Will David Beckham return to the MLS?

David Beckham is currently playing soccer for the Italian club team AC Milan. He is on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. He is scheduled to return to the Galaxy in March. The big question is whether or not that will happen.

^Beckham celebrates after scoring his first goal with AC Milan (Jan. 25th)

AC Milan is not only one of the premier club teams in Italy, but one of the premier club teams in Europe. Playing alongside international soccer superstars Ronaldinho and Kaka, Beckham has certainly found a place to stay fit during the MLS offseason. But here's the dilemma - should Beckham continue playing for a premier club team in Europe, or stay true to his contract and return to the United States with the hope of revitalizing soccer here in America?

Lemme speak directly to Becks for a moment and advise him on what he should do:

"Dave, you're 33 years old. Yeah, you got a few good years left, and you can still 'bend it,' but you're not getting any younger. Stay in Italy. American soccer needs a young international superstar to commit to the MLS and help vault one lucky team onto the world stage. Only then will American soccer get any sort of recognition. You can't carry a team like that anymore. I'm not saying you are washed up, not by any means. You have a lot of good soccer left. But you should use your remaining talent in one of the games' premier venues. Don't waste your time fighting a losing battle in the U.S. - stay with AC Milan, continue getting ready for the 2010 World Cup, and stay true to the English national team."

On another completely unrelated note, UFC 94 is less than a week away. For some reason, I can't get enough St. Pierre/Penn coverage...

UFC 94 Preview

While channel surfing the other night I stumbled upon a show previewing the upcoming UFC fight between George St. Pierre and BJ Penn. Turns out that Spike TV is running a mini-series documenting each fighters' preparation for their upcoming clash. In sports, those contests that present a battle of two different "worlds" are the battles that intrigue us to no end, and typically result in epic battles. I suppose that's why I couldn't get enough of this documentary, which (if memory serves me correctly) will continue this Wednesday night at 10pm on Spike..

Pete Carroll vs. Mark Sanchez

Earlier this week, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez decided to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2009 NFL Draft...



His now former coach Pete Carroll was less than thrilled with this decision, and much has been made about the crumbling of the Sanchez/Carroll relationship...




Here's my take: Pete Carroll needs to learn how to act with some class. Seriously, why would you throw such a fit over your starting quarterback leaving for the NFL when he's projected to be the #1 or #2 player drafted at his position? It comes across as very selfish on Carroll's part, showing that he only cares about winning as opposed to the well-being of his players.

So what SHOULD Carroll have said? How about something like this...

"Well, I would have liked to see Mark stay in school. We really could have used him next year...however, this is his decision, and I respect it. He has given us 4 great years, and led us to another Rose Bowl victory this past year. I am grateful for his dedication to this program...I realize that this is HIS decision, and despite our disagreement I will support his final decision and stand by him in the future."

^Had Pete Carroll said something like that, I could have saved some of my respect for him. Sure, I understand where his displeasure with Sanchez's decision comes from, but I wish he could have handled it with a little more class.

In the mean time, Mark Sanchez is most likely gonna be a millionaire in a few months. Check out what ESPN analyst Mark May has to say about Sanchez's draft stock...

This only happens if your name is LeBron...

The announcer pretty much sums up my thoughts on this one..

A Unique "Top 5 Countdown"

So I was sitting around thinking about how I really can't stand seeing certain athletes gain so much face time on "Sportscenter"or any other TV show. Part of me wishes these people would just disappear so that I would never have to look at them again. And then I realized I had to create my "Top 5 People I'm Entirely Sick of Looking At"




Plaxico Burress: Dude, this is for your own good. You shot yourself. You have been the brunt of countless jokes over the past couple months. Sure, you can play football, but until I see a highlight of you burning defenses, you just need to go away. I really could care less about your court case.






Sean Avery: Alright, you like purses. You're into fashion. I suppose I can maybe get over that because youre a badass on the ice. Oh, whats that? You and your idiot mouth got you released from the Dallas Stars? You're not being a badass on the ice anymore? Oh...well that changes things...when (and if) you start making a positive impact on the ice for a team someplace and not running your jealous mouth, then maybe I'll remove you from this list.






Evander Holyfield: This one is bittersweet for me. I'm a huge "Real Deal" fan. You were my favorite boxer back in the day. But that right there is the key - back in the day. I feel like you're tarnishing your legacy at this point, even if you did lose a controversial decision in your last fight. And I also heard somethin about you havin 11 kids with nine different women..? Thats kinda sketchy, but I still wanna be able to think of you as that guy who ruled boxing in the 90's, which is why I wanna stop hearing about you in the ring.






Roger Clemens: Why couldn't you be like Andy Pettite and just admit you messed up? When I think about you I think of three words: steroids, indictment, and lying. You screwed up, and I can't stand hearing about you on the news anymore. You were a great pitcher back in the day, one of the best...but that has changed now, which is why I really hope I dont see you on TV anytime soon.






Adam "Pacman" Jones: Alright dude, heres the deal - you're not playing in the NFL next year. The only guy crazy enough to sign you just released you. At this point, I can't think of anyone who would wanna add you to their team. I mean, how'd you do with the Cowboys this past year? Well, you beat up one of their bodyguards and got yourself suspended, and then turned in a very average performance for the rest of the season. Now you're involved in another shooting case...outside of a nightclub...again. I don't really know what else to say except please deny any media requests for interviews and spare me the time of having to watch you on TV.

Back for the New Year

So I realize it has been a while since my last entry. Much has happened since then, so lemme get straight to my thoughts for January 13th:

Tony Dungy retired from football yesterday. Can't say I'm surprised he decided to walk away, and I'm pretty sure no one else can either. Dungy had been pondering this decision for the past couple years, and it's certainly sad to see him go. That being said, Dungy has to be considered one of the top 10 best NFL coaches of all time. Look at his numbers - 10 straight playoff appearances (3 with Tampa, 7 with Indianapolis), a Super Bowl victory in 2005, and no less than 10 wins in each of the past 7 seasons.

Despite these numerical accomplishments, it's what Tony Dungy stood for off of the field and his character that should land him a spot in the Hall of Fame. He was certainly one of the "good guys" and the definition of a class act, which I think holds more weight than any statistic.

Alright, I'm just gonna say this straight up: the National Hockey League deserves more attention from every concievable media outlet (with the possible exception of the VS. network). Here's why:

Let me list some of the great young players in the NHL today - Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Carey Price, and Alexander Ovechkin (just to name a few). None of them are over the age of 25 (heck, Patrick Kane looks not a day over 13). Guess how many of those guys are All-Stars? Every one of them. Guess how many are All-Star starters? Every one of them, with the exception of Ovechkin who was straight up ROBBED of a starting spot.

OK, so we've established that there is a wealth of great young talent in the NHL today. Now lets focus on the best hockey team on the planet - the Detroit Red Wings. The defending Stanley Cup champs are dominating once again this year, and look to be on a quest for a repeat cup. I was at a bar last night and I had the chance to watch a few minutes of their game against Dallas. Dallas would eventually win the game in overtime, but I gotta say the Stars were lucky to come away with the W. For the final 2 minutes of regulation with the score tied at 4, the Red Wings put on an offensive onslaught that I thought would surely result in the go-ahead goal. Kudos to Dallas for weathering the storm, but Detroit looked fabulous for those final two minutes. The pressure they applied, the chances they created...even in defeat I was impressed. It was hockey at its best - a frantic pace with multiple offensive chances and a defense hanging on for dear life. The road to the Stanley Cup will surely go through Detroit once again this year.

Thats all for now. Let me gather my thoughts and I'll check back in later this afternoon...