A City Divided

Charlie Klein

Any of you who read this blog on a semi-regular basis or know me at all know that I have an undying passion for the Red Devils of Manchester United. The last week has been one hell of a roller coaster ride for anyone who supports the red and black (or green and gold) of Manchester.

Reports were flying in left, right, and center of United's desperate financial situation in what is perhaps been the most disconcerting time to support United in recent memory. A debt that is estimated to be in the region of 711 million sterling, largely generated by the Glazer family when they purchased United in May of 2005. Sky Sports estimates the club's debt to be 509 million pounds and the interest payments on the loans Malcom Glazer took out to finance his purchase to be in the neighbourhood of 202 million pounds.

The dark cloud of inescapable debt and the possibility of becoming the next Leeds United hung over Old Trafford like a cancerous tumor. Paranoid supporters even suggested that the Red Devils ought to ax manager Sir Alex Ferguson, believing him to be a co-conspirator in the team's financial fall from grace. Green and gold scarves were donned around Old Trafford in the buildup to the match last Wednesday. And even though the Glazers were able to raise the necessary 504 million pounds in bonds to stave off impending financial ruin, the return of the Glazers out chant reflects the supporters' frustration with foreign ownership.

With all of this drama hanging over Manchester United heading into one of the most important Manchester derbies in the past 30 years, many questions were asked of this current United squad. Could they without Cristiano Ronaldo rise from the deck and remind England which team was the class of the Northwest?

A glorious 3-1 win over Manchester City rang out as a resounding yes. United were clearly the better team throughout the 90 minutes and put upstart City back in their place. Rooney ran rampant once again in a City defense that had few answers to the United attack. Ryan Giggs had Micah Richards on a string once again, playing in elegant ball after elegant ball into City's 18 yard box. Luis Nani has shown form that many including yours truly thought had truly left him. He played an excellent game on the right, teaming up well with right back Rafael Da Silva and offering an outlet going up the pitch. What more can I say about the play of Darren Fletcher this season. He was literally everywhere at Old Trafford on Wednesday. His intensity pushed United on when it appeared as though they would have one of those nights following a scoreless first half. Paul Scholes showed once again that he still has one of the best right foots in England striking yet another perfect ball from 20 yards out that inspired United to victory.

For Manchester City this marked yet another disappointment in what has been an up and down campaign for the Citizens. Clearly Sheik Mansour's money will end up improving the side and can make them a perennial contender on all fronts. I have no idea what Manchester United ever did to Carlos Tevez, but now in him City have a player that clearly has the class to take them to heights previously unimagined. The Argentine is having a better season than he ever did at United and it is not even February yet. Craig Bellamy, while being a grade a scumbag, has morphed into a player who has the appearance anyway of having mastered his talents. His crossing during the semifinal was class and as he proved in the Manchester derby last September his shooting capability is one to be feared in every ground around England. I will reserve special praise for City keeper Shay Given, who has been a godsend since signing on with the Citizens last term from Newcastle United. This man has never encountered a save he could not make and has been on excellent form in all of the Manchester derbies this term.

Manchester United will return to the Emirates Stadium in North London for the first time since their 3-1 demolishing of Arsenal in last year's Champions League semifinal. The Gunners team they will face on Sunday has been riding consistently good form of late and look to be favoured in this fixture. It will be interesting to see how each team's back four handle the offensive threats posed by Cesc Fabregas and Wayne Rooney. Arsenal United matches are always a treat and this one figures to be no exception.

Manchester City welcome cellar dwellers Portsmouth to the City of Manchester Stadium as they try to bounce back from the hiding they took at Old Trafford at midweek. They ought to take the three points against a hapless and hopeless Portsmouth team who have failed to react well to the installation of Larry Grayson (aka Avram Grant).

At the end of Wednesday's match normal order was resumed. Manchester United remain, for now, the class of Manchester. But even as one of the more brash United supporters, I refuse to count City out as a force in the future. When that future becomes the present remains to be seen. For now City will have to continue to listen to chants like the one below and look at the banner that hangs on high at Old Trafford indicating how many years it has been since City won a trophy.

Kurt Warner Retires After 12 Seasons in the NFL

Charlie Klein

It was not too long ago that I would have arguments with my father about whether or not Kurt Warner deserved a spot in Canton, Ohio. This is perhaps more of a reflection upon the fact that Warner played for two rivals of my favourite NFL team (Seattle Seahawks) than anything that Kurt ever did on the playing field. By January 29, 2010 my opinion of Mr. Warner has done a complete 180.

Today Kurt Warner announced his retirement from the game of football. Honestly it is not that surprising considering the beating he took over the past season and he was, aside from Brett Favre, the oldest starting quaterback in the league in 2009.

Warner said today at his press conference that "I'm excited about what lies in front of me. I'm excited about spending more time with my family, and seeing what God's going to do next."

One of the classiest class acts in the NFL, Kurt Warner typified what it meant to be a professional. His story is an inspiration to anyone who has dreams of making something of their lives. Once a grocery store shelf stocker, Warner rose through the ranks in arena football and NFL Europe to make it with the St. Louis Rams as a back-up quarterback to then starter Trent Green. During the Rams first preseason game of 1999 Green tore his ACL. Enter Kurt Warner. In his first season he led one of the most prolific offensive teams in NFL history to the franchise's first Super Bowl win over the Tennessee Titans.

From then on Warner never looked back. He won the NFL MVP award in 1999 and in 2001 as the commander in chief of the greatest show on turf. In 2003 it appeared as though the fairytale of Warner's rise to prominence in the NFL was going to end in Shakespearean tragedy. Following an injury and inconsistent play he was released the next summer and signed with the Giants. Not every player is meant to shine in New York, and Warner was no exception to this rule. The Giants struggled out of the gate and Warner, while leading the G-Men to a 5-4 record, was replaced by highly touted rookie Eli Manning.

After a tumultuous two years for Warner, he found himself a home in Glendale, Arizona with the Cardinals in 2005. He, along with coach Ken Wisenhunt, helped change the culture of the Cardinals into one of winning. Warner led the Cardinals to their first division title and playoff berth two seasons ago and led the Cards to their first ever Super Bowl. He also owns the top three single game quarterback ratings in NFL postseason history.

Kurt Warner is a dead cert for a bust in Canton. As a fan of the NFL, I am sad to see him go. Even though he normally stuck it to my Seahawks, I will always respect the professional he was on and off the field. Thanks for proving dreams can come true Kurt. You are an inspiration to us all.

Championship Sunday

Charlie Klein

I cannot remember being more excited for championship Sunday in the NFL since my own Seattle Seahawks were involved in 2005. Both of the match-ups tomorrow both figure to be at the very least entertaining games. I have a 7-1 record at predicting the games this postseason, and without further ado, I give you more wisdom from Klein-strodamus.

New York Jets (9-7) @ Indianapolis Colts (14-2) 3:00 PM EST on CBS

I have been riding that Jets bandwagon each of the past two weeks and have been rewarded for it with two gutsy hard-nosed wins from Rex Ryan's boys. While I have grown extremely tired of hearing Rex go off on a daily basis about how great his team is, I still have to go with the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS this week. They demonstrated last week that their defense and run game were strong enough to beat the team everyone considered the class of the AFC. While the Colts defense is fast, it lacks the physicality necessary to stop the three man bulldozer of D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, and Nick Mangold.

My favourite quarterback to watch in the NFL, Peyton Manning, will be facing tougher opponents this week than team Donald Trump. While Manning likes to spread the ball around, let's not kid ourselves into thinking that the Colts would have been 14-2 in the regular season without Reggie Wayne. And yet that's the prospect Peyton will be facing tomorrow when Wayne will be defended by Darrelle Revis, who ought to have won NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Here's a bit of evidence to prove it:

I think Rex will be willing to take his chances with Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon. And Lito Sheppard is no slouch either. I could be way off here but I am going with the Jets. Welcome to Revis Island, Reggie Wayne.

Winner: New York Jets, 21-17

Minnesota Vikings (12-4) @ New Orleans Saints (13-3)

I made the mistake of picking against Drew Brees and the Saints last weekend and I will not make that same mistake again. Going into the playoffs I remained unconvinced by the way the Saints ended the season without any balance on offense and a swiss cheese defense. Drew Brees was able to prove me wrong last weekend leading the Saints to an emphatic 45-14 romp over the Cardinals. I was particularly impressed with Reggie Bush, who I called out before the season started giving him a 50/50 shot to prove he could be the guy in NOLA when it counted. Between his 46-yard touchdown run and 83-yard punt return for a touchdown, Reggie made me a believer.

Minnesota played a great game last weekend proving what I'd been saying for the past month; the Dallas Cowboys are not a great football team. Aside from that, I did not see that much that made me believe that they could topple the Saints in the Superdome. Percy Harvin is questionable with recurring migraine headaches. Harvin did make the trip to New Orleans but I personally do not expect him to play a major role in the game. Brett Favre, coming off of his career best in TDs to INTs (37:7) will still have Sidney Rice, with whom he combined for three touchdowns on the day. And then there's always Adrian Peterson. My ex-factor in this game is the Saints defense's ability to create turnovers. Favre, historically, has been one of the most interception prone quarterbacks in the NFL and Peterson has a well-documented difficulty with hanging onto the football. Look for Darren Sharper & Co. to capitalize on this and the unbelievable atmosphere inside the dome to tilt this game in their favor.

Winner: New Orleans Saints, 31-17.

Felix Hernandez Signs Extension With Seattle Mariners

Charlie Klein

The Seattle Mariners have resigned their 23 year-old pitching phenom to a five year, 78 million dollar extension last night according to team sources. The deal buys out Felix's two years of arbitration eligibility at about 18 million per year according to Dave Cameron of ussmariner.com.

One of the biggest questions going into the offseason for the much-improved Mariners was whether or not General Manager/Wizard Jack Zduriencik could do enough to prove to Felix Hernandez that the Mariners were committed to a winning future and get the King to sign an extension.

The convincing began last season, in which the Mariners won 85 games, their highest total since 2007 in which they won 88. The 2009 edition improved to the tune of 24 games better than 2008. The additions of Franklin Gutierrez, David Aardsma, Ken Griffey Jr. among others along with the progress of a young M's bullpen proved that winning baseball could find a home in the Pacific Northwest.

This offseason the Mariners have outdone themselves. It is the consensus around baseball that the M's have had the best offseason of any club in 2009-2010. It was so even before the re-signing of their ace Felix Hernandez. The signing Chone Figgins gives the Mariners incredible flexibility in the field and Figgins provides a great number two hitter that gets on base behind Ichiro. And then the Mariners did the unthinkable and managed to trade for Cliff Lee, a dominant number one starter (for one year, eight million) without trading their top three prospects.

The true progress of the Mariners can also be seen in Zduriencik's ability to trade toxic assets like Carlos Silva and Brandon Morrow for pieces that are much more valuable to the team. I could not believe what I saw when I woke up to the news that Carlos Silva had been miraculously traded to the Chicago Cubs for Milton Bradley. Silva was worth less than an order of garlic fries at Safeco on the 2010 Mariners, and to get a guy that could potentially be in the lineup everyday with a great OBP is just what the doctor ordered. Even though I thought Morrow could be an important piece of the 2010 club, I have come to acknowledge the fact that if the Mariners are going to win in 2010, Brandon League offers the team more than Morrow.

Following those two trades, the Mariners re-signed center fielder Franklin 'Death to Flying Things' Gutierrez to a four year, 20 million dollar deal. Gutierrez should have won a gold glove last season and his swing is a joy to behold. In 2009 Gutierrez hit 18 homeruns, drove in 70, stole 16 bases, and hit at a .283 clip. Guti is only 27 years-old and is entering the prime of his playing career. Having a guy with those defensive capabilities and a player who could hit 20 home runs a year for 5 million per? Any team would love to have that. The addition of Casey Kotchman at first base provides excellent defense and a solid contact hitter to a lineup that looks to be rooted in on-base-percentage and getting hits over just swinging for home runs.

The kicker of the whole offseason though has to be re-signing King Felix. The Mariners have been historically a team that is forced to trade all of its talent to bigger market clubs because they either did not have the cash to re-sign or the players just wanted to leave for more attention elsewhere. Going way back in Mariners history, examples of this include Mark Langston, Randy Johnson, Tino Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr, and Alex Rodriguez. On the evidence of the past two offseasons, under the new management this will not be the case.

The move proves to the Mariner fan base that the team is serious about contending in 2010 and beyond. It signals that the Mariners are a big club and that they are able to keep the players they want. Having Felix locked up for the next five years ought to bring in more free agents and more wins for the Mariners.

So Mariners fans, break out that bottle of champagne and celebrate like Kool & The Gang. "Celebrate good times, come on!"

Five For Fighting Debate: Top Three Lines in the NHL

Charlie Klein

1. Patrick Marleau (LW) Joe Thornton (C) Dany Heatley (RW).

This line is without question the best the NHL has on offer in the 2009-2010 season. Joe Thornton, who is one of the most natural passers the league has seen in the past two decades. anchors the line which produces more combined points than any other. Patrick Marleau leads the NHL in goals with 32 and Dany Heatley is sixth with 27 himself. Thornton is second in the points category with 63, four points behind Henrik Sedin of Vancouver. Their status as the class of the NHL is a dead cert, so there's not much to argue here. I cannot wait to see what kind of damage those three can do for Team Canada next month.

2. Alexandre Burrows (LW) Henrik Sedin (C) Daniel Sedin (RW).

Placing this line this high may surprise some, but Van-City's top line definitely deserves such considerations. The Sedins have been a force this season for the Canucks and their passing is impeccable and truly a joy to watch. As much as their critics like to comment that they are overpaid and overrated, their stats this season prove that the Canucks were right to lock them both up long term. Henrik has 67 points this season and Daniel has 37. The forgotten man on this line is Alexandre Burrows. The feisty left winger has always been known for his superb penalty killing and forechecking, and this year has stepped up his goal game to the tune of 21 goals. He is tied with Jarome Iginla, Mike Cammalleri and Rick Nash for 10th in the NHL. The combined chemistry and statistics this line has displayed and put up this season make them one of the best the NHL has on offer this year.

3. Alexander Ovechkin (LW) Niklas Backstrom (C) Alexander Semin (RW).

For me, this line is without question the class of the Eastern Conference. When two of the three players are in the top seven in points in the NHL, it has to be good. Alexander Ovechkin, the best all-around player in the NHL, makes everyone around him play better. When Bruce Boudreau named Ovechkin captain following the Capitals trading Chris Clark, the Great 8 stepped up his play. Friday night he put up his fourth career 5 point game, defying his critics by notching four assists versus the Maple Leafs. And Niklas Backstrom is probably one of the best kept secrets in the NHL. A terrific passer, Backstrom has set up Ovechkin and Semin very well for the past few years in Washington. And then there is Alexander Semin, who is the "other Russian" in DC. And yet Semin is one of the best Russian forwards in the NHL today. Semin's 19 goals are nothing to sneeze at either. Expect this line to lead the Capitals to glory in 2010.

Honourable Mention: Kane, Toews, Sharpe (CHI).

Daily Fail: Dick Vitale

Charlie Klein

Every time there is a football game on one of the major networks (i.e. CBS or FOX) I always like to flip to ESPN during commercials in order to see what sports America cares the least about. I was unsurprised in what I found. On ESPN was womens college basketball and on ESPN2 it was mens high school basketball. I was really hoping to stumble upon trick shot pool and bass fishing.

As if I needed more of an incentive to not watch womens basketball, which to me is very boring, Dick Vitale was doing colour commentary. I absolutely, without equivocation, despise Dick Vitale. One of the best parts of the NCAA tournament, aside from the obvious, is the fact that Mr. Diaper Dandy is not employed by CBS.

Whether it is his irritating DiGiorno Pizza commercials or his status as the only Rays fan in America, Dick Vitale manages to annoy the crap out of me everywhere he goes. And when ESPN pulls their commentary switch to put Dickie V on an NBA game, I will just mute it.

Have you ever sat and watched a game and wondered why the commentators start yelling when things get exciting? I call it "Dick Vitale Syndrome." Even at my relatively young age (20) I remember a time where I could watch a game and not get yelled at. Now it is everywhere. Tony Siragusa, yet another waste of life on the commentary circuit, is further proof of my theory. Last night he cut into Moose Johnson (it's not like Moose has much of anything interesting to say anyway) multiple times yelling pointless observations like "It's deafening down here!"

So I ask you, sports commentators and networks, please stop employing commentators like Dick Vitale. I'd like to be able to have my hearing when I turn 60.

Daily Fail: Liverpool Drop Out of the FA Cup

Charlie Klein

I guess falling out of trophy competitions have become a bit normal on Merseyside these days. After their embarrassing drop from the Champions League and falling into seventh place in the Premier League, those on the red side of Liverpool clung to the FA Cup like the last remaining light in an otherwise disappointing '09-10 campaign. That light, however, was doused last night at Anfield as Reading were the beneficiaries of a late penalty award in the 92nd minute of extra time and then scored the winner in the 100th minute to seal an improbable win for the fourth from bottom Coca Cola Championship side.

To top it all off both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres both had to exit the pitch due to injuries. I doubt the fat Spanish waiter can save his team now.

Here's the video evidence:

Divisional Playoff Breakdown

Charlie Klein

After going a perfect 4/4 on last weekend's games, I feel particularly emboldened to try my hand at prognostication again this week. Ah the NFL Playoffs, the league at its finest!

Arizona Cardinals (10-6) @ New Orleans Saints (13-3)

This will without doubt be the most offensive game of this edition of the playoffs. The Cardinals come into this game off the high of defeating the favoured Green Bay Packers in the highest scoring game in playoff history while the Saints backed their way into the playoffs, losing their final three games. This matchup is particularly difficult to call considering just how dependably great the Saints were over the first 13 games of the season. But I am going to go out on a limb and play the hot hand. The Arizona Cardinals will win this matchup. Kurt Warner's hall of fame worthy career has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is one of the most clutch players in NFL history. The Cardinals offense will be too much for the Saints, who I do expect to put up a fair amount of points themselves.

Winner: Arizona Cardinals, 45-38.

Baltimore Ravens (9-7) @ Indianapolis Colts (14-2)

While Coach Herm Edwards may disagree with Jim Caldwell's decision to rest his starters the last two games of the season (YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!), I doubt that the reprieve for Peyton Manning & Co. will have a negative affect on their ability to score points on Saturday. Even though I was impressed by Baltimore's beat-down of the once mighty New England Patriots, the team they will be facing this Saturday is a horse of a different colour. The Colts are still a team on the upswing and have a defense that is better equipped to handle the running game of Baltimore. Plus, Peyton Manning is a pretty good quarterback. I expect this game will be close, but the better team will prevail.

Winner: Indianapolis Colts, 24-13.

Dallas Cowboys (11-5) @ Minnesota Vikings (12-4)

This matchup is perhaps the pick of the lot. The Cowboys come into the Twin Cities bursting at the seams with confidence following their pasting of the Philadelphia Eagles last Saturday, while the Vikings recovered with a week off after they annihilated the hapless New York Giants in week 17. While my gut tells me that the Cowboys are going to win this game, I instead find my respect for the Vikings home record (8-0 this season) overriding such instincts. Moreover, the Vikings have the type of defense that can withstand the five battering rams known as the Cowboys offensive line. The 'Boys have become increasingly one-dimensional in their passing game. So long as the Vikes can hold down Miles Austin, I fully expect them to move on to the next round.

Winner: Minnesota Vikings, 21-17.

New York Jets (9-7) @ San Diego Chargers (13-3)

I am going to go extremely far out on a limb here and say that the Jets are going to win this game. The usual criticisms persist about Rex Ryan's boys, but they have made me a believer. While Mark Sanchez is not yet the 'Sanchise' he has proven down the stretch of the 2009 NFL Season that he has a real talent for handing the ball off to the best running backs (by total yards) in football. This talent is my justification for picking the Jets. A Pro Bowl left side of D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, and Nick Mangold are a running back's dream. And Thomas Jones and last week Shonn Greene have been just living the dream. San Diego are a great team to be sure, and it is difficult to argue with their 10-0 romp to the postseason. I am just not on the Charger bandwagon. J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS! I could be way off here but...

Winner: New York Jets 17-13.

Going Going, Back Back, To Cali Cali

Charlie Klein

Following the departure of Pete Carroll to the Seattle Seahawks, we in the sports media were just waiting for the other shoe to drop. However, this shoe did more than just drop, it exploded when the University of Southern California announced that Lane Kiffin would be their next head football coach.

The most shocking thing about this announcement is that this man has never really succeeded in any head coaching position he has ever held. He was a catastrophic failure during his time with the Oakland Raiders and during his one year in Tennessee managed to say almost any wrongheaded or controversial thing a man in that position could say to the press. Surely there are more qualified coaches out there than Lane Kiffin for one of the best jobs in college football.

This man must possess the secret to liquid luck. Or he has been able to convince everyone that he is secretly a genius, all rude statements aside. In what must be a crushing blow to the Tennessee football program, recruiting whiz Ed Orgeron will be joining Kiffin at USC.

Kiffin's departure comes one year after promising to make Tennessee the "USC of the east." His remarks to the press at Rocky Top were incredibly short. Kiffin stated that the USC job was the only for which he would have left the Volunteers.

On a personal level I understand Lane Kiffin's decision. What makes little sense to me is why USC wanted him above all others to succeed Pete Carroll. I understand the arguments for stability and continuity, but at the same time USC could have gone other directions and still possessed those same qualities. With Lane Kiffin back where he "belongs" it will be an exciting 2010 in Los Angeles.

Invictus

Charlie Klein

Clint Eastwood's newest joint Invictus paints a rainbow picture of South Africa circa 1995 in the direct political aftermath of the end of Apartheid. Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela, one of the most revolutionary political leaders of the 20th century. Matt Damon stars as Francois Pienaar, captain of the Springbok, the South African Rugby National Team.

At first when I saw the trailers for this movie, I was a little leery about seeing it. Granted, I love Morgan Freeman in every movie he has been in (with the exception of The Big Bounce) and Matt Damon has a decent track record of making good movies. That being said, sports movies have a tendency to reach for cliches instead of creating something new. Invictus is pretty far removed from your parent's sports movies.

Invictus resonates in your soul long after the final credits role. The story of the Springbok illustrates sport in its most influential state. An almost all-white rugby team brought a disparate nation together. It transcended cultural divisions and delivered a nation into an unimaginable cultural renaissance.

In almost every single journalism class I have ever taken, my peers usually take sports news to task as being unimportant compared to politics and the economy. They comment that sports is not serious and write it off as fluff. What they find themselves unable to understand is that many people care more about sports than they do about the new president of some country they've never seen. Examples like Invictus show that sports has the power to change the world.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.