Sol comes out in Portugal

Sol Campbell was at the centre of the most amazing events in this Champions League tie on a bittersweet night in Porto for the centre-half.

Harry Harris hails Sol Campbell despite the Keystone Kops moments which saw FC Porto take a 2-1 Champions League advantage against Arsenal. What do you think?

Sol Campbell back in the limelight...

Spring is in the air...

This is a wonderful time of year to live in Arizona - it's 74f outside with wall to wall bright beautiful sunshine! What makes it more wonderful is that MLB Spring Training is just around the corner!

For those of you reading overseas who are not so familiar with Major League Baseball, Spring Training is a month/6 week long 'warm-up' session consisting of a series of practices and exhibition games that precedes the start of the regular season on April 5th.

Spring training allows new players to audition for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play. Spring training has always attracted fan attention, drawing crowds who travel to the warmer climates of Arizona and Florida to enjoy the weather, to get up close and personal to the stars and watch their favorite teams play while sat on grass embankments enjoying a cold beer, warm sunshine in small, cozy stadiums.

The 15 teams that play in Arizona will soon be arriving at the various sites around the Phoenix area, and Tucson. Here's a list of the 15 Cactus League teams... 

Arizona Diamondbacks: Tucson Electric Park, Tucson

Chicago Cubs: HoHoKam Park, Mesa
Chicago White Sox: Camelback Ranch, Glendale
Cincinnati Reds: Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear
Cleveland Indians: Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear
Colorado Rockies: Hi Corbett Field, Tucson
Kansas City Royals: Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe
Los Angeles Dodgers: Camelback Ranch, Glendale
Milwaukee Brewers: Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix
Oakland Athletics: Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix
San Diego Padres: Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria
San Francisco Giants: Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale
Seattle Mariners: Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria
Texas Rangers: Surprise Stadium, Surprise

The first game is March 3rd, and the last is April 3rd.  I plan on getting out to a few games again this year, especially as the Mrs is out of town for 10 days in March!

Here's the full schedule if you want to make some of the games yourself!

Cactus League 2010 Schedule 

Premier League Play-Offs? What next...Cheerleaders?

I came across an interesting concept today that I thought I'd share; the idea that the 4 teams who finish 4th through 7th in the English Premier League play off for the 4th Champions League spot.  It will never happen, but it's an interesting thought nonetheless. 

If today was the end of the season this format would pitch Liverpool, Spurs, Man City and Aston Villa into a mini-competition at the end of the season...

So what are the pros?

• More revenue for the clubs in question and the EPL.
• An opportunity for someone other than Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd to qualify. (Did you know that these same four clubs have filled the top four positions in five of the past six seasons. Only Everton, in 2005, have broken their stranglehold.)
• TV coverage of more exciting, meaningful games. The Championship Play off final (to win a place in the Premier League) is often one of the most exciting games of the year for the neutral fan.
• Mid table mediocrity could become a thing of the past; if you're in 10th/12th place in April, and still have a shot at 7th, the last 6 weeks of the season take on new meaning.

And the cons?

• Extends the already congested season by another week or two; it would be no good in World Cup or European Championship years.
• Having weaker teams in the Champions League could jeopardise England's entitlement to 4 Champions League places.
• If you support English football and like to see English teams do well in Europe, wouldn't having Villa, Spurs or a team like Birmingham damage the potential for 3 or 4 English teams reaching the Quarters or Semis?
• Last year Fulham finished in 7th, a full 19 points behind Arsenal in 4th. Even if you dislike Arsenal, would it be fair for a season's work to be lost in a one-off game to a team who finished that far back? In fact Fulham were only 19 points above relegation! That's how big the gulf in class was...

This year the battle for 4th is more interesting anyway; with the likes of Villa, Citeh and Spurs giving Liverpool and Arsenal a genuine run for their money. But could Play-Offs, a further Americanisation of the Premier League, bring a new dimension to the EPL?

Personally I'd prefer the introduction of Cheerleaders, a much better American invention!

Where are the pads and helmets?

As America prepares to settle in for the big game on this Superbowl Sunday, a few of us ex-pats have been paying attention to another bone crunching encounter that takes place over the pond in Europe every year around this time.

The Six Nations Championship is an annual competition held between England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy. The game played - Rugby Union.  It's like a mini European Championship as these are the best 6 rugby playing teams in Europe. They play each other over a 5 or 6 week period with winner being the team with the most wins at the end of the 5 games.

It doesn't get much coverage here in the US, so I thought I'd treat you to a little 5 minute highlight package, courtesy of the BBC, so you can see what Superbowl Sunday may look like without the helmets, pads, cheerleaders and half-time theatrics!!  This game was played yesterday between England & Wales. It was the 100th anniversary of the first England - Wales game held at Twickenham - England's home ground in the south eastern suburbs of London. 

By the way, the same 15 guys play offense, defense and are allowed to be substituted off and on if they need to get stitched up for a blood injury...why you need 53 players to play American Football is still difficult to comprehend for this Englishman in...Arizona?

Enjoy the highlights, by the way England are in the white, and enjoy the Superbowl!