Could Liverpool End Up With Europe's Two Most Handsome Wide Players?

The 'Pool already have Dutch stunner Dirk Kuyt in their ranks, and now have become the 58th team to be linked with a summer swoop for Frank Ribery (pictured).

According to Sky Bet, a flurry of bets came in for the Bayern star in the last 24 hours, but in fairness, it would be a complete shock if this move actually happened, as the Reds just don't have the dosh. However, the suggestion that Voronin, Dossena and Babel may all be shipped off to Munich in exchange has put a wishful smile on this fan of England's most successful club. Gone would be the days of buying the Jermaine Pennants and Luis Garcias of the World (United seem to be taking that part over with that Obertan bloke) if this was to happen. Dream on, I suppose.

The Tour Hits B-Arse-elona

I’ve spent the last few hours online searching for today’s Tour De France action, Stage 6, in full.

The video of it I mean. I saw a lot of it live and I’m convinced there was an anal sex joke in the coverage. Allow me to explain.

With 36.4km remaining in the stage, shots of one of Barcelona’s most famous buildings appeared, the Agbar Tower. After showing this, there was a dissolve into a close-up of the bum of a cyclist.
Subtle, it was not. Funny, it was.

I’ve drawn an artist’s impression below. Well I say an artist...it’s not very good. You’ll have to use your imagination.



Now all I have to do is find a video. I’ve checked and checked but so far, no luck. It wasn’t in Eurosport’s highlights package. TG4 don’t have the full stage archived on their site. I’m at a loss.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Teams for Munster Final Expected Tonight

With three days to go to the Munster Hurling Championship Final, both Waterford and Tipperary are expected to name their starting 15 tonight, with the Tipp selection unveiled at 9pm after training in Thurles.

Ken McGrath and Gary Hurney are definitely out for the Déise, while captain Stephen Molumpy is a major injury doubt, according to today's Irish Examiner.

Tipperary, on the other hand, could very well start with the same 15 that disposed of Clare in the Semi-Final. Shane Maher still doesn't appear to be quite fit after the injury he picked up in the League Final in May, and lack of game time will go against him also. Worryingly for the Premier County, new hotshot Noel McGrath (pictured against Cork) and old hotshot Eoin Kelly both sat out training on Tuesday night, with thigh and back strains respectively. However, both are expected to be fit for selection tonight.


Other rumours emerging from this writer's home county include a possibility of an introduction of Hugh Maloney to the half-forward lines, and Brendan Maher to the backs, but as aforementioned don't be surprised to see the same 15 that lined out against Clare.

Update on teams will follow tomorrow.

Cristiano's Circus

So I watched a bit of Critiano Ronaldo’s ridiculous unveiling at the Bernabéu last night. Wow.

80,000 fans turned up apparently. 90,000 if you believe the Spanish press (which I don’t), the most that have ever turned up to watch a player hold up a scarf and do a couple of keepie-uppies (75,000 turned up to see Diego Maradona unveiled at Napoli in 1984).

I don’t really know what to make of it. Part of me thinks it’s absolutely ridiculous. 80,000 people? Really? Sure, there were some great footballing figures past and present there – Eusebio, Alfredo Di Stefano (God, he’s looking old), and of course, Cristiano Ronaldo, but do they not have better things to be doing on a Monday afternoon in Madrid? Not if Florentino Pérez has anything to do with it.

But then part of me buys into it. I love the spectacle as much as the game sometimes. I love players with personality. I love ridiculous celebrations. I love the whole sideshow that comes with the game. I was always an Eric Cantona man as opposed to an Alan Shearer man.

Ronaldo’s unveiling was over the top in so many ways, but would Cristiano have it any other way? The whole stadium was covered in green carpet, they had a stage. There were photographers scrambling on top of other photographers to get the best shot of Ronaldo in his new number 9 jersey, worn before by greats including Di Stefano, Hugo Sanchez and Ronaldo (the other one – that’s going to get confusing).

The scene with the little boy was priceless. Ronaldo drops the ball while doing some tricks, and this little boy, about 6 years old, steals his ball. Ronaldo bends down, gives the boy kiss on the head, signs the ball (that pen came out of nowhere – great improvisation!), and the crowd goes wild! Not only a great footballer, but a charming gentleman too. You couldn’t write this stuff (no, wait. They definitely did).

So will Real actually manage to win anything next season? Cristiano seems to think they should “just win the Champions League next year, then just build up gradually”. Always very modest, young Cristiano.

Well they’d better win something, considering their squad has cost €512.5 million. And they probably will, if their €94 wonder boy has anything to do with it. In the words of Cristiano himself (come on, in your thickest Madeira accent) “uno, dos, tres - ¡Hala Madrid!"

Cristiano Ronaldo's unveiling at the Bernabéu

Steve McNair: 1973-2009

I got a text message on Saturday evening from a friend in the US wishing me a happy 4^th of July, and at the bottom it read “did you hear about Steve McNair?”. I called him right away. At first I didn’t know if he was joking, or if someone had fooled him into believing it.

“Dude, I didn’t believe it either, but they’re reporting it on CNN. I think he was shot”.

I was stunned. It had been a crazy week and a half. With the passing of Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Ed McMahon, people were ready to believe anything. I fell for the Jeff Goldblum is dead story. Apparently there were rumours of Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears too. I didn’t want to believe the McNair story.

As soon as I got home I logged onto Sports Illustrated and there it was – “Steve McNair: 1973-2009".

As a fan of the NFL for about decade now, there haven’t been many better players than Steve McNair. The first season that I really got into the NFL, he lead his Tennessee Titans team to the Superbowl, and came within one yard of winning it all. Four years later, he was named the league’s most valuable player, along with Peyton Manning. He was a leader, he was athletic, he was one of the first prominent black quarterbacks. He could run, pass, do it all as a QB.

But for all the post-season success, and MVPs, and other accolades he collected, he will be remembered for one thing above all others. Toughness. For me, Steve McNair defined toughness in the NFL. It was a miracle that he played as long as he did, given his bruising style of play.

Said former Miami Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tim Bowens: “Hitting him was like trying to tackle a defensive tackle. … He wasn’t one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league, he was one of the toughest players in the league.”

Of his ability to play with pain, McNair says: "It goes back to high school, when my coach told me that when you're in pain, you tend to stay more focused on what you have to do. I took that to heart, and I think that's how I play now. I can just concentrate better when I'm playing in pain."

He did not take the traditional route to stardom. Growing up in smalltown Mount Olive in Mississppi, a town of less than a thousand people, he was an all-around athlete. He starred in football, baseball, basketball and track. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1991 Major League Baseball draft, but opted to play college football at historically black Division 1-AA university, Alcorn State. There, he garnered national attention, when in his senior season, he set more than a dozen records on his way to finishing third in the Heisman Trophy - something unheard of for a player at a 1-AA school. It was enough for Sports Illustrated to put him on the cover with the headline "Hand Him the Heisman"

He was drafted No. 3 overall by the Houston Oilers (who later became the Tennessee Titans) in 1995, the highest ever for a player from a Division 1-AA school, and the highest ever for a black quarterback (Donovan McNabb, Michel Vick and JaMarcus Russell have since been taken higher). He may have been the Oliers/Titans best ever draft selection, and they’ve made some great picks, including Earl Campbell, Bruce Matthews and Eddie George.

Watching him over the years, I got the feeling that he was the type of player that you would absolutely love playing with, and hate playing against, because you knew he was going to give 100% on every single play.

He was oldschool. Earl Campbell with a cannon of an arm, the face of a franchise, a warrior. He was Steve "Air" McNair. Rest in peace.

YouTube - Steve McNair Tribute

Wimbledon Womens Winner Will be Williams

Wow, lots of w's. Oh inevitability. The William's brothers will play each other in the Womens final in SW19 for the fourth time. Its actually a pretty remarkable record and to be honest on their day they are by far and away the two best ladies on the tour.

Venus put out No.1 ranked Russian Safina with such ease she barely broke a sweat. 6-1 6-0. All to easy.

Serena on the other hand played out an absolute classic with the lovely Elena Dementieva. In an enthralling encounter the younger Williams sibling lost the first set on a tie break, but won the remaining two sets in a match that the Ladies game really needed. Serena was not at her best, and to be fair Dementieva looked nervous and at times looked very much like she was punching above her weight.

Between them the Sisters have won the prestigious championships on six occasions. It'll now be seven. It is a 4th July showdown for the two Americans. Their Dad and coach Richard Williams has said he's not attending the final. When asked why he stated; "I've a 4th july BBQ to take care of back home & bought a helluva lot of fireworks, I ain't gonna let them go to waste." Priorities indeed Mr. Williams.

Owen to Man United?

Apparently Michael Owen's representitives are in talks with officials in Old Trafford regarding Michael signing for United. This is a very interesting development, and somewhat surprizing for Ferguson who looks like he's willing to gamble on a player who many Premiership managers weren't willing to risk signing.
Owen has had a number of injury riddled seaons at Newcastle, but to be honest, he was always a threat when fit.
Ferguson has been on the look out for a new striker after the departures as Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. He had hoped on bringing French internationals Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery to Manchester, but Real Madrid seem to have won the race for both their signatures.
Owen could be a massive hit with United, if he remains fit, but that is something that may be beyond him.
On the streets of Manchester earlier one local Unted fan gave this reaction. "He's Shit". A bit extreme, but maybe that gentleman is speaking the truth. Hull City were chasing hard to bring Owen to the KC Stadium. A Hull fan (pictured) gave this reaction when he heard that his club may have lost out on Owen's services; "Ah Shit!".
We'll see what the outcome is and where Michael Owen will be playing his football next season.

Not Such A Bastareaud After All?

While Andy Murray and Michael Jackson continue to dominate the headlines in this part of the word, there is a very interesting scandal involving a rugby star brewing in France.

You may remember Mathieu Bastareaud from this year’s Six Nations. Very impressive in the win over Wales, Bastareaud brought a lot of positive attention to himself and it seemed that, at the age of 20, French rugby was looking at a player who could play at centre for the next decade.

More likely than that, however, is that Mathieu Bastareaud came to your attention approximately two weeks ago after France’s second test defeat against New Zealand in Wellington. Not for anything to do with the match itself but for what happened that Saturday night. The initial reports were that he’d been beaten up by “three or four men” while out on the town. Naturally, this provoked a media storm in New Zealand. Ahead of their hosting of the 2011 World Cup, the country was ashamed that a touring international rugby player could be beaten up by one of their own. Yet that’s not what happened.





Within a matter of a few days, the ‘truth’ had emerged. Bastareaud definitely returned to the team hotel in full health. It seems that he had fallen, drunk, in his room, and had lied to avoid getting into trouble with the team management. He returned home to France, disgraced, where it seems he was met with vilification in the national press. RTE reported this revelation with the witty headline Lying Bastareaud Comes Clean.

In the media storm that has erupted, rumour and conjecture have been flying around France. My French is not the best, so I must rely on second-hand reports, but among the rumours is that Bastareaud’s injuries were caused in a fight with other members of the French squad, a fight for which he was made a scapegoat and thus sent home.

So far, this is the tale of a player who, in either the official story (he lied, got caught, owned up) or the rumoured version (he got into a fight with teammates) did wrong and has righty gotten into trouble for doing so. But this is a story that has taken a new turn, one that could have been tragic. It was reported that Bastareaud attempted suicide over the weekend and is now under observation in a psychiatric clinic. Otherwise, he is said to be fine. Thankfully.

Today the French Prime Minister has written a letter to his counterpart in New Zealand, John Key, apologizing for Bastareaud’s actions. Key has termed this an end to the affair and hopefully that is the case, in terms of a public sense, even if it will not be for Bastareaud, who is left to cope with his now damaged career, and possibly also his life.

Today’s development, the intervention of Francois Fillon, most worries me. Bastareaud is one of the few French rugby players who has heritage outside of the country (Guadalupe I believe). This foreign heritage is something which has been seen with many French soccer players but, perhaps for class differences, not in the oval ball game. Would Fillon have intervened if, say, Cedric Heymans was the player involved? Was (if the rumours about the fight are true) Bastareaud made a scapegoat based on his ethnicity? I’m not qualified to discuss the intricacies of French society but to see how this can affect France, watch the Palme D’Or winning The Class from Laurent Cantet. This stunning film engages with the issue in a simple yet philosophical manner, giving an outsider such as myself an insight into everyday life in multi-cultural France.

Whether or not race is a factor, there is also no doubt that Bastareaud has been exposed by French rugby authorities. Little has been done to defend him after the incident and, it seems, next to nothing was done to care for him during the media storm that followed. He reportedly told friends he was feeling suicidal before this weekend but, again, nothing was done to aid him. He was hung out to dry; even representatives of New Zealand police agree with that much. “At least two French players, maybe more, know the truth,” said Peter Cowan, the police chief in Wellington. “One day it will come out.”

Until that day, let’s hope that Bastareaud recovers, and returns to the rugby field sooner rather than later.

Lions 3rd Test Team

After a prolonged absence due to lack of an internet connection I'm back to give my opinion on all things rugby, specifically the Lions team for the 3rd Test this weekend.

With this match being something of a dead rubber and the injuries mounting up McGeechan has gone with an interesting selection.

There are four changes in the pack. Sheridan and Vickery come in for the injured Jenkins and Jones respectively while Williams and Worsley replace Wallace and Croft.

Sheridan acquitted himself well as a replacement in the second Test and he should dominate John Smit in the scrums. Fears that Beast Mtwarira will best Vickery in the scrums again should be allayed by the improved scrummaging power afforded by Shaw in the second row.

Martyn Williams will offer more in link play and at the breakdown than Wallace which will be needed after the injury to O'Driscoll who is like a third flanker in midfield. In Worsley the Lions at last have selected a blindside flanker whose defence is strong enough for the Boks unlike Tom Croft who despite constant championing by the English media has only proved what Martin Johnson has said before. He's a hybrid forward stuck between two stools. Too lightweight to be a world class second row and not aggressive enough in the tackle to be a Test blindside.

In the backs Shane Williams and Ugo Monye have come onto the wings with Tommy Bowe being partnered by Riki Flutey in the centre. Luke Fitzgearld is paying the price for his defensive error in the lead up to the first try, however he rarely put a foot wrong elsewhere and this call seems harsh on the young Leinster player considering Williams is out of form and Monye missed two try scoring oppurtunities in the first test.

It's asking a lot of Bowe to play at second centre as he has played there rarely for the Ospreys and never at test level. Perhaps the Lions management are hoping if he gets his hands on the ball more often he can create chances for others as he did earlier in the tour. Kearney continues at full back as do the half back partnership of Jones and Philips. These three players will have to be at their best if the Lions hope to avoid a whitewash.

The Lions management have gone with a 5-2 split on the bench. It's an odd decision that could see Harry Ellis playing on the wing if injuries like last week repeat themselves. The Irish pair of Keith Earls and Gordon D'arcy can feel hard done by to be left out the squad altogether considering the paucity of centres on tour.

There is hope for the Lions in that South Africa have named a very inexperienced side with ten changes overall. Yet some of the changes may not weaken the Boks at all. Wynand Olivier and Jaque Fourie are a very strong centre pairing, perhaps stronger than last weeks centre pairing. Morne Steyn replaces Ruan Pienaar which will strengthen the Boks kicking game and in swapping Spies for Ryan Kankowski the Lions are faced with another freakish athlete at No. 8.
After the heroics of the last two Tests the last thing the 2009 Lions deserve is a whitewash however it seems on the cards. South Africa to win.

Morning All

A quick post to send a melancholic thank you to the good people at ESPN America who’ve provided me with an interesting breakfast this morning. I’m sitting here eating a bowl of muesli and watching, for reasons best known to those at the channel formerly known as NASN, a re-run of the 1996 MLB Home Run Derby. 1996 is a couple of years before the height of the steroids era but it had begun, and it’s almost amusing to listen to Chris Berman and his co-commentator (I don’t know who it is) talk about players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Gary Sheffield in positive terms. Looking back on it, it’s difficult to see how anyone was fooled.