(Get) A Sporting Life

I just had a weird little few minutes. So, I'm watching the Ghana v. Uruguay match, and I'm generally rooting for Ghana. It was a nail biting match with Ghana taking the lead, Uruguay fighting back, and a see-saw battle taking up the rest of regulation and much of extra time. However, in the dying seconds of extra time a Ghanaian player took a dive. It was a terrible play. If they were allowed to give a straight red for a dive this would have merited it. It was dishonest, it was cynical, it was the very worst thing one can see in soccer, and (of course) the refs gave the foul against Uruguay. I went immediately from rooting for Ghana and wanting them to win, to hoping they didn't benefit from their bout of cheating. And, damn it all, they nearly did. A ball was sent in which took a couple of bounces, was cleared off the line once, and then was sent back on goal again only to be punched out by an Uruguayan not wearing a goalie shirt. Red card. Penalty kick. The red card and ...

Good news for a change : USA midfielder Clint Dempsey suffered "moderate damage" to a ligament in his right knee and will not require surgery, Fulham officials announced Tuesday evening. Dempsey, a key element in the American effort and Fulham's most impressive player this season, was hurt over the weekend, raising fears that he would miss the World Cup. However, in a release posted on its Web site, the club said that "early indications are positive in that no operation is required. At this stage, it is thought that the injury will not prevent him from featuring for Fulham, prior to the end of the season." Lyle Yorks, Dempsey's agent, told the Insider: "The results [of the scans] show that he will be back playing for Fulham this season ahead of the World Cup. The nature of the injury is not as serious as it was reported after the Blackburn game." Added USA Coach Bob Bradley: "We are confident that Clint will be ready to be an important part of...

Shit....not again: Dempsey Crisis Watch Dempsey had played very well in the first half of Sunday’s match against Blackburn and nearly gave the Cottagers a lead. But, in the 62nd minute, the Texas native limped off the pitch. Blackburn went on to defeat Fulham 2-0 but, more importantly, Dempsey could have a serious knee injury to contend with just five months before the World Cup. Fulham Manager Roy Hodgson said the injury did not look good, mentioning that the winger could have cruciate ligament damage in the knee. An injury to the knee ligaments could sideline Dempsey for months but there won’t be a definitive answer until Monday. USA fans have to be holding their breath for the next 24 hours because, judging by early reports, the prognosis does not look positive. What the hell did we do to be so snake bit? First Charlie Davies damn near dies, then Onyewu's knee gets shredded, and now Dempsy's knee explodes. The trouble with the US side is we have no depth to speak of at any p...

There really is no other word to assign to French striker Thierry Henry anymore. In a moment Henry destroyed a career's worth of goodwill bought in blood, sweat, tear and good humor, with a blatant hand ball. And it isn't just that the ball went off of his hand and resulted in a goal. Sometimes that happens with no intent being involved. No, this was a case of a deliberate batting a ball which was heading for a goal kick back into play. It was the sort of play that, had a defender done it, would have merited a straight red card. It was cynical, sad, and a mockery of the FIFA "Fair Play" signs displayed at every World Cup match these days. Here is how Lee Dixon sees things : I played with Thierry Henry for six years at Arsenal and I can assure you he was as honest as the day is long. But people will look at his handball in the build-up to France's extra-time equaliser, which sent them to South Africa with a 2-1 aggregate victory, and say he's cheated. That'...