love the game - a quick pace, some end-to-end excitement, offensive skill on display, board-rattling hits, eye-popping saves and the one element that had been missing under the old style of play - a rally for victory.
So often in the dead puck era the team that opened the scoring could put a stranglehold on a game, literally. Harken back to Tampa Bay’s seven game victory against Calgary in the 2004 final - the team which scored first won all seven games. One goal leads didn’t evaporate, let alone three-goal leads such as Edmonton had late in the second period Monday. In the dead puck era, you could have switched the channel and caught the end of the Red Sox game. (Maybe that’s part of the reason why the television ratings for hockey have been abyssmal)
But not anymore. You have to keep watching because now, anything can happen. And you can’t pin the Hurricanes’ comeback on the injury to Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson since he was in net for the first four Carolina goals. No, what happened Monday wasn’t history being rewritten, it was more like a new chapter was being etched out.
Heck, even after Carolina went ahead 4-3, the game was far from over as Ales Hemsky made a nifty move to tie the game and pull the Oilers even. Then after Ty Conklin’s misplay led to the go-ahead goal by Rod Brind’Amour with 30 seconds left, the game still wasn’t over. Edmonton pressed and nearly tied the game, if not for the flashy glove Cam Ward displayed to rob Shawn Horcoff for the second time in the third period.
That type of action is the edge-of-your seat excitement the league needs. With the league regionalized as it is, it tends to only be the fans of the participating cities that watches intently. But if three-goal leads aren’t safe in the Stanley Cup finals, then they will never be safe in the new NHL.
I for one love the idea. I couldn’t get enough of Monday’s game. Sitting dumbfounded at watching Edmonton take a 3-0 lead, watching in shock as Carolina rallied to take the lead, staring in disbelief at how the Hurricanes scored the winning goal and then shaking my head in awe as Cam Ward saved his best stop for last with three seconds left to preserve the victory.
Give me more of this new game. I love it!
P.S. You should check out Jim Kelley’s latest entry on the Sportsnet.ca website on what the sure-to-be low television ratings mean to the Stanley Cup final this year. Looking past the ratings
First off, welcome. After a five-month hiatus, the Seminoles blog is back. Hope you tune in regularly for what I hope will be an informative and entertaining way to exchange information, ideas and opinions on FSU sports and who knows what else.
I was in Publix over the weekend and couldn’t help but notice the preseason college football magazines are already hitting newstands and we’re not even to the All-Star break in baseball yet.
On the cover of Athlon’s Atlantic Coast Conference edition, the headline screams “Arms Race,’’ with a picture of FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford and Miami’s Kyle Wright firing away. Inside, the preseason Top 25 was what I wanted to read. Athlon has Oklahoma No. 1. Of Florida’s Big Three, the Gators are fifth, Miami, 14th, and FSU 17th. So, with kickoff three months away, is Athlon right on or way off? Is Florida clearly the best of the state’s programs? What about FSU? Is this the year the ‘Noles finally make a comeback or will the criticism simply heat up more on Coach Bobby Bowden. Let me know what you think.
ST. PETERSBURG—Rays 2B Jorge Cantu was happy to be healthy and back in a Devil Rays uniform before Tuesday’s game.
Cantu returned to the Tampa Bay starting lineup Tuesday after missing six weeks on the disabled list with a non-displaced fractured bone on the top of his left foot. He will play second base and hit sixth in the Devil Rays lineup Tuesday night against the Angels.
The 24-year-old fouled a ball off his left foot in a game at Toronto on April 7. The injury was originally diagnosed as a bone bruise. He didn’t start for the next five games but started the next 10 games despite the pain, boosting his average from .200 to .291. But an MRI eventually revealed a broken bone and he was placed on the 15-day DL.
Now he says he’s completely healthy.
“I’m 100 percent,†Cantu said. “Otherwise I would be still over there. Everything is fine. Hopefully it’s like this for the rest of the season.â€
Cantu was 6-for-31 (.194 average) with two homers and eight RBIs in his eight-game rehab assignment in Double-A Montgomery. He said he’s been without pain free for the past four or five games.
“Pretty much all I was doing every game was tracking pitches,†Cantu said. “Tracking pitches and getting my timing back. If I see one, I’ll hack at it. Pretty much every at bat take a strike.â€
First off, I want to apologize for not writing any entries recently. I’ve been very busy with football and everything else. We started our summer workouts on Mon., June 5. It was by far the best first day this Jefferson team has had in my previous years at the school. The tempo was set early by the coaches, and it caught on like wildfire throughout the team. It was great. Today was good too, but I think everyone was sore from yesterday’s workout.
We have a 7-on-7 game against Tampa Catholic tomorrow at 6 at TC. Unfortunately, I won’t be there, I leave for Boston. But one of my good friends Zach Grossi (whom just transfered from Sickles) will be there and I believe he will be allowed to play. I think they will do well. TC is a rising program again after those 4-5 years of being bad. Coach Henriquez is doing a good job over there.
I have some great news. I got a call today from Brian Stump. I met him up in Gainesville at the Nike Combine. He called me today with the best news I’ve heard this entire summer. I have just been the sixth quarterback selected to the EA Sports Elite 11 camp. I couldn’t stop smiling. I was talking to my mother before he called, then he called, he told me, my face lit up, and my mom knew. She knew as soon as I started smiling that I got invited. It was a great feeling. He told me that they (EA Sports) pay for everything, and when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING! I’m flying over there with John Brantley. He called me today after hearing about it, and told me congratulations and that he will come down to Tampa to fly with me out to California on July 22. The camp is from July 24-27. I have to ball out and play like I usually do. I can’t wait. I then had to call my family and tell them the news, my family is very close and all very supportive. I then had to call coach David Reeves and tell him that me and my family won’t be able to go up the South Carolina because I will be in Cali during the time we set up for me to make an unofficial visit up there.
Anyway, I just wanted to give everyone a heads up and apologize for not keeping up with this thing. I will try to write while I’m up in Boston, but if I can’t, I’ll be sure to do so when I get back.
- Stephen Achilles Garcia #5
GAINESVILLE - Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has been named the 2005 High School Quarterback of the Year by The National Quarterback Club.
While this may sound as if Tebow faces induction into some sort of secret signal-calling society involving pledgemaster Bernie Kosar, 20 pounds of cold cuts and a bag of rooster feathers, fear not. The Gators’ wunderkind is just heading to our nation’s capital on July 22 to pick up an award. The club also is honoring its pro quarterback of the year (Ben Rothlisberger) and its college quarterback of the year (Vince Young).
Now, before you conspiracy theorists start to think this award is another reason Tebow should supplant starter Chris Leak, consider this. Leak won the very same award in 2002. Of course, Leak started as a true freshman. So maybe that means ... Naaah. Not a chance.
I’ve got some bad news - or good news for some - you’ll have to go blogless for a while. My “USF Bulls Report” is taking some time off during the summer. But before I go, I figured I would take a quick glance into my crystal ball (hey, where did all these cracks come from?) and offer a few University of South Florida predictions. This is where I have to warn you before you read any further: Spoiler Alert! So proceed at your own risk and, of course, I reserve the right to update my predictions later on.
My predictions: Football record? 8-4 or 7-5 (I’m undecided, it’s still too early). Will football go bowling? Yes (good news), Birmingham (that’s the bad news). Who will be starting QB in season opener? Matt Grothe (Actually Jim Leavitt told me he promised Frank Morsani he could throw the first pass against McNeese State after Morsani’s $3 million donation, but I’ll stick with Grothe). Will men’s basketball make the postseason? Not this year. Will men’s basketball qualify for the Big East Tournament? They’ll come closer than last year, but not quite. Will women’s basketball make the postseason? A resounding yes! A second consecutive NCAA trip. What will be the first USF team to win a national title? Softball and I’ll say by 2016. Who will be hired as USF’s next baseball coach? Finally, an easy one. But ... well, I’m not going to spoil everything for you.
Thanks for reading, especially to those who have taken the time to respond in the past year. I’m looking forward to USF’s 2006-07 sports season and I’ll check back in later this month, but until then please feel free to debate, discuss, disagree or debunk any of my predictions. Enjoy the summer.
Sorry I’ve been away. I had some training on a new software system we are using at the paper and then I went away for an extended weekend.
I’ve had some emails asking about my reaction to the five-year, $39 million contract Brad Richards signed on May 22.
I’m not surprised by the deal knowing how the organization feels about Richards, his play on the ice, his role in the locker room and the ambassador for the team that he is. When I first heard how much the contract averaged out to be, I raised my eyebrows in surprise. But the more time I had to think about it, the more sense it began to make.
There was lot of speculation that some team - Toronto, NY Rangers, Phoenix come to mind - would try to sign Richards to an offer sheet once the free agent period began on July 1. And any offer sheet that Richards might have received was going to be somewhere near the max value - 20 percent of the cap - which would have ended up being in the neighborhood of $8.5 to $9 million. When you look at it from that prespective, the deal looks like somewhat of a bargain. And assuming that his production goes up as it has every year he has been in the league, it looks even better.
Now the only concern is whether the team has too much money tied up in three players - Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis and Richards who count over $19 million against the cap. Feaster said he doesn’t believe that any of the big three have to be traded - despite what out of market newspapers continue to write - to make a move for a No. 1 goaltender. Players such as Fredrik Modin, Ruslan Fedotenko and a goaltender and/or defensive prospect are the most likely pieces Jay Feaster will dangle to acquire a goaltender.
One other thing I want to touch on quickly is the goaltending situation. The team has signed three goaltenders this week - Karri Ramo, Fredrik Norrena and Johan Holmqvist - giving them seven under contract for next season. That’s too many and a couple of them will have to go.
Sean Burke, if he can’t be traded, is a likely candidate to be bought out at 2/3 of his $1.6 million contract. I also believe that either Gerald Coleman or Jonathon Boutin will be dealt in any deal to bring in No. 1 goalie. Holmqvist and Norrena will be battling to earn the backup job with the other starting the season in Springfield.
And with all the goaltenders now under contract, it also gives Feaster a safety cushion to fall back on. If the right deal doesn’t come along for a true No. 1 caliber, the team can head to camp and see if one of Holmqvist or Norrena, both with extensive pro experience mostly in Europe, can adapt to the NHL and possibly take over that No. 1 job.
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