5-4-3 Baseball Roundup

With the Confed Cup behind us, it's time to turn our attention from the global pastime to the national one. The summer months are baseball's time to shine and as we approach the All-Star Break it's a great time to see where we are at in the majors. Throughout the season RSS will go around the horn in our Baseball Roundup. Here are 5 Observations, 4 Surprises (good and bad), and 3 Predictions from the big leagues.

5 Observations

1.) The Steroid Era is Behind Us - Did you know... gasp ...Sammy Sosa was on the juice?! What a surprise! Honestly, does anyone care at this point? All known users should be banned from the Hall of Fame, but after several years everyone is ready to move on. Manny's suspension, A-Rod's comeback, etc. have all been viewed with a collective yawn from the American sporting public. The attendance numbers have shown that fans still want to go to games. Fans have reached the exhaustion point with two things: steroids and Brett Favre.

2.) If Joe Mauer Bats .400 in the Woods... - The Twins ace catcher is batting .386, and it isn't making a sound. At the moment, he doesn't have the ABs to officially qualify, but he will soon. The SI cover story this week is his first national publicity this year, as he has flown completely under the radar. A chase for .400 might be the best thing for baseball as we head into the post-steroid era.

3.) Parity is Coming? - 19 of the 30 teams sit within 5 games of their respective division leaders throughout the majors. Only LAD and Boston appear to be elite, post-season locks at this point. While this may be what baseball has been striving for, parity also brings mediocrity as it's safe to say this has been a less than compelling season so far. What is the top moment thus far, Luis Castillo dropping the ball in the Subway Series?

4.) Baseball Needs a Rookie Wage Scale - For #1 Pick Steve Strasburg and agent Scott Boras to demand $50 Million from the Nats for a guy who's never thrown a pitch in MLB is ridiculous. It's not like stud pitchers have flamed out recently, cough...Mark Prior...cough. Uncle Bud needs to step in and install a rookie wage scale to prevent this insanity.

5.) The Nats Stink - Sorry Yard Yoder, but at 22-52 and a -100 run differential, the Nats are a joke at this point in their existence. It's sad that our nation's capital can't get a good baseball franchise. At this rate, by the time the Nats right the ship, they could be playing in Portland.

4 Surprises

1.) Zack Greinke - Leading the AL in Wins and ERA, and 2nd in K's, the Cy Young frontrunner is the best story in baseball. Coming back from depression and personal demons to become the best pitcher in the bigs is an outstanding achievement and an inspirational story.

2.) NY Mets - With their bagel in the most recent Subway Series and a 6-14 record in their last 20, the Mets sit a game below .500. Has any team underachieved more the last 3 years than the Mets? The infamous '07 choke appears to have a vicegrip on the franchise. Somewhere Willie Randolph is getting the last laugh.

3.) LA Dodgers - They are running away and hiding from everyone in the NL, even without Manny for 50 games. Nobody expected them to be able to succeed this well without Manny being Manny, and they should be even better when he returns.

4.) The House that Johnny Damon Built - 119 HR thru 35 home games is an embarrassment for the New Yankee Stadium. In fact, I refuse to call it that, Coors Field East is more appropriate. Babe Ruth would hit 130 HR a year in this facade of a ballpark. For the most iconic stadium in the world to be replaced by some sort of mutant tee-ball park is sad for baseball and American sports.

3 Predictions

1.) Albert Pujols Won't Win the Triple Crown - There's a reason why it hasn't happened since Yaz 42 years ago, it's just too hard. While Pujols will take the HR and RBI crown, the best player in baseball you don't know, (mainly because he plays in front of 5,000 people nightly in Miami), Hanley Ramirez, will win the NL Batting Crown.

2.) The Yanks Are Going Back to the Postseason - Sure, they can't beat the Red Sox, but the rest of the AL outside the East is not looking so strong. NYY should be able to hold off Tampa Bay for the Wild Card spot with a solid starting rotation of Burnett, CC, Joba, and Pettitte... as long as they stay healthy.

3.) The Cubs Will Right the Ship - If anyone can handle turmoil, it's Lou Piniella. While bringing in knucklehead Milton Bradley wasn't a bright idea, this team has too much talent not to win a weak NL Central. The June/July schedule sees their division rivals visit Chicago where the Cubs will put a nice run together in front of the Wrigleyville faithful.

To Yao, We Hardly Knew Ye?!

The breaking news in the sports world today has centered on multiple reports putting the career of Houston Rockets center Yao Ming in jeopardy due to a broken bone in his left foot. Preliminary estimates today from Yahoo Sports and the Houston Chronicle suggest Yao will miss all of next season and might have possibly played his last NBA game. If asked, would you have guessed Yao Ming would already be entering his eighth NBA season playing for the Houston Rockets next year? Probably not because, much like Bill Walton and Greg Oden have proved, a man built 7’ 6” is not meant to play 82 basketball games year after year. This setback for Yao is the latest in a long line of injuries that have derailed a once promising career.

It seems like only yesterday pundits were predicting Yao Ming’s career arc to resemble centers like Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley, instead of the likes of Hakeem and other greats. But, Yao proved the doubters wrong early in his career, even standing up to Shaq in a memorable 2003 overtime victory in his rookie year, on his way to being named to the All-Rookie team. Yao would miss only two games in his next two seasons leading the Rockets to the playoffs and averaging 18 PPG. However, even after trading for Tracy McGrady (a star-crossed superstar in his own right) in 2004, the Rockets would begin to toil as classic underachievers the next few years.

From 2005 to the beginning of the 2008 season Yao missed 86 games, mainly because of injuries to his feet. Finally, this season it seemed Yao had broken the injury bug, missing only 5 games and getting the Rockets past the first round of the playoffs. But again, fate had another cruel twist in store as Yao suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot against the Lakers in the second round. The Rockets would go on to lose the series and any certainty about the franchise’s future. With reports today of his career possibly over, what is his impact on the game if he never steps onto an NBA court again?

Of course, there’s no doubt that Yao Ming has been responsible for the greatest worldwide growth the NBA has ever seen. The Association now has a strong foothold in China, with or without Yao’s presence. This gateway into the world’s largest market has undoubtedly been a huge financial windfall for Commish David Stern. Worldwide, the NBA has never been more popular, on the backs of a strong contingent of international players, with Yao at the center. Yao’s popularity at home and abroad can be gauged by his six All-Star selections, where he routinely garnered more votes than the likes of Kobe and Lebron. Without question the NBA is in a much better place now because of Yao Ming.

What about Yao’s on-the-court legacy? He’s averaged 19 PPG and 9 RPG over a once-promising career, having a much greater effect than many initially predicted. However, due to a myriad of factors including injuries to himself and teammates, a mismatched supporting cast, and plain bad luck, Yao has yet to reach his full potential. Hopefully that potential can still be reached. The Cavs Zydrunis Ilgauskas has come back to become an All-Star himself after missing almost two years because of major foot surgery. If Houston can shed itself of dead weight like T-Mac and Ron Artest and place unselfish players around Yao, perhaps he can come back in 2011 and finally lead the Rockets to the promised land.

But, if Yao’s played his last game, his legacy will be one of the most unique in sports history. In one respect, Yao Ming will be seen as a blip on the radar in the NBA, while still being a global icon. On the court, he will have followed in the fragile footsteps of Bill Walton, a potentially great center cut down by the fragility of his own physical gifts. But off the court, no player in NBA history will ever be able to match his impact on the globalization of what is now, truly, the world’s game.

South African Storybook Sorrow

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people refer to their favorite team as "we." You know the comebacks, "How many minutes did you play?" "How many points did you score?" etc. Well, it's acceptable to make an exception when you are talking about your country's national team. Today, every American sports fan watched along as if they were on the sidelines or on the field as the US battled Brazil.

We were finally going to get that groundbreaking win for US Soccer.

We were so close.

We had it in the bag.

We let it slip away.

The United States came out and did what they needed to do against Brazil. They attacked in the first half and played with their now trademark fire and passion. In fact, to the surprise of most watching they had a 2-0 lead at halftime through goals by Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan. Alas, the skill and poise of the Brazilians came through in the second half as Luis Fabiano scored 2 goals to tie the game and Brazilian captain Lucio (pictured above) won it with a goal off a corner late in the game.

It will take a while to realize the impact of the Confederations Cup on the US Soccer scene. It's too soon to grasp the scope of this tournament on US Soccer going forward and the support that the sport gets here at home. One thing is for sure, this US team should take a bow for the effort and the heart displayed in the last 3 games of this tournament. The loss against Brazil will be tough to swallow, and in all honesty they should have held on for the win. However, take nothing away from what the US Soccer team showed in this tournament as they gained a multitude of fans for the US team, and the sport.

Soccer Saturday Night

Myself and Mr. Yoder II just got back from Columbus Crew Stadium where the Crew welcomed back captain Frankie Hejduk with a 1-0 victory over the hapless New York Red Bulls. While the game wasn't a classic by any means, the atmosphere at Crew Stadium always makes for a good time. For all the folks out there that look there noses down at soccer, go check out a game for yourself, just once. From the singing and the horns in the stands, to the action on the pitch, there are not a lot of better experiences for your money in the sporting world.

So while we are in the mood, let's try some Soccer Saturday Night Quick Hits on the beautiful game:

-The race for playoff positioning in MLS should heat up in the Summer months. For those that may not know, the top 3 teams from each conference make the playoff, and then 2 Wild Card spots go to the teams with the next best records. The West looks pretty set with Houston, Chivas USA, Seattle, and Colorado holding the top 4 slots. The East, however, is set for a dynamite race with 6 clubs all in good position. It should be a very exciting Summer and Fall for MLS with Becks coming back and the playoff races in full swing.

-Why not throw some random predictions out there for the heck of it:

East- 1. Chicago 2. Columbus 3. Toronto

West - 1. Chivas USA 2. Seattle 3. Houston

Wild Cards - 1. Colorado 2. DC United

-International soccer is only rivaled by the NFL as far as year long sports are concerned worldwide. The top Euro leagues play from mid-August till May but the transfer speculation makes the Hot Stove League look like a wet blanket. Already this Summer, we've seen Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo move to Real Madrid for record deals and speculation is running rampant over the next stars that will switch sides. The endless rumors and potential moves around the globe make the soccer off-season incredibly intriguing.

-Real Madrid, as the Yankees of soccer, are trying to spend their way to the top of the world buying Kaka and Ronaldo for over $200 Million. Much like the Bronx Bombers, this strategy won't work for Real. While they may be the most exciting, and interesting team in the world, they won't win titles unless they add some quality defenders and some bite in the midfield. In the first galactico era it was unheralded defensive midfielder Claude Makelele who was the "glue guy" that brought success, not offensive stars such as Zidane, Ronaldo, or Beckham. Pay close attention to Real Madrid, and to nouveau riche Manchester City in England to see if they try to build winning teams, or waste their money on guys who will sell jerseys.

-How nice to see the US Soccer team get so much support going into the Confederations Cup Final against Brazil. Increased coverage in the national media has put US Soccer at the forefront with not much else occupying the sports landscape. The sporting nation has gotten behind this team after the heroic win against Spain, and they'll need a good performance tomorrow to keep the fans' interest at a peak as they enter the 2009 Gold Cup and finish out World Cup Qualifying. Speaking of the CC final, how about a preview as I bring in Mr. Yoder II...

Confederations Cup Final Preview

Mr. Yoder II - Well Mr. Yoder I, this game on Sunday will be a microcosm (big word for a sports blog, I know) of the arguments I was making to you earlier this week in our soccer debate. While one or two good wins raises the profile of the USNT for a week or so, they won't be heard from for another year after Brazil dominates them in the FIFA Confederations Cup Final. The U.S. did play well against Spain mid-week, but there's no way they have the talent or organization to defeat two top 5 teams in one week. While everyone is hoping for another miracle, the fairy tale has to end here. Brazil 3 United States 0, and the USNT and soccer in the mainstream sports media will once again fade into the background, a distant memory until next year's World Cup.

Mr. Yoder I - Come on bro, ya gotta have faith! US Soccer is on an upswing and this is a completely different side than the one that got hammered by Brazil in the group stages. The US must follow the blueprint from the Spain victory: hustle, work hard, and attack from the start. If the US comes out aggressive and takes it to Brazil from the opening whistle as against Spain they can win this game. This Brazil team is beatable as long as our boys don't timidly play against merely the jersey. The keys will be defending with vigor and intensity and taking the scoring chances when they come, which they will against Brazil who love to go forward. The US is on an all-time confidence high after being given new life and they will complete the miracle double and defeat Brazil. USA 3 Brazil 2 on a late Landon Donovan goal in extra time which will cement soccer in the national landscape...therefore I win!

2009 NBA Draft Awards

What better way to celebrate the coming and going of another NBA Draft than giving out some hardware. Without any further adieu the best and the worst of the night and the week that was in the Association.

Best Quotes – “If I have to, I have to, but I don’t really see that as possible.” – Shaq responding to a question about coming off the bench

“If Mike Brown wants to be fired, he’ll put Shaq on the bench.” - JVG

You really ask Shaq...if he is going to sit on the bench...behind Big Z and Andy Varejao...wow. How do you apply to be one of these ESPN interviewers??

Worst Quote – “A lot of the people on the east coast knew who Johnny Flynn was…for the length of the game and how late it was on people on the west coast, mid coast got to see me play.” – Johnny Flynn

I love, love, love Johnny Flynn, but there are more than a couple things out of whack here:

1.) Referring to yourself in the 3rd person = never a good idea, unless you're Rickey Henderson.

2.) I'm pretty sure national exposure isn't a problem since most of your games are on ESPN/CBS, it's called national TV for a reason.

3.) I have a million dollars waiting for the first person who can tell me the location of the "mid coast."

Useless Stu Scott Stat – "Hasheem Thabeet has met 3 Tanzanian Presidents."

So many choices to choose from, so little blog space!! Stu Scott makes me long for Chris Berman hosting drafts...yikes! But still, this gem about Thabeet stood out above the rest. Too bad diplomacy can't help his offensive post moves.

Mark Jones Terrible Segue –After talking to Demar DeRozan (Raptors) about health issues in his family: “They’ll enjoy the great public transit system they have in Toronto, the street cars, Stu, are very efficient, back to you.”

Huh?

Best NY Crowd Reaction – "Overrated, overrated, overrated"

Much to the chagrin of Dickie V, this was the chant that broke out when the Pacers picked Tyler Hansborough at #13, you can’t fool the NY basketball fans.

Best Dressed – Blake Griffin

Go ahead, try and tell him he's not the best dressed player in the draft, I dare you.

Worst Dressed – James Harden

Sorry to pile on to our bust projection yesterday, but the gold suit with the red bowtie isn’t working for you James.

Best Pick – DeJuan Blair (Spurs)

Can any team besides the Spurs make a great late 1st/early 2nd round pick? Blair is an absolute animal and will get some solid playing time this year with Tim Duncan slowing down a bit. Blair is a more accomplished Paul Millsap and will contribute to a winning team immediately.

Worst Pick/Awkward Moment – Brandon Jennings (Bucks)

After being told he wasn’t a guaranteed lottery pick, Jennings apparently skipped out on being in the draft green room and watched the draft in a hotel. 20 minutes later, after being picked 10^th by the Bucks, Jennings comes out from behind the stage in an Orwellian moment after Phoenix picks the absent Earl Clark at #14 to a puzzled, mostly indifferent reaction. If you're going to talk smack about how good you are before the draft, man up and sit in the green room with the other draftees. Maybe he was afraid Ricky Jonas would give him an old-fashioned Spanish beatdown...

Winners

Shaquille O’Neal – In the twilight of his career he gets to move from a non-playoff team to playing with the King. You know he wants to get back at Kobe and get ahead of him in the ring count and he’ll have no better chance than next year in Cleveland.

Clippers – They won the lottery in a 1 person draft. B-Griff…uhh ok that doesn’t work. Blake needs a nickname, how 'bout the Beast? It’s hard to call any team with Mike Dunleavy as coach AND gm a winner, but the Clippers should be drastically improved with a talented core of young, improving players all over the floor centered around the Beast.

Bill Simmons – It's time to start the Simmons for Wolves GM campaign again! How are Rubio and Flynn going to play together? Why trade away two of your best players for a redundant pick? Seriously though, if championship teams were built around 7 solid PGs then the Wolves are in great shape!

Losers

Ricky Rubio - not only do you get to go to a team that just traded two of their best players and fired their coach, but you move from Spain to Minnesota. Enjoy those Minneapolis winters Ricky!

Dick Vitale – Enough with this tired act, we get it. Dick loves guys who stay in school, he loves Steph Curry, he loves Tyler Hansbrough, he loves Duke, etc. DeMarre Carroll from Mizzou plays with as much heart, hustle, and determination as Hansbrough but why isn’t Dukie V screaming about him? Vitale goes on TV and yells a lot of nonsense about how great the college game is, and pushes his guys. Wake me up when you have something new to say Dickie.

Suns – Earl Clark is an ok pick, but he probably won’t light up the league. If giving away Shaq for a hodgepodge of clearance items wasn’t bad enough, there are rumors that Amare is next to the Warriors with Andres Biedrins as the centerpiece coming back, maybe Steve Kerr should go back to the broadcast booth before he becomes the NBA's Matt Millen?

3 Things we’ll remember about 2009 NBA Draft Week

1.) The Contenders Roll the Dice

The Spurs get Richard Jefferson, the Magic trade for Vince Carter, and the Cavs finally land Shaq. All of these trades help the contenders because of how little each team gave up in the respective deals. With the top teams all bulking up, next year promises to be one of the most compelling in league history.

2.) The Night the Clippers Were Saved

While the Beast might not turn the Clippers into a contender overnight, this will be the night they went from a laughingstock to a legitimate, consistent franchise. Along with good young players like Eric Gordon and Al Thornton the Clips will flourish in the long run with Griffin and co. as long as they can get rid of the dead weight on the floor and the bench.

3.) LeBron IS Staying In Cleveland

LeBron wanted Shaq, and he got him. There is no doubt that he runs the Cavs organization right now. The team has done enough recently to show him a willingness to win and with the Diesel in the wine and gold they will again have the team to beat next year. Only time will tell whether or not ShaqBron is good enough to give Cleveland the title they've longed for, but at least they should have plenty of opportunities.

Who To Draft and Who Not To Draft

I’ve found through the years that NBA Mock Drafts are among the most fruitless of pursuits. Of the big 4 drafts, none is more prone to dynamic draft-day deals, random dropping of bona fide stars, or mind-bottling reaches (although that may be less of an issue with Isaiah Thomas not in the NBA). So, what I’m going to do to preview Thursday’s draft is identify the players I feel will be the biggest steals of the draft, and the biggest busts.

Steals:

1) Tyreke Evans-PG-Memphis

After Blake Griffin, Evans will be the best player out of the class of 2009. If anything has been proven recently, it’s that the league is being driven by PGs who can contribute in every facet of the game, especially driving to the rim. Evans showed in his one year that he could handle PG responsibilities while being a dominant physical presence at the point. I believe he will make an immediate impact as a rookie, on his way to becoming an All-Star.

2) Sam Young-SF-Pittsburgh

The only thing keeping Sam Young near the bottom of the first round is a “lack of upside” and being 24. But, Young showed tremendous heart and determination in coming back from major knee surgery to lead Pitt into the Elite Eight, averaging 23PPG and 7RPG in the tourney. He improved every year in school, is a great shooter and could become an outstanding defensive player as well. Whoever Young falls to, he should develop into a solid double-digit scorer if he stays healthy.

3) Jodie Meeks-SG-Kentucky

While some question his decision to leave Kentucky early, Jodie Meeks could certainly be an early second round steal for a lucky NBA team. Anyone who can drop 54 points in the SEC and set a school record at Kentucky is a legit scorer. Shooting is always a need for teams and Meeks has proven to be lethal (40% 3pt, 90% FT) while showing NBA range from deep. He’s also gotten better at creating his own shot and could easily become this year’s Michael Redd.

Busts:

1) James Harden-SG-Arizona State

Honestly, whenever I watched James Harden play, I couldn’t understand how this guy was an All-American. To me, he’s too slow for the NBA, doesn’t have a great jump shot, and will struggle against more athletic defenders. His 19 points in two NCAA tourney games was certainly stunning for the Pac-10’s leading scorer, and not in a good way. For a player likely to be picked in the top 6, I think he will have a rather uneventful NBA career.

2) B.J. Mullens-C-Ohio State

If this trend keeps up, Ohio State will develop a reputation as 7-Foot-Stiff University. Greg Oden’s ceiling has gone from Patrick Ewing to Emeka Okafor to Erick Dampier. Kosta Koufos, drafted last year by Utah, spent most of his rookie year in the NBDL and isn’t on the fast track to the Jazz’s starting lineup any time soon. Mullens lacked passion at Ohio State, had no offensive repertoire, and showed little to qualify him as an NBA talent except his size. How many double doubles do you think Mullens had last year as one of the only 7-footers in the Big Ten…four, five? Try one, when he scored 11 points with 11 boards at Northwestern. I don’t expect him to increase his double doubles by much at the next level.

3) Stephen Curry-PG-Davidson

This may sound sacrilegious, especially with the way Curry has captivated the sports world over the past two years, but I wasn’t impressed by his PG play last year. Granted he didn’t have the best supporting cast, but he seemed to struggle with his shot from the point against tougher competition outside the Southern Conference. To me, he plays smaller than his 6-3 listing suggests and will struggle to finish in the paint at the next level. While he is an amazing shooter and could develop better PG skills, I just don’t see him succeeding at the level most expect. I hope I’m wrong, but I view him as more of an undersized 2-guard coming off the bench who will struggle defensively against bigger guards.

Why Isn't the College World Series More Popular?

I'm watching the College World Series tonight and wondering why this isn't a big deal? Think about this for a second. Baseball is our national pastime. College sports are as popular as they've ever been. So why isn't the College World Series as celebrated as their football and basketball counterparts? The Big Dance and the BCS National Title Game are must-see viewing so why isn't the College World Series appointment viewing as well. Let me offer a few ideas...

1. Players - A lot of the best young baseball players are drafted out of high school and don't play in college, or they come to MLB internationally. Think of all of the great stars of the game and how relatively few of them came through the college system compared to football and basketball. A lot of the guys featured in the CWS are still in college because they aren't good enough to pursue an MLB career yet so we aren't seeing the best of the best. Also, the stars of the CWS usually disappear into the minors for at least a year so we forget about them before they reappear in MLB.

2. Format - Let's be honest, while everyone hates the BCS at least it's easy to understand. In basketball, everyone and their great grandmama loves to fill out a bracket. Does anyone out there even know how the college baseball postseason works? From regionals to super-regionals to the actual World Series (with 8 teams), what exactly is going on here??

3. Regional Sport - Most of the successful college baseball programs are from the South and the West. LSU and Texas are playing tonight and then you have perennial powers such as CS Fullerton and Rice, not exactly marquee names on the national landscape. Without a big baseball presence in the North and the East, there isn't a lot of media coverage which exists for baseball like basketball and football.

4. No Shining Moments - Go ahead and tell me one memorable moment from a College World Series. Fresno State winning last year was a nice story but it wasn't Villanova beating Patrick Ewing, or the 2002 Buckeyes upsetting the Hurricanes. There are no buzzer beaters or classic games such as the Leinart-Young duel at the Rose Bowl that stick out in the memory from the CWS.

Those are just a few of my ideas, what are yours? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. Tell us if you have any thoughts of your own as to why the CWS isn't as popular as it should be, or if you think I'm way off base, or out in left field on this one, get it? I crack myself up...

How Do You Like US Now??

Just last week after a thoroughly embarrassing 3-0 loss to the mighty Brazilians the sky was falling for US Soccer.

Head Coach Bob Bradley needed fired.

The players were outclassed and didn't belong.

The team showed no heart and no fight.

Some even called into question if wearing the US jersey still meant something.

My what a difference a week makes. After rapture-like circumstances brought the United States to the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, the Americans were met with the daunting task of facing the undisputed #1 team in the world, Spain. All Spain had done coming into the game was set a new world record 15 game winning streak and tie the all-time mark of 35 games without defeat. They only needed a win against a clearly inferior US side to hold both records and cement themselves as one of the great all-time teams.

However, the United States didn't have to be the best team in the world today, they just had to beat the team in front of them, work hard, and play with pride and passion. Today the USNT played a game that would make any American sports fan proud with an inspiring 2-0 win over the Spaniards.

The entire defense, especially central defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit and GK Tim Howard should take a bow. The number of shots and crosses blocked by US defenders was immense. This was the performance and the effort every US soccer fan requested and we received it in spades this afternoon.

Perhaps it's too soon to take into account what exactly this means for US Soccer, but for now all Americans who appreciate sports, whether they enjoy soccer or not, should stand up and salute the hustle, determination, and effort put forth by our boys today.

P.S. A point for me as the lead on PTI, SportsCenter, and ESPN, SI, Fox, and Yahoo online all had the US-Spain game as the #1 story...what was that about soccer making it in the national sports landscape...

1 vs 2: Soccer in the States Debate

One of the regular features we hope to begin here at RSS (I refuse to use the whole name because it’s silly and too long to write out) is a debate between two or three of the Yoders. Today it’s twin on twin violence as I debate Mr. Yoder I about the current popularity of soccer in the U.S.

Mr. Yoder II: Okay Y1, so we’ve seen a lot of coverage of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team in the last couple days with their miraculous qualification into the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup, a highly contrived warm-up for next year’s World Cup in South Africa. I think now would be a good time to once again look at the popularity of the game and if, for the 300^th time, the game is finally ready to permanently explode on the national scene.

Mr. Yoder I: I think we’ve already seen an explosion onto the national scene when David Beckham signed with the LA Galaxy. While that transfer may not have worked out for Becks or the MLS, the impact on soccer in the states has been huge. Since that move, soccer has been legitimized here and I think you have to look no further than the coverage from ESPN. There was extensive coverage of the last World Cup and even the Euro 2008 was broadcasted in its entirety. Throughout WC Qualifying and during the Confed Cup, Alexi Lalas has been a mainstay on SportsCenter covering the USMNT; whether that’s actually good for soccer or not is another story.

Mr. Yoder II: Let’s tackle Becks in the U.S. first. I think the whole Beckham experiment has proved to be nothing more than a three-ring novelty act that fizzled faster than a Joe Buck comedy segment. Becks could not wait to hop on the first plane back to first class soccer in Italy with AC Milan and I will guarantee you he plays less than half the games he’s supposed to for the Galaxy this summer. Becks was never interested in growing the game in the U.S., just some cheap publicity and a paycheck. What’s worse, MLS looks even more like a laughing stock now with the way they’ve handled the situation, coming off as the nerdy kid who’s trying to worm his way into the after-school pickup game (something I’d know about first-hand).

Mr. Yoder I: MLS is actually in fairly good shape in my opinion. The ratings aren’t great but each club has a fairly good following and attendance at most games is consistently around 12-15k. Look at Seattle and Toronto where they draw over 20k per contest.. The league is expanding and the quality of play has gone up as well with solid international players like Schelotto along with young American stars showing their stuff in South Africa. MLS has more than gained a foothold in the US; it’s here to stay.

Mr. Yoder II: I don’t even know where to begin to set you straight. First, attendance is not that great; you and I watched Columbus play at Dallas Saturday in front of 2,000 people, 1/4 of what would have paid to see two high-school football teams scrimmage. Come talk to me when MLS on ESPN gets better ratings than poker reruns. Until MLS approaches the level of play in Europe, soccer will never take off in the U.S. Just look at the USMNT…all of the guys who made an impact in the big 3-0 win against Egypt either ply their trade in Europe (Davies, Dempsey, Bradley, DeMerit, Altidore), or have tried and failed (Donovon). Because our best athletes are pushed towards more “American” sports (football, baseball, and basketball), soccer will never be more than a novelty act on the national stage.

Mr. Yoder I: Okay Two, we can agree that MLS may never reach the quality of soccer in the big Euro leagues, but I don’t think MLS needs to be the EPL to succeed. I think that soccer in the US is growing steadily, think of all the kids playing right now that may be the next Freddy Adu, errr maybe a bad example. Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will take many years for MLS to be top league. But, I think that as long as MLS continues to show signs of growth AND the Nat’l Team finds success then the popularity of soccer will continue to rise here in the states. For now, soccer is a part of the national conversation, and that is certainly more than can be said in a long time.

What are your thoughts? We here at RSS want your opinion on if one or neither of us is right so let us know what you think in the comments…oh and since I think soccer is a part of the sports conversation, look for my commentary on the US/Spain Confed Cup game here at RSS coming soon!

Lucas Glover: Fairy Tale Villain?

The greatest thing about sports is its unpredictability. Sports isn't an evening sitcom or a Hollywood movie as predictable as the sun coming up each morning. While the majority of fans may pull for the fairy tale ending, sometimes it doesn't come off. In the end, isn't that what is so captivating about sports? Sometimes we see the storybook ending, and sometimes we don't. The US Open wrapped up on Monday with relative unknown Lucas Glover holding off a charge from Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and David Duval 2.0 (the 2.0 is for the 20+ lbs he appears to have put on since last seeing the public eye).

Of course everyone knows the story of Phil Mickelson, playing while his wife Amy is battling breast cancer at a hospital in California. With the NY fans at Bethpage fully behind Phil he surged to a tie for the lead with a heroic eagle on the 13th, but a 3-putt bogey on 15 and another bogey at 17 ended his hopes of finally getting that elusive US Open title. Phil's 5th 2nd place finish at an Open (now the most ever) amidst such difficult personal circumstances will only endear him more to his massive group of followers. If he would have won it would have made Tiger's win last year pale in comparison on the storybook totem pole...but it didn't happen.

A different type of fairy tale was evident in the story of David Duval. As El Tigre was beginning his climb to the pinnacle of the sport, Duval was perched as the #1 player in the world 10 years ago. 10 Top-10 finishes in majors from '98-'01, and 13 PGA Tour wins including the '01 British had Duval among the elites. However, an 8 year slide from greatness saw him at #882 in the World Rankings coming into the Open. To put that in perspective that is somewhere between Jean Van de Velde and Charles Barkley...probably closer to Barkley. When total unknown Ben Curtis won the British in '03 he was 396th in the world...486 spots ahead of Duval's ranking!! If DD would have won, this would have been without a doubt the most shocking, unpredictable win in the history of sports...but it didn't happen.

What did happen was a slightly above-average pro from South Carolina, Lucas Glover, created his own storybook ending. Glover has some talent, he made the President's Cup team 2 years ago and has a couple Top-5's this year...but if you tell me you predicted him winning this week I suppose you have a bridge to sell me as well. Even at the top of the leaderboard on the back 9 I doubt most Monday afternoon viewers expected the untested Glover to hold on. You could tell on the broadcast that analyst Johnny Miller was willing every possible train wreck scenario on the steely eyed Glover, but to his credit he never folded. So while the majority of the sports world will be mourning the loss of two great what ifs, let's focus on the great story that did happen. A solid pro who lived out his own dream by qualifying his way into the Open, standing up to the best in the game, and winning the most pressurized tournament in the world.

Who Are We and Why Are We Here???

Ok, so maybe some of you remember that infamous night in Milwaukee where our pal Randall Simon so hilariously dropped one of those giant foam hot dogs with one swing of his bat, but then again maybe you don't.

 If you do, you are probably a lot like the three of us...insane sports fans who love the games on the field, and love to laugh at the blooper reel moments as well. 

If you don't remember that moment, go look it up on Youtube, it's a great clip! 

Here at RSS we will give our takes on sports across the country and the globe, share in some debates, and most of all, have some fun. The three of us share a couple of things in common, an Amish last name and a love of sports. 

Mr. Yoder I and II and Yard Yoder have been debating sports for a few years and we've taken our opinions from the radio to the broadcast booth, and now to the blogosphere. (You also might want to check out Yard Yoder's critically acclaimed Nats blog at www.thenatsblog.com). 

We're not trying to reinvent the blogging wheel here at RSS, but just to add our voices to the number of fans who feel the need to take our views and voices to the people. We're those crazy fans who would be willing to risk our lives crossing in front of Ragin' Randall as long as we can get just a little closer to the action.

 So while we may not be the ones who can swing for the fences ourselves, maybe we can still take part in the sports we love, even if it means disguising ourselves as ballpark snacks.

 Either way, when the lights turn on, we still get to round third and head for home...