Goal of the Day! New Addition Aliaskandr Hleb

For those Birmingham fans out there, you guys really got a steal today when you got Aliaksandr Hleb on loan from Barcelona. Many have called him a bust, but he hasn't been given ample opportunity at Camp Nou. Enjoy!

A Hint of Disappointment for USA Soccer Fans

A lot of US soccer fans were champing at the bit when they were hearing the rumblings of Jurgen Klinsmann's possible takeover of the National Team squad. Those fans are bound to be disappointed by today's news that Bob Bradley has signed a four-year contract extension with the US National Team amidst talks that he was raring to takeover the Aston Villa post.

Bradley took over after the disappointing 2006 campaign under Bruce Arena. Bradley quickly impressed as the interim coach before being given the reins. This summer, he took the US to the knockout stages for the first time since 2002, with yet another exit at the hands of the West African Ghanaian Black Stars.

His campaign at the 2010 World Cup resulted in mixed reviews amongst fans. Fans were ecstatic to see the team make it past the group stages after the embarrassment that was 2006, but some couldn't help but feel disappointed at the prospects that were laid in front of them. They got the best draw possible when they dodged Joachim Lowe's Germany team in the second round, and faced a team that didn't look all to impressive in their group stage efforts.

He struggled to find the right line-up throughout their stint in South Africa, constantly changing one of the forwards and one of the midfielders. The team hit a great rhythm though when he did find the right team, usually with Benny Feilhaber and Maurice Edu in the squad, but it was too little too late in most games.

So Bradley impressed and disappointed, a bittersweet result to some, but was a four year extension warranted? Will he be on a short leash? It doesn't seem as if he will be, with such a lengthy extension. There is a lot of good youth in the United States that Bradley MUST tap in the next four years to give them a shot in Brazil. If he continues to stick with his veteran players, some of whom continue to disappoint, he won't be so lucky as to keep his spot.

Link to the ESPN Story

Not So Feel Good Comeback Story

Years after his brushes with the law, Maurice Clarett seems poised to make his professional football comeback. He's signed a one year deal with the UFL's Omaha Nighthawks. He said he's "humbled" by the opportunity and has dedicated himself to the game again.

This all comes after Clarett was one of the most promising running back prospects the NCAA has produced in some time, so much so that he fought the NFL's strict age/education limits to enter the draft. So a failed case, a failed stint with the Denver Broncos, and three and a half years in jail have brought him to the UFL.

If he has even 50% of the talent he displayed while at Ohio State, he would be an asset to any team, whether it's a primary back role in the UFL or a third-down back for a lower-tier NFL team. This however, remains to be seen, and will continue to be so until he really has laid his demons to rest and actually dedicates himself to the game. He's going to have a lot of people keeping an eagle's eye on him and critiquing his every move. Just think the Ricky Williams saga, but maybe even more intense.(especially if he makes it back into the NFL)

Link to the ESPN Story

Manny Being...Who Else, but Manny?

He's arguably the greatest pure hitter of our generation, and one of the greatest of all time. He's far from his prime now, but he's still rather effective regardless of how old or slow he's gotten. It looks as if he's finally accepted a waiver move to the Chicago White Sox, who give him a legitimate shot at making the playoffs; something he wasn't getting when he was in Los Angeles.

Manny also seems to be a player that thrives when he changes scenery. He was perennially a 30+ home run 120+ rbi player during his years in Cleveland and Boston. Even when he switched over to Los Angeles, he seemed unstoppable in getting the Dodgers to the playoffs. He could flourish in a designated hitter position with the White Sox, not having to play defense. He should add some protection to Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin in the line-up.

He's always been sort of a joke on defense, but as mentioned before his hitting really needs no introduction. He's a first ballot hall of famer, and deserves all the credit in the world, despite the controversy with the testosterone renewing drugs he tested positive for. He will add a spark to the Chicago White Sox and could propel them into a wild card spot, though unlikely, with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees almost assured the East/Wild Card spots. It will be interesting to see how he fits in when he gets to Chicago though.

Link to ESPN Story

Goal of the Day!

Goal of the day, brought to you courtesy of Liverpool's newest addition, Raul Meireles. And you might say, Tim, does this have anything to do with you being a Liverpool fan, and I would say, absolutely 100%. :D

Black and Blue: NCAA Football Preview and Champion's League Draw Recap

Joseph and Tim discuss the NCAA football season and preview the top ten teams in the nation. The season kicks on next Thursday! They also discuss today's Champion's League draw and go through each group and give their predictions on who gets to the knockout rounds.

Preseason Too Hard-Hitting?

To touch more on the injuries going on in the preseason, it brings up an issue of longevity. It seems like for the past five or ten years, the preseason, as mentioned below, has produced some really unfortunate injuries for players of all levels. It's not often that you go through a week leading up to the NFL season that you don't hear about someone having their season ended, or someone ending up on the PUP(Physically Unable to Perform) list.

It always seems sad to see first day draft picks getting injured, and sometimes having their seasons ended. This year has been no exception. Take a look at Montario Hardesty, Derrick Morgan, as mentioned earlier, Sidney Rice and Ben Tate, and even Broncos rookie sensation Tim Tebow.

Another question that is raised, thanks in part to Chad Ochocinco's in-game tweet from a few nights ago, is "should players be hitting so hard in a preseason game?" In a collision sport like Football, it seems almost logical in an exhibition game to coast at least a little bit. There have even been reports from Falcons camp that the scrimmages they held against the Patriots and Jaguars were getting chippy due to hard hits, scrimmages...not even preseason games. NFL players coast like crazy when they're playing in the Pro-Bowl because they don't want to get hurt, so why would they want to get hurt in games that mean even less?

For consideration there's a new poll on the side of the blog, vote on it please, and comment!

Preseason Injury Woes

It seems like every year, there's one or two high profile players that go down in the preseason and really shake things up for the teams involve. This year so far it's been Sidney Rice, who had been suffering from a hip injury for months now, had surgery this week to repair it. He will miss up to half the season recovering, but good news for Vikings fans is that he's already rehabbing, having rode the exercise bike with help shortly after his surgery.

This will be a big blow for the team, as they will have to rely heavily on unproven talent to help fill the void of Rice as well as possibly Harvin as he tries to recover from the slew of migraine headaches he's been suffering from. But they have brought in Javon Walker to perhaps carry some of the load.

Second round Texans draft pick Ben Tate, suffered a tibia injury and is likely to be shut down for the season. This will be a blow to Steve Slaton, who may struggle without some help to spell him on third downs this season. Matt Schaub may be forced to throw the ball more than originally planned.

For more on Sidney Rice's Injury check out ESPN.com

Black and Blue: EPL Week 2 Wrap-Up Show

Joseph and Tim discuss the recent results from the second week of the English Premier League season. They talk about who's hot, who's not, who they think is on the road to relegation and who is poised to hoist silverware in 2011.

Injury Blow for Arsenal

It seems as if more injury woes have befallen the Gunners, as their young roster continues to be depleted with the month long loss of Samir Nasri. He will have his knee operated on and will miss several games on his road to recovery.

This injury leaves Arsenal without another one of their young stars to play. During their Premier League opener, they were already without the likes of Fabregas, Bendtner, Song, Djourou, and Denilson.

It seems as if the Premier League title hopefuls won't be without most of these players for too long. Fabregas should be back soon, with Bendtner and Nasri having the longest layoffs, peaking at about a month.

If the North London side can stave off the pressure from opposing sides in the next few weeks, they should get healthy just in time to really make their push for the Barclays trophy.

Linkage

Favre Saga

It's about that time of year again. Summer is winding down, baseball is heating up, soccer season has begun and we are all forced to wonder where Brett Favre is going to end up. We already caught wind of some rumors a few weeks prior, but they were just that. Teammates, namely, Visanthe Schianco, claimed to have gotten texts from Favre saying he was retiring, but Ed Werder, as he normally does, got the real story...well if you insist on calling it that.

It's become a mainstay of our summers dating back several years now, and it's fueled by the media machine. It seems sometimes that the news anchors are getting tired of the stories, even running the risk of mocking their producers. Which begs the question, why do they keep running the story so much if even anchors are tired of it?

Today was kind of ridiculous. ESPN, amidst reports that Favre had landed in Minnesota to head to the team facility, decided to follow his car from the sky, in footage that was eerily similar to the OJ Simpson chase. It's hard not to show some sympathy for the man, because he has gotten his life documented step by step over the past few years. He has though played a somewhat inherent role in the chase however, with his "man that cried retirement" routine.

Signs all point to him announcing his decision one way or the other tomorrow. Early indications are, according to long time friend and Vikings Kicker Ryan Longwell, that he will he returning. We shall find out sooner rather than later, whether we care or not.

Goal of the Day!

Fantastic finish from a hard angle by Roman Pavlyuchenko. Helped close the aggregate gap going into the second leg next week vs Young Boys.

Goal of the Day!

New Episode of Black and Blue!

Anticipation

It's five till 3, and in a few hours the English Premier League season kicks off with a banger of a game as there are already Champion's League implications. At 7:45am est, newly overhauled Manchester City take on Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur in a game that is sure to produce some fireworks.

It's been a while since I've really written, but with the soccer season kicking off, college football and pro football right around the corner, my interests are really rekindled.

I've been doubting, hating, respecting, or whatever your feared term is, on Manchester City, and even mores their moneygrunbbing tactics. They're stocking talent and overhauling a team that started showing shades of continuity toward the end last season. I'm very much interested in seeing what their guys, and mores their recent acquisitions will perform in the morning.

Tottenham will look to build on a great campaign last year and use their balanced attack to down City. Their midfield is ridiculous, and their forwards can score with the best.

So with the game mere hours away, I say unto you, with a body on the verge of a nighttime sinus medicine coma, enjoy the new season! It's maybe the most wide open title race we've seen in years.

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