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...