Mario Bib-o-telli

No words can describe how funny this is.

Well I Never...

Anyone doubting the increasing global reach of the Premier League need only see this.  A screen capture of the frontpage of ESPN.com (the American version) taken in the last few minutes.

I know that ESPN show some Premier League football in the US, and thus have a vested interest in promoting the match, but on a night in which the 'World Wide Leader In Sports' will be showing a key NFL encounter on Monday Night Football, it is Fabregas and Drogba which adorn their home page.  Progress such as this makes a development like the so-called '39th game' even more likely in years to come, trust me. 

Shame about the heroin-esque headline mind...

Ten Days To Go....

June has arrived.  More importantly, June 2010 has arrived.  It is the month in which most of the World Cup will unfold before us, and come July 1st only 8 of the 32 teams who have qualified for South Africa will be in with a shout.

Therefore, I reckon it’s high time that we start to get excited for all things football here on the Almost Daily Sports Blog, and that’s the plan for next few days.  Between now and Friday week I’m going to post a preview of one of the tournament’s pools, A-H as FIFA dictates, followed by a prediction of how the knockout stages will unfold on June 10th, the night before the opening game.  More blogging will then be done throughout the tournament, where I hope to bring you some unusual/interesting pictures and videos and more than just simple match analysis.

Speaking of interesting videos, and to get you somewhat into the mood, ESPN have created some short video pieces which you can see here.  It’s some of the finest work the station has ever done in my opinion, and contains interviews with several players who have scored goals in World Cup Finals, including Ireland Assistant Manager, Marco Tardelli.  It’s wonderfully shot, and well worth checking out.  Enjoy it, and come back here soon for our World Cup coverage.

+++

PS Thanks for your votes in the quandry I posted recently.  I’m taking your advice on board and some changes will likely be implemented, albeit not until after the World Cup at the earliest. 

Crouching Tiger Hidden Hydrant

Tiger Woods has issued a second statement regarding his now infamous car crash last Thursday night/Friday morning. If you haven't heard about this by now, then you've probably been living under a rock for the past week. Woods, for reasons unknown, left his house at 2:30 a.m. or so last Thursday (Thanksgiving) night and then proceeded to crash into a fire hydrant and tree outside for his home, again for reasons unknown.

Woods is unimpressed with the scrutiny he’s been under since the crash – there’s been a mountain of speculation about affairs with at least two women. However, that does come with the territory of being the most famous and wealthiest athlete in the World. This is the first time that he has felt the full force of fame’s dark side, and now he’s not playing ball.

There’s a reason that the speculation won’t go away, and Woods has no one to blame but himself. Website statements don’t mean a damn – we want more. We want him in front of cameras, speaking about the events of the night and explaining what happened. We’ve seen this before – earlier this year, Alex Rodriguez sat down with Peter Gammons of ESPN shortly after it emerged that he was a drugs cheat. The interview showed a contrite A-Rod and this, coupled with a press conference, allowed the speculation to go away quicker than it would have had he hidden in a hole, a la Tiger. His silence gives gossip sites further licence to probe deeper into his private life. The facial lacerations that he has picked up in the crash, may or may not be due to domestic violence and we don’t know the truth because Tiger himself hasn’t interacted with the insatiable media. He can put that confrontation off for as long as he wants, but he has to return to golf at some stage.

Woods, literally, needs to show his face.

***

Here’s a video, presumably from a Chinese news broadcast, which shows (in animated form) what happened and what happened. Gas stuff.

Quick NFL Hit

Up until this Sunday, the Detroit Lions endured a really, really long losing streak.  They last won in December 2007, and last season they became the first team in the NFL's history to lose all of their games in a 16 game season.

That ended this weekend with a 19-14 win over the hapless Washington Redskins.  It merited the floowing headline, recently tweeted by Adam Schefter (I belive it initially came from the Washington Post).

Washington Bails out Detroit Again

Need Some Assistance Over The Unassisted Triple Play

I know they're very rare but that aside, I really do not understand why Eric Burntlett's Unassisted Triple Play for the Phillies against the Mets last night is really a big enough deal to warrant the lead headline on the American sports websites this morning.  Anyone get it?