Thoughts on US-Brazil Friendly

It's hard to continue to argue the point that Americans don't care about soccer after witnessing the New Jersey crowd during last night's US-Brazil friendly. While a good portion of the crowd was composed of Brazilians, the US support was overwhelming. Did this support have more to do with the fact they were playing Brazil, or what some perceived as a successful World Cup campaign?
It doesn't really matter either way. The important thing is that the fans showed up. The crowd was excited, knowledgeable, and passionate. The American fan base will continue to grow as the US talent on the field does.
Unfortunately, that talent paled in comparison to Brazil. The young Brazilians were reminiscent of the young kids on the basketball court who know they're way better than the older guys they're playing against. So they have fun just toying with them. That's really what this match was about.
The US came out aggressive and actually played a pretty good first 20 minutes. Brazil, on the other hand, was a little sloppy with their touches and passes. After that 20 or 25 minute mark though, Brazil stopped playing around with the US and finally started looking like the Brazil we all expected.
The positive that the US fans can take out of their initial push is that they didn't give up a goal. They probably should have gave up a few, but let's look over that.
What more is there to say about Neymar? I'm not going to lie, I had no idea who he was before this game. I found out pretty quick. Neymar reminded me of the kid in high school who listened to a bunch of punk bands you'd never heard of and spent his study hall drawing skulls on the desks. Add that to a body that I refuse to believe has eclipsed the 140 pound mark, and I learned not to judge a book by its cover.
For me, Neymar has already eclipsed any other player as the most exciting in the sport. He's fast with and without the ball. He made smart passes, knows how find the open spot on the field, and even showed he can score through the air. He'll be the best player in the 2014 World Cup. You can bet on that.
It's pretty incredible that the combination of Neymar and Pato (ages 18 and 20, respectively) scored both goals and overshadowed Robinho on the right. When Robinho is being overshadowed, you there's an incredible amount of talent on the pitch. It's unfair for one team's forward trio to have the skill set these three have.
Speaking of forwards, Jozy Altidore continues to disappoint. He came in for the second half of yesterday's game and performed in similar World Cup fashion. The problem with Altidore is that he can't dribble. His first touch is atrocious. I can't even count how many times he's received a good ball and hasn't been able to control it. Altidore will only be successful if he's free to roam without the ball, and someone can set him up to score. Unfortunately, the US does not currently have the personnel to make that happen.
Altidore is the perfect example to counteract all these people that say the US isn't a soccer power because our best athletes don't play the game. Altidore's body type most resembles the NBA and NFL players these people are clamoring to see take up soccer. Being big and strong doesn't hurt, but isn't a precursor to success in soccer--look at Neymar, who's giving up about 80 pounds to Altidore.
The highlight of the match for me was finding out that Saturday's Tottenham-Manchester City match up will be televised on ESPN2. I'm saved from watching an online stream that resembles scrambled porn--for one week at least.

Catching Up With The 21st Century (Soccer Related)

I'll be the first to admit that I'm one of the least technical savvy 23 year olds in America. I didn't get a cell phone until I was 18, an iPod when I was 19, and needed quite a bit of help to set up this blog and photo shop the picture above. I rationalize my 20th century living by saying, "I don't need 'shiny new technology X.' If I did, I'd have it." It's not until I need 'shiny technology X' that I realize I should have gotten it five years ago like everyone else.
This brings me to my next problem. As I wrote in a post about a month ago, I've decided to make the leap from mediocre MLS to the EPL. I somewhat randomly chose to root for Tottenham Hotspur. As you may have guessed, the London based club isn't televised here in Chicago.
A few days ago, on whim, I flipped over to one of the premium Fox Sports Net channels that focuses on soccer. I mean, a soccer channel, all day every day, has to show EPL games, right? It probably does. The problem is, it's not part of the cable package. I got the black screen and white box treatment. The white box asking me to call 1-800-aljdl;a for details about a package that includes this channel. Plan A to watch the Spurs was now dead. I didn't have the foresight to come up with a Plan B.
I'm not exactly in a position to be purchasing extra television channels. Even if I was, I wouldn't. I've walked over five miles home in the cold to save cab money. The point is, I needed to find a way to watch these games because just checking the scores wasn't going to cut it.

I don't know what came over me, but for some reason, I reacted how a technological savvy 23 year old in the 21st century would.

I checked the Internet! I know, what a concept.

I still treat the 2010 Internet like the 1996 Internet. I assume that every website is trying to extract money from me somehow. I also don't trust links or the way a website is advertised. I remember in the early 2000s, a bunch of websites said you could download a movie or album from them, and I never could. So I was extra skeptical about a website that said it was streaming EPL games for free.
Thankfully, over the last ten years, things have changed. Within minutes I was watching a friendly between Manchester City and Valencia. And the next day I watched Manchester United versus Chelsea. The wonderful world of international soccer had been available to me via online stream all this time and I had no idea.
The quality of the video isn't great, but for the price, it's hard to be choosy. It looks like a combination of the original Atari and any pre-2000 soccer video you'd find on YouTube. Surely, this won't help with name and face recognition, but that's what the box scores are for.
When it comes to soccer, I'm officially out of the Dark Ages. I can no longer complain about the lack of televised games, they're all here on the Internet. I feel like a load has been lifted off my shoulders.
Excuse me while I contemplate an upgrade to a flat screen plasma.

Can The Heat Win 73?

Analyst Jeff Van Gundy has made headlines recently by proclaiming that this year's Miami Heat team can challenge the Chicago Bulls' record setting 72 win 1995-96 regular season. Whether or not Van Gundy truly believes this isn't important. What is important is that Van Gundy brought up a point that no one up until now seems to be discussing.
I think most of us immediately assumed no team was challenging that record, especially one with so little cap space. That's where we're wrong. Quietly, as Van Gundy pointed out, the Heat have constructed a pretty deep team. They currently have 17 players under contract, which they will have to cut to 15 by the start of the season. 8 of those 17 are getting paid less than one million dollars this season.
Since the official roster still isn't set, and it's difficult to predict how the Heat and the 29 other teams will come together, it would be best to go about answering this question by examining some of the traits that made the 1995-96 Bulls so successful.

Chip on their shoulder. I tend to shy away from explanations like this that can't really be measured, but the "chip on their shoulder" argument clearly applied to the Bulls. You may remember Nick Anderson coming from behind and stripping the ball from Jordan (who returned midway through that season) in Game 1 of the EC Semi-Finals. The Magic would go on to win the series in six games.
Anderson and many others questioned Jordan's ability to return to his old form. Jordan and Co. returned the next year determined to prove they were still the best team in the NBA. They didn't take a game off. Hell, they rarely took a play off. The Bulls stream rolled through the regular season winning 72 games and continued their dominance into the playoffs, going 16-3 en route to NBA championship. That playoff run included a sweep of the Magic.
The Heat should have the same chip on their shoulder that the Bulls did. It's hard to imagine a more criticized team in recent memory than this year's Heat, and they haven't even played a game yet. The Big Three should be eager to prove the doubters wrong and show that three superstars can coexist. I'm sure James also would like to extract a little revenge for some of the "sidekick" insults that have been directed his way.
What better way to piss NBA fans off even more than to break the all-time season wins record? The Celtics tried in 2008 and fell short. History has shown that the first year of a potential dynasty is the year to make a run at the record. If the Heat are going to attempt a 73 win season it will be this year.
Depth. Most people, with good reason, questioned how a team would be able to compete with three maximum level contracts on the books. The easy answer is recruit role players who are willing to accept less money to play for a championship contender. The Bulls had two stars in Jordan and Pippen that they surrounded with excellent role players.
Steve Kerr and Jud Bueschler provided three point shooting off the bench. Ron Harper and Toni Kukoc provided scoring and solid defense off the bench. Dennis Rodman was a rebounding and defensive specialist, while Luc Longley, John Salley, and Bill Wennington were all big bodies that clogged the middle. With the exception of Rodman and maybe Kukoc, none of these players were household names, but were essential to the championship run.
Looking over the Heat's roster, there are some similarities to the Bulls. They also have the two superstars in James and Wade, as well as a low post scorer in Bosh (something the Bulls didn't have). They have Eddie House and Mike Miller to shoot threes. Ilgauskaus, Anthony, Pittman, and Magloire to clog up the middle and save Bosh some low post fouls.
Miami will need someone to step up and become a consistent scorer off  the bench. The Bulls had Kukoc, the Sixth Man of the Year, to provide offense off the bench. The Heat have no one near that level. However, the Heat do have the luxury of resting either LeBron or Wade at different times. They can slide in a more traditional point guard, Mike Miller at the 2 or 3, and either Wade at the 2 or James at the 3. Spoelstra has a number of players that can play multiple positions, which could potentially lessen the need for bench scoring. It will be interesting to see how Spoelstra constructs his lineups.
Defense. A lot of people forget how good the 95-96 Bulls were defensively. Their defense got overshadowed because they were the number one offense in the league that year. They were also the best defensive team in the league, giving up an average of 92 points per game.
While First Team Defensive Selections are often questionable to say the least (look at last year's First Team for an example), the Bulls have three players (Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman) selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. All three deserved that honor. To put this into perspective, you would have to go back to the 1982-83 season to find the last time three teammates made the All-Defensive First Team, when Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, and Maurice Cheeks represented the 76ers. It's only been done five times since the league began giving out the honor for the 1968-69 season. No three teammates have been selected to the First Team since the Bulls trio.
James and Wade should be First Team defenders and if they commit themselves defensively this year, they will be. However, the Heat don't have a third player that could be considered an elite defender. In fact, they have a plethora of below average defenders. Let's say, hypothetically, this is Miami's starting lineup for next year:

LeBron James - PG
Dwyane Wade - SG
Mike Miller - SF
Udonis Haslem - PF
Chris Bosh - C
Wade and James have the ability to lock down anyone, but those other three could be serious defensive liabilities. Miller's a below average defender who's there strictly for his three point shooting. While Haslem works hard, at 6'8 he's an undersized power forward. Bosh has never been known for his defense and has routinely been bossed around in the paint by larger centers. Looking at the bench, it doesn't appear that the Heat have a many defensive options they can bring in either.
Defense will be the key to a run at 73 wins. Spoelstra is praised within NBA circles for his defensive game plans. Let's see what he can do with this team.
Of course there will be some other factors that could prevent the Heat from reaching 73 wins. The Eastern Conference is much improved this year. In 1995-96 the East only had three teams who won 50 or more games. In 2010-11 that number could double. Add that to the fact that teams are bound to lose a few games to inferior competition during the regular season. The Bulls lost to the 21 win Raptors.
Another important factor will be how many games the Big Three play this year. It may not be one of their goals to win 73, or that goal may be out of reach, so the regulars could be rested towards the end of the season. This is most often the case in today's NBA, where teams who have already clinched a particular seed will begin to rest their players in the last two weeks of the season.
So can the Heat win 73? I think they can, but I'm going to say they won't. I think a win total in the mid 60s will be more likely. Ultimately, it will come down to how they play defense, whether the players want to commit to playing a full NBA season, and if they can stay injury free. A lot of things have to go right for the Heat, but if this offseason is any indication, a lot of things already have.      

Bulls Complete 12 Man Roster, Add Bogans

It was beginning to look like the Bulls would never complete their roster in time for the start of the regular season. After fervently executing free agency Plan B to the tune of six roster additions, the Bulls have been stuck at eleven men for the last two and a half weeks.
The Bulls finally put all of the rumors to rest Friday when they signed free agent shooting guard Keith Bogans to a two year deal. The deal is expected to be around 2.5 million, with only the first year guaranteed. Bogans, a nine year veteran who spent last year with San Antonio, was not the highest profile name the Bulls targeted. He does, however, provide the long range shooting off the bench the Bulls front office was looking for.
Bogans is a career 35 percent three point shooter, who averaged 4.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in just under 20 minutes a game. Bogans will back up fellow free agent acquisition Ronnie Brewer at shooting guard.
Bogans was one of five players the Bulls were considering to fill their last roster spot. Free agents Eddie House (Heat) and Roger Mason Jr. (Knicks) were strong candidates until they signed with other teams. Tracy McGrady and disgruntled Portland shooting guard Rudy Fernandez were among the higher profile names floating around the rumor mill.
McGrady worked out for the Bulls but was never offered a contract. Reports suggested the Bulls front office was critical of some of the comments McGrady made to the media that seemed to suggest he was expecting a large role with the team. This theory is probably overblown. Most likely, McGrady didn't show anything in his workout that convinced the Bulls he can still be an effective NBA player.
If McGrady had a good workout he most likely would have been offered a contract. McGrady without question was the most talented player on the Bulls radar, but has been hampered by injuries the last few years. His struggles from behind the arc probably didn't help his cause either.
As of late, Rudy Fernandez's name was being linked to the Bulls quite a bit. Fernandez reportedly was unhappy with his lack of playing time last year. After the Blazers signed Wes Matthews this offseason, it looked like Fernandez's playing time was going to diminish even more.
The Bulls were interested in acquiring Fernandez in a trade with Portland, but the two sides could not agree to terms. The Blazers wanted second year power forward Taj Gibson and the Bulls' 2011 first round pick they acquired from Charlotte (a potential lottery pick). The Bulls weren't going to part with Gibson, so they offered James Johnson instead, along with either their first round pick (likely somewhere in the 20s) or a second rounder. Needless to say, the deal never got done.
While Bogans isn't as sexy of an addition as McGrady or Fernandez would have been, he should prove to be a solid back up capable of playing 15 to 20 minutes a game. The roster is now officially set for the 2010 season.
Finally, the speculation is over. The countdown to the regular season begins today. 82...

3 Reasons Why Shaq Is A Good Fit For Boston

It's official, Shaquille O'Neal has agreed to a veteran minimum contract with the Boston Celtics and is scheduled to make 1.3 million a year for the next two years. When Shaq signs, you know what that means: the Celtics are looking to make one last push at a championship.
While some have complained that Shaq has been steadily declining and will slow the tempo to unbearably slow levels, I believe Shaq will prove to be a good addition to Boston. True, this isn't the Shaq of his prime that will average 28 and 11 a game, but the Celtics don't need that. Here's three reasons why Shaq will be a good addition.
1) Shaq won't be expected to play major minutes. Some people have forgotten that the Celtics also signed Jermaine O'Neal this offseason to play center. Shaq averaged 22 minutes a game last year. He'll be expected to log about the same this year until Kendrick Perkins returns. There's no reason why he shouldn't be able to do that. Shaq put up 12 points and 6 rebounds a game during the regular season playing less minutes than he's accustomed to. While he isn't as good defensively, Shaq's offensive numbers were better than Perkins', and Perkins played an average of five more minutes a game. The O'Neal-O'Neal combination is better offensively than the Perkins-Davis combo.
2) Shaq won't have to play a full season. The biggest criticism of Shaq over the years is that he's incapable of playing a full season. He's only exceeded the 60 game mark once in the last six seasons. It's perfectly legitimate to wonder if Shaq can hold up for an entire season, but he won't have to. Perkins is out until sometime in February. It's important that Shaq is in playing shape at the beginning of the regular season and can suit up for every game until Perkins returns. Once Perkins returns, Shaq can take time off while Perkins and Jermaine O'Neal share minutes at the center position. I don't think it's too much to expect for Shaq to stay in the lineup for three months, get some rest, and be ready for the playoffs.
3) Shaq helps the Celtics half-court game. Shaq isn't going to do the Boston's fastbreak any favors, but the Celtics don't need to rely on fastbreak points to win. In fact, they're very successful when they're able to slow the pace down and let Rondo create in the half-court game. Shaq will bring an inside presence that defenders have to respect. The same can't be said of Kendrick Perkins. Now with Shaq and KG in the paint, the Celtics have two legitimate scoring threats down low. Not to mention, they're both excellent passers, so they'll be able to either set each other up or kick it out to Pierce or Allen if they're double teamed.
Taking on Shaq at his age is always a risk. Phoenix took that risk in 2008 and it paid off. Things didn't work out so well for Shaq in Cleveland. Only time will tell how Shaq is able to blend in with the Celtics. Boston fans can take solace in the fact that Shaq will not be expected to play as big of a role for their team as he was expected to in his previous destinations.   

Lamar Odom To Opt Out Of Marriage Contract

According to sources close to the situation, Lakers power forward Lamar Odom has chosen to forego the second year of his two year marriage contract with reality TV star Khloe Kardashian and become a bachelor.
In September of 2009, Odom signed a two year marriage contract with Kardashian. While his first year was guaranteed, he had a husband option for the second year, meaning he could opt out of the marriage contract after his first year and test the newly single market. While the exact numbers involved in the deal have not been disclosed, it is estimated that Odom left around 1.3 million on the table by opting out of his deal.
Odom is a member of Team USA and will be travelling to Spain and Greece later this month, and to Turkey in September. His coach Mike Krzyzewski, for one, is delighted with the news.
"Lamar has been a little sluggish in practice lately," Krzyzewski said. "I've speculated it's had something to do with his high maintenance wife and the strain of being forced to document his life on camera. I think getting out of this contract will do wonders for him as a player."
Odom's Team USA teammate Kevin Durant had advised Odom "at least two months" ago that he should consider opting out.
"I mean, we all know Khloe is the ugly one," Durant said. "Kim and Kourtney are a different story. They're hot. I can deal with that. I told him he might even be better off waiting for those two younger twins to grow up."
Khloe's sister Kim, who dated Saints running back Reggie Bush, was surprised to hear about the great contact Lamar had signed.
"I couldn't believe he was able to sign the deal that he did," Kardashian said. "That was great work by his agent. When I signed on to date Reggie my contract wasn't guaranteed. So essentially, he could dump me at any time and my contract would be terminated."
The news of the breakup seemed to affect Khloe's younger brother Rob the most. While shown on the Kardashian's reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Rob and Lamar seemed to be getting along quite well.
"I'm gonna miss him," Rob said via Twitter. "Besides Khloe, he's the closest thing to an older brother I've ever had."
Khloe could not be reached for comment, but according to an anonymous source, is "on her way to gaining a lot of that weight back."

LeBron James Should Leave Ohio Alone

Just when we thought it was over...The news that James has joined the Heat has now sunk in, Dan Gilbert's letter has been criticized almost as much as LeBron's hour long decision special, and every person who even casually follows the NBA has offered an opinion on James and Gilbert. Yet, the saga continues.
James took out a full page ad in the Akron Beacon Journal to thank the people of Akron for their support, and post photos of himself participating in various charitable events in the city. It seems like the ad was to not only remind the people of Akron of all the good times the two shared, but to notify them that he will be participating in a bike-a-thon event taking place Saturday.
I haven't seen the ad, but some may have a problem with a player taking out a full page ad to post pictures of themselves doing charity work. The motive seems unclear there. Anyway, if the ad is indeed to notify Akron that he will be participating in an event Saturday, then we can hardly criticize James for that.
There is a bit of problem though. While James thanked the city of Akron, he made no mention of Cleveland. Is he obligated to thank the city of Cleveland? No, although it would be nice after the nationally televised slap in the face. The ad also appeared in an Akron newspaper, so it only seems natural James would address Akron and not Cleveland.
The problem lies in the fact that many have interpreted this ad to be another shot at Cleveland. Rather than thank the city in which he played, he thanks his hometown, and leaves Cleveland out to dry--again. However, it should be noted James didn't mention Cleveland at all, so any perceived jab at the city is the result of the reader's interpretation.
I'm not going to speculate about James' motives, but I will say that this was bad timing, and once again, over the top. Does this guy not know how to make announcements in a normal way?
My first instinct was to think James was trying to taunt Cleveland with this ad. He didn't appreciate the way Cleveland has reacted to his decision, so he decided to disrespect them in a round-about way. But then I remembered the type of people who have been advising him.
It's conceivable to think that this was a simple thank you to the city of Akron, and had nothing to do with Cleveland. However, anyone in the right mind would realize that thanking Akron and refusing to acknowledge Cleveland, especially considering the circumstances, wouldn't come off well.
But we all thought "The Decision" wouldn't make James look good, right? James' advisers let him go through with that, so why should it be a surprise that they left him go through with this letter?
Amazingly, James was starting to catch a break because of the way Cavs owner Dan Gilbert reacted to his departure. People criticized Gilbert's letter for being immature and unprofessional. He also surely hurt the Cavs chances of landing a prized free agent in the near future, if this is how he plans to react if and when they leave.
I think people were starting to realize that James being a free agent meant just that. He was free to make whichever decision he wanted. Although the anger that came with his decision to leave Cleveland was warranted, the fact that he did was his decision, and his alone.
My recommendation to LeBron would be to leave all things Ohio alone for a while. Whether it be his opinion on the Buckeyes or a charity event he's participating in, let those things be known in the quietest way possible. James has already dug himself into a hole he can't climb out of. Anything he does or says Ohio-related will be perceived as a shot towards the Cavs and the city of Cleveland.
He'll have the opportunity to visit Cleveland on December 2nd. On that date, he can let his play do the talking.