Clint Dempsey shines for U.S. team without Donovan

Clint Dempsey scores the U.S.' lone goal
Photo courtesy of AP

It was a day of firsts for the U.S. Men’s National Team Wednesday.  In descending order the USMNT defeated Italy for the first time ever, wore a spanking new away jersey, and Terrence Boyd made his first international start.  The match, held in Genoa, Italy, was a close one with the Italians pressing in a 1-0 defeat.  The man they call ‘Deuce’, Clint Dempsey, scored his 25^th goal internationally to lead the yanks to victory.  It was a difficult win for the U.S. team, with the back line threatened early and often.  Andrea Pirlo played excellent balls over the top, but the Italians couldn’t thwart Tim Howard or the linesmen.  The U.S. team is off until the end of May when they will play Scotland, Brazil, and Canada before starting World Cup qualifying in June.  Without Landon Donovan, Oguchi Onweyu, and Timmy Chandler, American fans should draw mostly positives looking ahead at those matches.

Sending me back: what baseball means to me

"'Out of the past' was the name of the store, and its products consisted of memories: what was prosaic and even vulgar to one generation have been transmuted by the mere passing of years to a status at once magical and also camp."

Our protagonist.
Photo courtesy of Harvard
Political Review

Those are the opening lines of the novel written by Gil Pender, Owen Wilson's character in Midnight in Paris. Gil is a true romantic. Deep inside him lives the notion of Golden Era Thinking, the belief that one's outlook on life and priorities better befit a period in the past than the modernized world. His perfect society is Paris in the 1920s, in the rain. One night, something miraculous and inexplicable occurs, and a man tired of the rush and technology and (from his perspective) dearth of creativity of the 21st Century is transported back in time, fulfilling his dream. Every night, he is lucky enough to return to dance and converse with the great musicians, artists, writers and intellectuals of this famed decade. He falls in love with the past.


Like Gil, I too sometimes wonder about what it would be like to have been born sometime else. For me, I don't have a particular era; it could be the '50s, the '80s, the 1750s, the 1500's, maybe in some ancient civilization. It's not as much where I'm going as getting out of where I am.

Congratulations, Tony Bennett

After watching Virginia hang tough with North Carolina today, I think enough evidence has accumulated to prove there has been a seismic shift in Virginia basketball.  Virginia is now a legitimate team, and not just a legitimate team by virtue of a good year or two from a lucky recruiting class, but a legitimate program.  Any team might get lucky and have a chance to pull off a big upset, but how UVA did it shows they will be a team to watch out for in years to come.  How they hung with UNC was not a fluke, but a continuation of how they’ve been playing all year, and all the credit has to start with Tony Bennett.

Over saturation in the world of sports

It seems that today a player’s road from underrated to overrated is a short one.  I remember the first time I consciously witnessed this transformation of a player going from underrated to overrated.  As the Pistons were making deep playoff runs I remember hearing how Ben Wallace was far and away the most underrated player in the NBA; he did all the dirty work for the Pistons team while Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Chauncey Billups took care of most of the scoring.  I heard this phrase over and over again coupled with highlights on Sportscenter of Ben Wallace’s blocks.  It didn’t take long and Ben Wallace was universally regarded as an overvalued player for his last years in Detroit and all of his time in Chicago.  Not surprisingly, the pendulum has swung back and Ben Wallace is once again regarded as underrated, although playing at a significantly lower level than in his prime.

Ryan Braun and the myth that is innocent until proven guilty

Anyone who has been a fan of baseball for the past decade or so has seen it too many times. One of your favorite players standing at a podium trying to explain himself after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and the list goes on. After having our faith betrayed so many times, we have been trained to assume the worst and leave hope out of it.

The Ryan Braun fiasco though is something completely different. Until watching his speech this morning, I was with the majority in thinking that he got off on a technicality. As I was listening though, I realized that this was something much bigger and more important than that. This was a great player who will be forever questioned because the media loves a good story more than the facts. The facts of the positive test and his subsequent appeal provide a much murkier picture than the media has been showing to the public.

The NBA: These Guys are Good

Amidst all this linsanity I have come to realize something that has always been brewing in my mind. The NBA is full of guys who can play and by full I mean every single person in the league. I think linsanity is less about Jeremy Lin, than it is about how good guys in the league actually are.

30 MLB teams 30 questions

Throughout the winter I wait to hear those five magical words: pitchers and catchers have reported.  Whether you are enduring the blistering winds of Chicago or relaxing in Fort Lauderdale waiting for the first pitch, we can all be comforted because baseball season has begun.  I repeat, baseball season has begun.  As Matt did for the NBA, here are 30 questions heading into Spring Training.

An interview with Denis Kudla

19-year-old Denis Kudla pushed Andy Roddick to his limits Wednesday night, losing a three set match in San Jose.  Although Kudla couldn't pull off the upset, his ranking has been steadily climbing over the past two years and he currently sits at 203rd in the world.  Born in Ukraine, Kudla moved to the states when he was a baby and lived in Arlington, Virginia.  As a fellow DMVer, Kudla was kind enough to give us a short interview about his match with Roddick and his career in general.  Keep following LBS as we will be keeping track of the young American's career.  Here is the interview:

Randy Moss: Effort and Humility

If Randy Moss were to come back with a perfect attitude, he would immediately improve any team in the NFL.  Anyone talking about how Moss’ play is falling off needs to put things in perspective, because the question is not one of ability.  No matter how much his skills have deteriorated, he is simply a better receiver than whatever scrub is filling out the depth chart on your favorite team.  Hall of Fame talent and experience do not simply disappear in a year.  If nothing us, Moss would be the ultimate decoy and red-zone jump-ball threat.

Lone stars in Texas: Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki

Courtesy of Jesse D. Garrabrant

           If we’re talking NBA rivalries, I’m all in with San Antonio Spurs – Dallas Mavericks.  All right, maybe Lakers – Celtics, but after that I’m heading to Texas for my basketball.  Although both teams somewhat lack historical significance, throughout the last decade the Spurs and Mavericks have been arguably the two most consistent teams in the league.  They have faced off five times in the playoffs since 1999 and they have won a total five championships in that time.  Contempt visible between the two teams; there have been strings of ejections and suspensions during the highly suspenseful matchups.

Austin Rivers and Duke-UNC Provide a Gem

                                                                          Getty Images

“That’s why I watch sports.”

Those were the words I heard at Buffalo Wild Wings after the dust had settled on Duke’s come from behind victory over archrival North Carolina.  It’s hard to place events in the context of history less than an hour after they occurred, but I don’t think you could find a noticeably better college basketball game if you tried.  And I mean ever.  This game simply had it all.  From start to finish, the game could be equated to the fine art of basketball; just beautiful play from two extremely talented, extremely well coached teams.  The two teams combine for what could be up to eight first round picks, and the talent and passion on display on the floor of the Dean Dome was a treat for all to see.

Flying Solo: The Art of the Steven Glansberg

Steven Glansberg. What can you say? A hero to many, a loner to some, and both to nearly everyone else. Steven Glansberg certainly has given me the confidence to do activities on my own, and I hope I can carry on his message to you. I have had a lot of time to myself this semester at home, and I now will give you some activities to do on your own.

Why I hated Super Bowl XLVI

Courtesy of MPR News.

In general, I don't like the Super Bowl. As a guy who watches every televised game throughout the season, I see this last game as something much bigger than, but consequently less of, just a game. The Super Bowl has become a greater cultural and social event than a sporting one.

Confusion leads to blissful halftime performance

(Reuters)

As soon as I saw 300 men covered (barely) in armor, I was sold on Super Bowl XLVI’s halftime show.  Somehow things proceeded to get infinitely weirder from that point forward.  It was the strangest half-time show I’ve ever seen, dwarfing the infamous wardrobe malfunction, and I loved every second of it.  The only Madonna songs I know are Like a Prayer and Like a Virgin, but this small fact was simultaneously completely irrelevant and relevant.  It was irrelevant because despite not knowing any of her songs, I thoroughly enjoyed whatever the hell was going on.  However, it’s also totally relevant because I’m guessing most football fans (granted a lot of people watching the halftime show aren’t football fans) aren’t that into Madonna either.

Super Bowl Fun with #15

If you bet with me on the conference championship games you're doing pretty well, I went 3-1 overall and nailed both my game picks. But after losing 75,000 dollars on the Pro Bowl, it's time I got back to my winning ways. These picks are as good as gold.

Hoping for Greg Oden

Photo courtesy of Tom Lipman

            Although we have mentioned Greg Oden on numerous occasions here at Loveboatsports, today’s reference is that of a more somber one.  Earlier today, Greg Oden underwent surgery on his right knee.  To clarify, this is not the knee that was in question earlier in December.  The Trail Blazers were reporting that knee, the left one, might be operated on today.  Doctors are cleaning up debris in the right knee and hope that is the only problem.