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Revolution Win SuperLiga 2008

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

I know that 95% of America have no idea what I am talking about when I say “SuperLiga”, but bear with me for a moment. SuperLiga is the annual tournament between Mexican and American teams. Each country is represented by four teams who are then split into two groups. It is a standard Fifa format. The four teams in each group play each other once and the two teams with the highest point total (3 points-win, 1 point-draw, 0 points-loss) move on to the semifinals. The Semifinals feature the winner of one group versus the runner-up from the other group in a one-game match, winner moves on. The winners of the semifinals play in the Finals in a one-game match to crown a champion.

On Tuesday night, the New England Revolution defeated the Houston Dynamo on penalty kicks to capture their first SuperLiga title. Before I get to that game, let’s look at the semifinals. In the first semi, the Dynamo faced off against Pachuca CF from Mexico. The final score, Houston 2 Pachuca 0, does not represent what this game was like. With Houston leading 1-0, Pachuca had a goal taken back on an off-side call. Unfortunately, the linesman blew this call as there was no off-side. Arguments ensued, but the call did not change. A couple of minutes alter, Corey Ashe scored for the Dynamo to put them up 2-0 and ice the game. The game did not end on friendly terms though as Pachuca players stormed after the referees after the final whistle, determined to get payback for what was truly a terrible call. For a game to be lost based on poor officiating is not what SuperLiga wants. However, the awful call allowed for fans to see the passion of Pachuca players. Their anger after the game ended shows how much they wanted to win the tournament. For those people that think that there is no pride or passion in SuperLiga, think again. Continue reading “Revolution Win SuperLiga 2008” →

Why I Am Sick of Brett Favre

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

This post isn’t really against Brett Favre, but it is more against the insane media coverage that hangs on every crazy rumor coming from Favre’s camp. I’m sick of the saga, of the endless waiting, of the rumors and lies. Favre stated that he was done playing football after the 2006 season. During that off season, the media spent countless hours speculating on whether Favre was actually done. They followed his every move and continued to try to predict his final decision. This dragged on for months as Favre continued to make up his mind. Why do we need to spend every waking second obsessing over a player’s decision to retire or to continue playing. Is it going to make him decide faster? Doubtful. Maybe it will influence his decision. Once again, doubtful. And that was just the 2006 off season.

Not that surprisingly, Favre chose to play in 2007. It took months for him to make up his mind, but I would expect nothing less from an NFL great on the brink of retirement. It can’t be easy for Favre to stop playing a sport that he loves and I understand that the decision must be agonizing. He can’t just make it in a day, a week, or a month. He’s not going to know in January how his body is going to feel in September. How can he make a proper decision without seeing how his body and how his mind reacts to a couple of months off. He absolutely should be able to and is able to take an entire off season to decide his future, but does the media coverage need to be so relentless? Continue reading “Why I Am Sick of Brett Favre” →

Remember the NHL?

Danny Vinik 1 Comment

Remember that game with ice and pucks? With power plays and goals? Yes that game. The NHL season actually began over a month and a half ago, but how many people actually know that. ESPN pays no attention to the dying sport. The NHL’s decision to use Versus to broadcast national games was terrible. Few people know what channel Versus is and those that do hate the station. Had the NHL chosen ESPN over Versus, the sport would have gained much more publicity and increased its fan base. Though its fan base is small, I consider myself one of the lucky ones who watch the sport. The games have been exciting this year with young players such as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin taking over the sport. Let’s take a look at the beginning of the season:

1. Best Team

This choice was pretty simple, but it was not 100% clear either. The Ottawa Senators started the year on a roll, winning fifteen of their first 17 games. All of a sudden, they lost seven in a row, came back to earth, but they have won their last five in a row. The Detroit Red Wings, on the other hand, have played consistently excellent hockey all year giving them a league-leading 49 points. With Ottawa being too inconsistent and having only 45 points, the Red Wings have been the best team so far this season. Left Winger Henrik Zetterberg is having a great season, second in the league in both points and goals (43 and 23 respectively). Goalie Chris Osgood has been phenomenal, leading the league with a 1.76 GAA. Of the 20 players who have played at least 20 games for the Red Wings this season, only two have a negative +/-. The most telling statistic may be average goal differential in which the Red Wings average margin of victory is 1.22 goals per game. The second-place Ottawa Senators average margin of victory is .97 goals per game, a quarter goal less than Detroit. Continue reading “Remember the NHL?” →