logo

The Blue Workhorse

Written by Austin Lyman | 16 December 2009

San_Diego_Padres

It was an up and down decade for the San Diego Padres. After finishing last or next to last in the division the first four years, the Padres finished third in the division and missed the playoffs despite winning 87 games in 2004. The very next season they only won 82 games but won the division. They also won the division in 2006, but they didn't make it out of the division series either year. Bruce Bochy was subsequently fired after 12 seasons.

In 2007 under new manager Bud Black, the Padres faded down the stretch and then got screwed out of a playoff appearance when they lost a one-game playoff to Colorado on a play that is still waiting for Matt Holliday to touch home plate. The last two seasons the Padres have been atrocious once again finishing at or near the bottom of the division.

C- Ramon Hernandez

  • Even though he only played two seasons for the Padres after coming over from Oakland, Ramon Hernandez was productive in those two years. Excellent defensively and offensively, Hernandez was at his best with the Padres, and with guys like Wiki Gonzalez, Ben Davis, Tom Lampkin, Josh Bard, and Gary Bennett as other possible selections, Hernandez gets the All-Decade nod. Mike Piazza did have a good season at bat in 2006, but the 37-year old Piazza was terrible behind the dish. He only threw out 12% of potential base stealers while Hernandez hosed 27% in his two seasons. Hernandez also hit .455 with a home run in his lone Padres postseason series; Piazza hit .100 in his Pads' playoff appearance.

1B - Adrian Gonzalez

  • Ryan Klesko had some strong offensive seasons for San Diego averaging over 20 homers from 2000-2005. However, Adrian Gonzalez is the All-Decade first baseman. Gonzalez is one of the best first basemen in baseball currently, and one of the best acquisitions ever for the Padres. The former number one draft pick has been dominant for the Padres hitting 130 home runs and driving in 400 runs despite playing in the pitcher-friendly confines of Petco Park. If the team doesn't trade him away, Gonzalez could be the best first baseman in the team's history.
    Adrian-Gonzalez no comments

    Read more...

Written by Shotgun Spratling | 16 December 2009

Arizona_Diamond_Backs_2001

The Arizona Diamondbacks didn't come into existence until 1998, but in their short history in just over a decade, they've made their mark going to the playoffs four times. But no season in the past decade will be as memorable as the Diamondbacks 2001 World Series run that culminated with a Game 7 victory on Luis Gonzalez's broken bat single against the decade's best closer Mariano Rivera.

C - Damian Miller

  • Damian Miller was the reliable backstop for the first three years of the decade when Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were toeing the rubber. Miller was a superb receving catcher with a little bit of pop providing double-digit home runs each of his three seasons. He was even an All-Star in 2002.

1B - Chad Tracy

  • Pickings were slim at first base as the Diamondbacks haven't stuck with anyone more than a couple of years during the decade, but we're giving the nod to Chad Tracy. Tracy has spent parts of five seasons at first base for Arizona while also playing some third base and outfield. Tracy hit 27 and 20 home runs in 2005 and 2006 when he got regular at bats playing everyday. He also hit .308 with a .911 OPS in 2005.

2B - Craig Counsell

  • The super utility player, Craig Counsell, had two stints with the Diamondbacks in the decade spanning from 2000 to 2006 (spending 2004 in Milwaukee). Counsell played every infield position with a consistency that gets him on our list. A pesky hitter that sported a funky batting stance, Counsell had a dynamite NLCS against Atlanta hitting .381 with three extra base hits to help advance the D'Backs to the World Series.

    craig-counsell-batting-stance

no comments

Read more...

Written by Heisman | 15 December 2009

It nearly happened. Texas was so close to actually falling in the Big 12 Championship game and giving either Cincinnati or TCU a shot at the national championship. But alas, a single second was put back on the clock, and Texas made the field goal.

Another week means another re-evaluation, and thus, we give you our new The Blue Workhorse College Football Top 25 after the completion of the regular season. Some things to note from this week's rankings:

  • The SEC still has two top five teams, but the only other conference with multiple Top 10 teams? Now the Atlantic Coast Conference.
  • The regular season finishes with five undefeated teams and two winless teams.
  • New squad(s): Utah, Central Michigan, and Arizona all jump into the Top 25 this week.
  • Biggest gainer: West Virginia and Stanford both move up four spots, but the biggest gainer was Texas as they move into the national championship game after the SEC Championship game.
  • Biggest loser: The Trojans of USC dropped five spots after losing to Arizona. Besides USC and the teams that dropped out, Florida had the biggest drop falling three spots after the beatdown Alabama handed them in the SEC Championship game. But the biggest loser has to be the fans, who will never know who the best football team really is thanks to the BCS.
  • The non-BCS strikes: While Houston dropped out of the Top 25, Utah and Central Michigan join the fun. For the Utes, it is a return while the Chippewas make their first appearance of the season.
  • Teams by conference: Pac 10 - 5; ACC - 3; SEC - 3; Big XII - 3; Big 10 - 3; Big East - 3; MWC - 3; WAC - 1; MAC - 1.

What the Voters Have to Say:

  • DRang (DR): "Disapponted to see TCU and Boise St matched up in the Fiesta.   Would love to see TCU vs Florida and Cincy and Boise play in a amatchup on big conferences powers vs the stout "non" major six powers."
  • Heisman (H): [no comments]
  • Rosenblogger (Rb): "The Heisman Trophy was Colt McCoy's to lose heading into the final week of the season. After a three interception performance and failing to show the leadership skills you would expect from a Heisman winner, he let it slip away."
  • Scals (Sc): "The BCS again survives…kind of.  A missed FG by Texas, and then how does the computers decide between TCU, Cincinnati, Boise State, and even Florida (again).  Even though I am a Texas fan, I almost rooted for a miss just to see the chaos that would have ensued."
  • Shotgun Spratling (SS): "."

(For Shotgun's team-by-team breakdown of his rankings, check out his Top 25 on Neon Tommy.)

DRHRbScSS
#1Alabama1
1111125
#2Texas (+1)22323118
#3Texas Christian (+1)
45232114
#4Cincinnati (+1)
34544110
#5Florida (-3)
53466106
#6Boise State66655102
#7Oregon 7897792
#8Ohio State (-1)
8789989
#9Georgia Tech 91178887
#10Virginia Tech (+1)12915101074
#11Iowa (-1)101510111173
#12Penn State111212121370
#13LSU 141011131963
#14Miami (+1)151314141262
#15Pittsburgh (-1)171613191550
#16Brigham Young (+2)132016201447
#17Oregon State (-1)201421151842
#18West Virginia (+4)162119161741
#19Nebraska (+2)191817172336
#20Oklahoma State (-1)182218211635
#21Stanford (+4)212420182126
T22USC (-5)
-1723252514
T22Arizona (NR)2323-222214
T24Central Michigan (NR)
25---207
T24Utah (NR) 24--23247

Others receiving votes: Cal, Houston, Wisconsin, East Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee
Dropped out: Houston (LW: 20), California (LW: 23), Clemson (LW: 25)

What? You don't agree? Let your voice be heard. Leave us a comment and tell us who you think should be ranked #1 or who we are ranking incorrectly!

Want More? - Subscribe to The Blue Workhorse today!

DRang, Heisman, Rosenblogger, Scals, Shotgun Spratling

no comments

Written by Writer Dude | 12 December 2009

Fake (Sports) News, Real Funny

LOS ANGELES, CA – Pro golfer Tiger Woods announced in a statement Friday evening that he was going take a break from golf, indefinitely, so he can have more time to focus on his extramarital affairs.

He’s walking off one fairway to enjoy time on a few others.

“I need to step back from the game I love to step up and be a man, giving myself a chance to spend time with these hoes I kind of know,” Tiger said in the statement.

He added, “Competing in the pro golf circuit will only distract me from what really matters to me…random play.”

This statement was issued just a week after the mysterious events of a car accident led to the outpouring of cocktail waitresses and porn stars who’ve claimed to have “Played a Round” with the sports star – “Teed Off” in dressing rooms, “Handled His One Wood” in club bathrooms, and some even reported to have let Tiger “Play The Back Nine” in side-alleys.

“I would like to apologize to my fans,” the statement continued. “A lot of people depend on me and I am terribly sorry for letting them down. But right now I have to take care of myself, my wife, and the dozens and dozens of filthy whores I cheated on her with…I have a lot of mouths to feed.

“Those bitches can eat.”

The controversy, culminating in this golf sabbatical, first resulted in a backlash amongst his fans and sponsors, but since then there has been a rallying cry of support for the world’s great golfer.

“He’s just getting his,” said sports fan Mike Maury – a sentiment many of his fans share.

Basketball star, extramarital sex-capadist, and child rape expert Kobe Bryant released a YouTube video statement expressing his condolences to the Woods family and his congratulations to Tiger for “humpin’ so many white chicks.”

Others aren’t so supportive.

“I’m shocked and disgusted. To see such a bright young star, do something so appalling. It’s just a shame,” said Jaime Smith. “If you’re going to cheat, go with a classier kind of broad. Come on Tiger, I know a brother’s gotta hit it, but damn.”

As more and more middle-school educated women came out of the proverbial woodwork to claim they, too, have “Bogeyed Tiger’s Birdie”, more and more sponsors dropped Woods.

Others, still, are confused by the lack of news coverage of the story.

However, now that the dust has settled, many advertisers are using what little news coverage there is, along with Tiger’s alluring charm, to their advantage.

Trojan Condoms have partnered with the Tiger Woods brand and designed a ribbed and padded condom – created specifically for cocktail waitresses, double-lined for her pleasure and for an extra barrier to block any venereal disease.

Gatorade, who first pulled their Tiger flavors, has since come up with a new line of sports drink, backed by the Tiger marketing machine: ‘Gatorade Cheater’ – loaded with extra electrolytes for a quickie in a public bathroom and packaged with lies to tell your spouse printed right there on the bottle.

The flavors to be released at launch are called “Passion Fruit,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Love Cocktail,” and “What Yo Name Is?”.

There is no telling how long this hiatus from the game will last, and Tiger has not given any indication himself, but some are speculating he might be done with golf all together. Having already conquered the greens, some are wondering if he might now try to take down the legendary, and some say unbreakable, record of Wilt Chamberlain.

Only time will tell.

Contributor Peter Alan Herbert – “Writer Dude” – is a master of flapdoodle and rigmarole. You can catch more of his Fake News, Real Funny, short stories, rants, and other musings at www.peteralanherbert.com. Stay tuned to The Blue Workhorse for more from the Writer Dude.

no comments

Written by Shotgun Spratling | 11 December 2009


heisman-trophy

That's right folks. The votes have been tallied. There were 71 ballots cast with each having an outcome on the overall standings. It came down to the wire between the top two contenders. This is as close as it gets with the top two being separated by ONE MEASLEY POINT!

We traveled from coast to coast collecting ballots from Florida to California to New York to Oregon with a myriad of stops in the midwest. Eighteen different players received votes while another three men, including Jesus Christ, were noted as honorable mentions. Without further ado...

(drumroll) Your 2009 Sports Blog Heisman Trophy winner is... no comments

Read more...

Written by X's & X's | 11 December 2009

Guest writers Andrew & Lee Xixis -- two brothers who love soccer probably more than each other -- continue our breakdown of the World Cup draw with Groups E-G.

On Wednesday, we told you which teams were drawn into groups A-D, as well as who our favorites are for advancing out of group play and into the second round. Today, we give you groups E-G, and some “players to watch” from each group.

Also, we give you our predictions for how the tournament will shake down after group play.

*(FIFA World Rank in parentheses)

Group E:    Netherlands (3), Denmark (26), Japan (43), Cameroon (11)

Lee: “My pick for this group was pretty easy. The Netherlands have always been known for solid soccer play, as well as having some of the world’s best players on the roster. The Dutch went 8-0 in qualifying, outscoring their opponents 17-2 in those games. With a record like that coming in, The Netherlands is the definite favorite in Group E. I predict they will win all three first round games and have quite a run in the tournament.”

Andrew: “One of the teams that will make me wake up at the wee hours of morning to watch them live half way around the world is my pick to join Netherlands in the second stage, Cameroon. Led by InterMilan star Samuel Eto’o, you can always count on a fast paced Cameroon team that will celebrate goals with flips and entire team celebrations. They are not only a strong team and the highest ranked African team but they are also very entertaining, and their game against Netherlands should be must watch of first round.”

Players to watch in Group E: D - Tulio Tanaka (Japan), F - Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), F - Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), M - Arjen Robben (Netherlands)



Group F
:    Italy (4), Paraguay (30), New Zealand (77), Slovakia (34)

Andrew: “Its hard to say in a tournament this large and exhilarating that anything is a ‘sure thing’. Well, that was before Italy was placed in this group.  Led by 6’5” Luca Toni, who plays his club ball with perennial German power Bayern Munich, Italy stands to win all three of their first round matches as they are placed within the only group without three teams in the top 28. In fact, this group doesn’t even have two in this grouping.  A four time winner of World Cup tournaments, including the last one in 2006, look for Italy to breeze through the opening stage.”

Lee: “With such a clear number one in Group F, I think Paraguay will be the second team to go through from this group. This is their eighth World Cup appearance, and fourth in a row. Paraguay had a shaky run in the qualifying stage. They had a 1-0 win over Argentina, then a month later lost 0-2 to the average Colombian team. If Paraguay can stay consistent, look for them to advance out of the group stage and maybe throw an upset or two in the mix.”

Players to watch in Group F: F - Luca Toni (Italy), F - Alberto Gilardino (Italy), F - Salvador Cabañas (Paraguay), F - Stanislav Sestak (Slovakia)



Group G:    Brazil (2), North Korea (84), Ivory Coast (16), Portugal (5)

Lee: “Anyone that knows anything at all about soccer knows that Brazil is always a favorite. “Joga Bonito.” The phrase seen in Nike Soccer ads, means “play beautifully” in Portuguese. And that is exactly what this team does. The Brazilians just make the game fun to watch with their play that looks as if they are dancing the samba with the ball. Brazil, talent wise, is one of the deepest teams in the tournament. Coming off a win in this year’s Confederations Cup, if they hold off Portugal and Ivory Coast in the group stage, I look for them to go deep into the tournament and meet high expectations.”

Andrew: “After coming in second in their qualifying group and getting into the World Cup by way of a playoff for a final spot, I believe fifth ranked Portugal may not make it out of this first group stage. Ivory Coast made their first ever World Cup tournament in 2006 and were in a “group of death” that involved Argentina and Netherlands. This tournament they again draw a group with two top 5 teams, but I think Ivory Coast will overcome the Portuguese, who recently have been very inconsistent on the biggest stages. Look for Ivory Coast stars Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure to play a large role in their success and for them to edge out Portugal in a tough first round group.”

Players to watch in Group G: M - Kaka (Brazil), F - Luis Fabiano (Brazil), M - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), F - Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)



Group H:    Spain (1), Switzerland (18), Honduras (38), Chile (17)

Andrew: “Spain has but one stain upon their record thanks to the United States over the last couple of years. Leading up to this past summer’s 2009 Confederations Cup, they had held the number one world ranking since May 2008, and after losing to USA in the Confederations Cup, took second behind Brazil for a few months before reclaiming their post at the top again. Winning all 10 of their games in a qualifying group, including against frequent World Cup qualifiers Turkey and Belgium, Spain dominated their opposition as they did in winning the European 2008 tournament and are projected my many (including myself) to dominate their opening round and advance deep into the competition.

Lee: “I was torn between Chile and Switzerland for my pick to advance from this group, but I made my decision based on style of play. I think Chile will be the second team out of Group H because they proved they can hang with the best when they beat Argentina in qualifying. They may not be one of the best teams in the tournament, but I think Chile will do enough to make it out of group play. But once they make it to the knockout stage, I’m not putting much weight behind them.”

Players to watch in Group H: F - Humberto Suazo (Chile), F - David Villa (Spain), F - Fernando Torres (Spain), M - Cesc Fábregas (Spain)


Early Tournament Predictions:

Andrew
Quarterfinals:

France over USA
Brazil over Netherlands
Germany over Argentina
Spain over Italy

Semifinals:   
Brazil over France
Spain over Germany

Finals:        Spain over Brazil


Lee

Quarterfinals:

USA over France
Netherlands over Brazil
Germany over Argentina
Spain over Italy

Semifinals:   
Netherlands over USA
Spain over Germany

Finals:        Spain over Netherlands

X's & X's

no comments

Written by Shotgun Spratling | 10 December 2009

It's coming down to the wire in the voting for the Sports Blog Heisman Trophy.

I'm going to be up late tonight compiling the votes and making out the final tally, so if you haven't sent in your votes yet, there is still some time. Since I'm on the west coast, that gives you east coasters a few extra hours as well. SO MAKE SURE YOUR HEISMAN BALLOT IS CAST!

It's a simple process:

Here's all I need for you to do:
** Use our Contact Page or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it me a Heisman ballot (#1-3). If possible, add 1-3 sentences on why your #1 is your #1.
** If you'd like, you can also add an honorable mention that won't receive any points.
** I also need you to decide which region you represent: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Far West (so I can do a breakdown of the votes at the end).

** Make sure to include your name and website address in the e-mail, so that I can properly give you credit and send back some link love.
OR
even better: Do a short post (such as College Football Top 10 did last year) and send me a link.

Remember, vote who you believe is the most deserving of the Heisman Trophy, which doesn't have to be who the media has told you to pick for or even one of the five finalists that will be in New York City this weekend. Just be able to justify your picks if it's Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott or Georgia punter Drew Butler or anyone else that you think may be flying under the radar.

Shotgun Spratling

no comments

Written by X's & X's | 09 December 2009

Guest writers Andrew & Lee Xixis -- two brothers who love soccer probably more than each other -- continue our breakdown of the draw with Groups A-D. (Their breakdown of Groups E-G along with their predictions for the later rounds will be released later this week.)

In the summer of 2010, 32 teams from 32 countries will join together in South Africa to compete for the most coveted prize in the sporting world…the World Cup trophy. Eighty years after the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay, with 204 countries around the globe having vied for a spot in next summer’s tournament, only 32 earned the right to compete for the top honor in the soccer world that is, like the Olympics, earned every four years.

Last Friday, the World Cup Draw took place in South Africa to determine who plays whom. The actual qualifying for the tournament had been going on since 2007. We tell you which teams were drawn into what groups, as well as who our favorites are for advancing out of group play and into the second round. We will also give you some “players to watch” from each group.

*(FIFA World Rank in parentheses)

Group A:    South Africa (86), Mexico (15), Uruguay (19), France (7)

Lee: “I’m going to go with an easy one here. France will definitely make it out of Group A. France won the World Cup back in 1998 and is a perennial powerhouse in the international soccer world. With the great individual talent France has on their roster, I just don’t see any way they don’t advance out of the group stage.”

Andrew: “As much as it pained me to watch Mexico land in the group with South Africa (because they are a top seed solely based on them hosting the tournament), I believe that Mexico will be the other team to advance from this group. As a USA soccer fan its easy to hate Mexico’s national team but with a young squad getting better every match I think they send Uruguay and the host nation’s fans home early.”

Players to watch in Group A: F-Karim Benzema (France), M-Franck Ribery (France), M-Diego Martín Forlán (Uruguay)



Group B:    Argentina (8), Nigeria (22), South Korea (52), Greece (12)

Andrew: “This is a very interesting group to me because it is filled with teams who have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde complex. Argentina, coached by Diego Maradona, was having early trouble in their qualifying and had to win a few games late in the process to insure their placement in the final 32. However, with all the chips on the table, it is hard for me to deny the talent level on the Argentine team behind world soccer phenom Lionel Messi.”

Lee: “I am going to go with Greece for one reason: defense. As they say, “defense wins championships”. That is exactly what won Greece the European championship in 2004, where they beat powerhouse Portugal in the final. This is only the second World Cup for Greece (1994 is the other), so there isn’t much of a track record to go on, but I think their success depends on which Greece team shows up. They always have good defense. The Greek in me just hopes some offense shows up as well!”

Players to watch in Group B: F-Lionel Messi (Argentina), F-Theofanis Gekas (Greece), M-Ji Sung Park (South Korea)



Group C:    England (9), USA (14), Algeria (28), Slovenia (33)

Lee: “I’m picking the United States to finish first in this group. There are a few injuries the US squad is hoping to overcome before next summer, but a lot of young talent has shown promise. After a thrilling run in the Confederations Cup this year, the US lost in their first major tournament finals 3-2 to Brazil. They also beat Spain (#1 in the world) in that tournament, showing they can run with, and beat the big dogs. (No Mike Vick jokes please). If the US can get the right mix of players together, the CONCACAF champions will have quite a showing at next summer’s World Cup.”

Andrew: “The other favorite to come out of this group has to be England. Although they may have underperformed in tournaments in the past, it’s hard to imagine them losing to a 28th ranked Algeria (their highest ranking ever) or 33rd ranked Slovenia (who squeaked in ahead of Russia with a team of young talent). England is the lowest of the top seeds and wouldn’t have been one at all had Portugal qualified earlier in the process, but with world class players such as Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard, England is a lock to make it out of the group stages as well (with or without David Beckham).”

Players to watch in Group C: M-Landon Donovan (USA), F-Wayne Rooney (England), M-Frank Lampard (England), F-Jozy Altidore (USA)



Group D:    Germany (6), Australia (21), Serbia (20), Ghana (37)

Andrew: “As far as picking a group stage winner, it doesn’t get much easier than it does for Germany. A talented group of physically strong players and great goal scorers make them a favorite for every tournament they play in and I expect nothing less from them this year. A second place finish in 2002 and a third place finish in 2006 show their ability to finish strong in international competitions. They had a great qualifying going 8-2-0 and scoring 26 goals meshing well as a team.”

Lee: “This group is tricky. After Germany, the remaining three teams are on relatively equal footing. Ghana had a good showing in WC 2006, and is one of the better African teams. But, Australia just seems to have some World Cup magic, so I’m going with them as my pick to advance. Australia was down 0-1 to Japan in ’06 and scored three goals within the last 16 minutes to get their first ever World Cup win. Bit of a strange reason to pick one over another, but I’m sticking with it! It’s in the magic, baby!”

Players to watch in Group D: F-Miroslav Klose (Germany), F-Lukas Podolski (Germany),  M-Tim Cahill (Australia), M-Michael Essien (Ghana)


X's & X's
no comments

Written by Carolina Cavaliere | 06 December 2009

On Friday, the World Cup draw was made in Cape Town -- one of nine South African cities that will host World Cup matches in the summer.

Guest writer Carolina Cavaliere -- a native Brazilian who has traveled across the globe attending and covering soccer games along the way -- discusses the draw, including the "Group of Death."

carolina_cavaliere

Group G has been labeled the "Group of Death" and for good reason with three teams currently ranked in the Top 16 with Brazil and Portugal both ranking in the Top 5.

When the two powers face off it will be the first time in the World Cup since the unforgettable upset 43 years ago when the Brazilians were eliminated in the first round. It was the first time Brazil lost with legend Pele in the starting lineup after being 11-0-2 in previous World Cup matches.

But before the two match up against one another, they will have to take care of matches against the Ivory Coast and North Korea. Portugal will open with Ivory Coast and Didier Drogba, one of the top players in the world, and then North Korea in the first round of next summer's tournament.

Brazil will open against North Korea in Johannesburg on June 15 at Ellis Park Stadium, the same stadium where the Brazilians recently won the Confederations Cup over the upstart Americans. Brazil then meets Ivory Coast on June 20 in Johannesburg at the Soccer City Stadium before completing the round robin play of the first round on June 25 against Portugal in Durban -- the teams' first World Cup matchup since the Portuguese 3-1 victory at the 1966 tournament in England.

"This group is fantastic, will draw attention all over the world,” said Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz during an interview for ESPN.

Portugal has been playing quite well lately moving up from No. 17 to No. 5 overall in FIFA's World Rankings the last two months, due to recent results in the qualifications and in the past European Championships.

However, Portugal's strongest player doesn’t seem so confident.

“I’m not very happy, but it is what it is,” said Cristiano Ronaldo on an interview for TV Globo Brazil. The Real Madrid star believes Brazil has to be considered the favorite to win the 2010 World Cup.

After the draw, Brazil coach Carlos Dunga said: "Group G is balanced, and that is good because being in a difficult group will put a brake on the atmosphere of euphoria and will force everyone to remain more alert, because matches will not be easy.”

While it will be interesting to see how the rivalry between Brazil's Kaka and Portugal's Ronaldo plays out, the Brazilian center field said, “It’s the most difficult group; it’s the death group. We’ll have to be very focused.”

Of the other groups, Group C has drawn the most interst thus far. The United States drew England for its first match in Group C with Algeria and Slovenia to follow. The Brits and Yanks' match will take place in Rustenburg on June 12; it will be the first World Cup matchup since the famous upset 60 years ago in Brazil when Joe Gaetjens' diving header helped propel the Americans to a 1-0 victory that was so stunning some English publications presumed the 1-0 scoreline reported to them was a typing error and reported it as a 10-0 victory for England.

The Americans will follow with fixtures against Algeria in Cape Town six days later and Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on June 23. Fabio Capello’s team can be the strongest in their pot, but England does have a history of slow World Cup starts, while the U.S are in very good shape, having reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002 and the final of the Confederations Cup this past summer.

In the remaining groups, France, Mexico, South Africa and Uruguay were put in group A; Argentina, Greece, Nigeria and South Korea were put in group B; Australia, Germany, Ghana and Serbia in group D; Netherlands, Denmark, Cameroon and Japan in group E; defending champion Italy, Slovakia, New Zealand and Paraguay in group F; Spain, Switzerland, Chile and Honduras form group H.

The draw ceremony, held in Cape Town on Friday, was hosted by South African actress Charlize Theron and the general secretary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, and attended by football celebrities, such as David Beckham.

The opening match of the tournament's game schedule will see host South Africa taking on Mexico at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on June 11. The one-month long tournament will continue until July 11 when the two remaining squads will face off in the finals, also at Soccer City Stadium.

Carolina Cavaliere

no comments

Written by Shotgun Spratling | 05 December 2009

It's that time of year again. Heisman Trophy time!

Like last year when we awarded the first annual Sports Blog Heisman Trophy, I'm hoping to put together a vote for this year's Sports Blog Heisman Trophy Winner with 5-10 minutes of your help.

If you follow college football, then you know that the Heisman Trophy is to be presented to the FBS college football player of the year this weekend. What I'm hoping to do is to compile a sample (as large as possible) of who Sports Bloggers would cast their ballot for if they indeed had a Heisman Trophy ballot.

Here's all I need for you to do:
** Use our Contact Page or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it me a Heisman ballot (#1-3). If possible, add 1-3 sentences on why your #1 is your #1.
** If you'd like, you can also add an honorable mention that won't receive any points.
** I also need you to decide which region you represent: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Far West (so I can do a breakdown of the votes at the end).

** Make sure to include your name and website address in the e-mail, so that I can properly give you credit and send back some link love.
OR even better: Do a short post (such as College Football Top 10 did last year) and send me a link.

Try to get me your ballot by Tuesday or Wednesday, so I have time to compile the votes.

Feel free to think outside of the box a little bit. Just because Ingram, McCoy, Tebow, and Gerhart are who the media says are candidates, don't be afraid to make a different selection...just be able to justify your selection (if need be).

I will then tally all of the responses I get with each #1 getting 3 points, #2 getting 2 points, and #3 getting 1 point, put the results in a table, and then officially declare the 2009 Sports Blog Heisman Trophy Winner (hopefully on Thursday). Simple stuff.

Feel free to e-mail this to any other sports bloggers, who you think would be willing to participate.

Thanks for helping out and participating.

Shotgun Spratling

no comments