Going to the Mat

Jobless rate tops 10 pct. for first time since '83

2009-11-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

This story will get buried behind the Ft. Hood massacre. While the Ft. Hood story is important, tragic and should get top coverage, I'm afraid that the Obama Administration is dodging a bullet with this bit of news.

The Most Transparent Government Ever

2009-11-06T15:54:00.000-05:00

Pelosi Breaks Pledge to Put Final Health Care Bill Online for 72 Hours Before Vote. Shocking, I know.

Sticking with Unnecessary Violence In Sports

2009-11-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

An amateur adult American football player is facing assault charges after brutally strking a referee with his helmet.

The local football referees' association is considering not officiating those games in the future and rightfully so.

As a soccer referee, mainly on the youth levels, I generally don't worry about players getting physical with me. At 6'4" tall and carrying about 225 in weight, being in decent shape and having some self-defense training, I don't worry about players getting up in my face in an aggressive manner. Parents on the other hand can sometimes get bent out of shape, but I have never had a physical confrontation and hopefully never will.

But my soccer referees association has made it clear to our client leagues that abuse of referees will not be tolerated. I don't think that any league has ever been denied our services for referee abuse, but we could do that. Leagues that don't harshly crack down on such behavior risk not only not have sanctioned referees at their matches, they run the risk of the league losing it sanction from the state of Maryland and the U.S.S.F.

So why do we worry about aggressive behavior and abuse of referees. One thing to keep in mind is that many of the games that I referee are for boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18. Many of them are competing not only for the current game, but for college scholarships and maybe even more. These players are coached by paid, professional coaches and for all intents and purposes, many of the leagues I officate are professional level leagues. No the players aren't paid, but the parents and clubs do spend a significant amount of money on the teams, coaches, players and so forth. So much that the referees have to treat the games as professional games, protecting the players and demanding a higher standard of care by the players, coaches, parents and fans.

Holy Catfight Batman

2009-11-06T11:09:00.002-05:00

I have referred boys games and girls game in my refereeing career. In general, boys tend to be immediate retaliators if they have been wronged. Girls, in general, tend be less of an immediate retaliators, but sometimes they can. The game is physical, there is always a little bit of pushing and shoving going on. I usually let a little pushing to go on without a whistle, same with jersey pulling unless is it just so blatant as to need a call just to remind the players that there are rules.

Having said that, the refereeing crew just completely dropped the ball on this game and they were lucky that no serious injuries took place. Check out this video of Brigham Young University and University of New Mexico. Check out the New Mexico number 15. When the NCAA sees this video, this girl has to absolutely be suspended for multiple matches if not longer. It is shocking how much this girl just abused the other team and got just a yellow card. I counted three fouls that deserved a straight red card, particularly the hair pull and the karate chop to the neck.

The refereeing crew really dropped the ball on this matter.

MLS Goal of the Year Nominees

2009-11-04T09:42:00.002-05:00

My top three

1. Donovan's Volley in week 21
2. Jacqua's volley in week 11
3. McBride's nifty control and finish in week 3.

Honorable Mentions

1. Quaranta's week 8 daisy cutter.
2. Montero's massive cross bar rattling long range blast in week 28.
3. Clint Mathis' big volley in week 6.

Great Goal Celebration

2009-11-04T09:36:00.002-05:00

Massive points for creativity here. However, does this get a yellow card?

Fulham Add to Rafa Benitz's, Liverpool's Woes

2009-10-31T13:20:00.002-04:00

Fulham hosted the Reds at Craven Cottage this afternoon and handed Liverpool a 3-1 loss as Liverpool were reduced to nine men. Liverpool lost two players in three minutes to sending off while Fulham led 2-1 at the time. In the 87th Minute, Clint Dempsey put the game out of reach.

Bobby Zamora and Erik Nevland netted the other two goals for the Whites.

The Constitutionality of the Pay Czar?

2009-10-30T23:58:00.004-04:00

Professor (and former judge) Michael McConnell makes the case that the Pay Czar Kenneth Feinberg is an unconstitutional officer because he hasn't been appointed by the Senate. Thus, Feinberg's actions to slash compensation and several very large financial services companies is likewise unconstitutional--and will probably be challenged.

Lost in the arguments over economics and political theory, however, is a more basic question: Was this action constitutional?

Mr. Feinberg's ukase is the most prominent example (and not just by the Obama administration) of the exercise of power by an individual unilaterally appointed by the executive branch without Senate confirmation—and thus outside the ordinary channels of Congressional oversight. Earlier this month, the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution conducted hearings into the constitutional basis for this practice, which many see as an end-run around checks and balances. The Obama administration declined Sen. Russ Feingold's (D., Wisc.) invitation to send a witness to the hearing to explain the constitutional basis for its various "czars."

So who is Kenneth Feinberg, and where did he get the power to set pay for executives at private firms?

And therein lies the question.

Look, I have no doubt that the President is within his rights to name as many advisors as the Congress will appropriate money for. But Now these czars are exercising significant powers with little or no oversight from Congress and on dubious legal and constitutional grounds. The Obama Administration is hardly the first to do this. But that is kind of like the argument you mother used to make: "If your friend Johnny jumped off a bridge would you follow him."

My fraternity has a saying, "Merely because a practice is prevalent may be the poorest reason for continuing it.." I think the end of the line for czars is coming--and soon.

Obama White House A Little Too Defensive?

2009-10-30T23:50:00.002-04:00

First it was the battle with Fox News, now with Edmunds.com? You may not recognize Edmunds unless you listen to a lot of car commercials or are a car junkie. But I think they are a pretty unbiased source of news about the automotive industry. Well the White House didn't like their analysis of the Cash for Clunkers program and called Edmunds out on the White House blog.

Methinks the skin at the White House is a tad too thin.

But there is a larger problem that should be obvious by now---if you disagree with the White House line, you are an enemy that must be destroyed. It would be far better to ignore this, but the White House seems to be picking all the wrong battles.

Stimulus Money Saving Jobs

2009-10-30T23:38:00.002-04:00

That may not need to be saved. The story in the New York Times is that the federal stimulus money has been saving teaching jobs.

The best symbol of the $787 billion federal stimulus program turns out not to be a construction worker in a hard hat, but rather a classroom teacher saved from a layoff.

On Friday, the Obama administration released the most detailed information yet on the jobs created by the stimulus. Of the 640,239 jobs recipients claimed to have created or saved so far, officials said, more than half — 325,000 — were in education. Most were teachers’ jobs that states said were saved when stimulus money averted a need for layoffs.

Although the stimulus was initially sold in large part as a public works program, only about 80,000 of the jobs that were claimed Friday were in construction.

Of course, counting jobs that were saved can be a squishier proposition than counting jobs that were created. Teachers have been laid off in some areas — and budget officials say that there would have been more layoffs without the stimulus money — but it is difficult to say with certainty how many teachers would have been laid off without that money.

I am all for saving teacher jobs, but the saving of teacher jobs is something of a spin job as well.

Here's the thing, a public teacher is a public employee, it is not a private sector job that creates wealth and drives the economy forward. Sure a teacher could be considered and economic multiplier, but they are long term multiplier, it can take years, decades even for their impact to be felt. But it is a feel good metric that applies in a politically popular area.

The fact remains, without the stimulus money continuing to flow, you cannot keep these teachers employed unless the economy recovers and generates tax revenue to keep these teachers employed. Perhaps the better economic recovery action would have been to allow those teachers to be laid off, looking for other work or acting as entrepreneurs themselves.

A Red Card Worthy Tackle

2009-10-30T16:25:00.003-04:00

I have been asked before what kind of things deserve a straight red card in soccer by new referees, by new fans and by soccer novices.

Well, some things are obvious--striking a player in the face outside the run of play. Striking the referee is a good way to end your day as well.

Oh, then there is this tackle:

I love this comment by the fellas at Dirty Tackle. The referee initially only showed McManus a yellow card, but then the assistant ref pulled him aside and side something to the effect of “Are you serious? That deserved, like, eight red cards.” And the mistake was then corrected.

Of course, the interesting thing about this play is that if McManus had been a little closer in his timing, i.e. not so blatantly late about it, it probably would have gotten just a yellow and that would be all.

So it is just a matter of degrees.

MLS Playoffs Start with a Winner of a Game

2009-10-30T10:59:00.002-04:00

Look, I know the score was 0-0, but it was a very, very entertaining nil-nil draw last night. The MLS Playoffs started with a bang as two teams, Seattle and Houston, the 3rd and 2nd seeds in the Western Conference respectively, faced off to open up the 2009 post season.

I know a lot of soccer purists, including me, don't really like the playoffs thinking it yet another unnecessary americanization of the game, but if all playoff games were like last nights, I could lend tepid support to the idea. The two teams, the expansion Sounders and the two time-MLS Cup winning Houston were a magnificent study in American soccer. Almost identical in every facet. Take a look:

The Coaches: Seattle's Sigi Schmid won the MLS Cup last year with Columbus and has another on his mantle with L.A. Houston's Dominic Kinnear has won the cup twice. These are two of the best coaches in the MLS (along with Bruce Arena and Steve Nichol). Tactically, these coaches know how to pick apart an opposition and that makes for a great coaches chess game.

The Team Personnel: Both teams boast a solid collection of veterans playing well mixed with brilliant youngsters and cemeted with quality journeymen. The teams are led by the old guys--the two oldest goal keepers in the league--Kasey Keller (39) and Pat Onstad (41), each of whom is a legitimate contender for goalkeeper of the year (I think Chivas USA's Zack Thorton will win it though). Each team boasts a legitimate Defender of the Year Contender (Seattles Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Houston's Geoff Cameron). Seattle boasts an outside contender for Rookie of the Year (Steve Zakuani) and Newcomer of the year (Freddy Montero). Houston's midfield is led by two U.S. National team regular selectees Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark. Seattle's midfield engine is Freddie Ljunberg, the designated player/underwear model, who has enjoyed a fantastic season after starting the year on the injured list, but Ljudberg fits in with the team, rather than standing too far above it. Plus there is a fair amount of crossover in these teams. Seattle defender Patrick Ianni wore the Dynamo orange as did midfielder/striker Nate Jacqua.

Finally, both teams, while they have had their injury problems, have enough depth and stylistic consistency that allows for bench players to step and fill in for injured players without disrupting the squad too much. Case in point, Patrick Ianni was a last minute replacement for Seattle's strong central defender Tyrone Marshall. Ianni is my vote for man of the match.

The Tactics: Both squads build from the back, with a solid back line in front of great keepers. The result is the two teams with the lowest goals against this year (29). A low scoring match-up seemed inevitable and was delivered. But both teams are solid counter-attacking teams, which gave great end to end action last night, with quick counters that lit up the field. Seattle has allowed just one set-piece goal this year and Houston not many more than that. Both teams boast quick strikers in Freddie Montero and Dominic Oduro. In addition to the great end to end action, the field was kept wide with lost of touchline to touchline movement. I think Houston was better off the ball in general, but Seattle showed great movement and vision as well.

The Chances: Patrick Ianni has to feel robbed. The last minute starter had to great headed chances off set pieces. The first, a back post header on a corner kick was quite literally cleared off the line by Houston's Brian Mullen after Ianni's strong header beat Onstad. A few minutes later, on a free kick from the left, Ljundberg found Ianni again, only to see Ianni's header find the crossbar. Playing against his former team, Ianni was literally inches away from being the hero of the Sounders fans and the goat of his former team. But Houston was not without its opportunities either, with Canadian international Andrew Hainnault just missing on a set peice header. Both Keller and Onstad had some quality saves to keep a clean sheet.

The Atmosphere. I have said it before and I will say it again. I have GOT TO GET to Seattle to see a match. Qwest Field was rocking with 36,000+ screaming, singing, chanting, energetic, emotional fans on a THRUSDAY. It was a sea of rave green and it was loud, it was kinetic and it was a crowd that enjoyed the game beyond belief. You could feel the atmosphere through the TV. It was so loud that you couldn't hear a whistle that called a Nate Jacqua goal back. You could barely hear the final whistle. The Seattle Sounders FC and their supporters are clearly one of the best stories of the year and it is great to see them in the post season.

The Next Game: The teams will travel to Houston to play in Robertson Stadium on a pitch marked with throwball lines. I hope Houston can pack their stadium with a sea of Orange. I hope Seattle travels with some fans. It will be a cagy affair and it looks like the team that makes the first mistake will lose. A single goal will likely decide this match-up. Seattle have proven that they can win on the road. Seattle went 5-5-5 on the road this year, but Houton are 8-1-6 at home. But Houston's weather advantage is blunted a bit since it is not July/August hot and humid in Texas right now.

The only thing that really sucks, the return leg will not be broadcast on ESPN, but on Telefutura.

Great game and a great 0-0 draw.

James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ - Trailer

2009-10-30T10:14:00.000-04:00

James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ Trailer. Although it will certainly be a little pendantic, it certainly looks cool.

English Parents Banned From Supervising Their Own Children in Playgrounds

2009-10-29T16:04:00.000-04:00

because they may be pedophiles. The London Mail Online has the story out of Watford:

Parents are being banned from playing with their children in council recreation areas because they have not been vetted by police.

Mothers and fathers are being forced to watch their children from outside perimeter fences because of fears they could be paedophiles.

Watford Council was branded a 'disgrace' yesterday after excluding parents from two fenced-off adventure playgrounds unless they first undergo criminal record checks.

Children as young as five will instead be supervised by council 'play rangers' who have been cleared by the Criminal Records Bureau.

Councillors insist they are merely following Government regulations and cannot allow adults to walk around playgrounds 'unchecked'.

But furious parents attacked the move and threatened to boycott the playgrounds.

Concerns were raised last night that other councils around the country are adopting similar policies amid confusion over Government rules and increasing hysteria over child protection.

It comes amid an escalating row over the Government's new anti-paedophile database, which will contain the names of more than 11million adults cleared to work with children and vulnerable adults.

Now before Americans run off thinking, oh that will never happen here, don't be so sure.

Remember we are on course for the Nanny State here in America. We already have sex offender registration databases and pretty silly rules when it comes to making sure kids are "safe" which is simply another way of the govnerment getting more involved in your life.

Price to PepsiCo for Not Being in Court: $1.26 Billion

2009-10-29T09:05:00.000-04:00

Soft drink giant Pepsi got slapped with a $1.26 Billion default judgment for failing to appear and answer a suit in a Wisconsin court. Shocking, but the excuse cited by Pepsi--a secretary didn't forward a letter properly.

I have been involved in similar case in recent months, where two junior level employees mismanaged a matter--not nearly on the scale we are talking about here, but the court had little sympathy for my explanation on behalf of my client, a fairly large company. Implicitly, the court was saying, you should have better procedures.

I don't think the default judgment is going to stand, generally courts are adverse to default judgments if there is a good reason. The question will be whether the court buys the excuse or not. It really is a toss up. In a corporation as big as Pepsi, they should have better procedures and better communications between their corporage agent in North Carolina and their legal department in New York (why the separation at all?).

Certainly Pepsi has a meritorious defense, i.e. a very lapsed statute of limitations. The Plaintiffs are going to have to prove that Pepsi stole the idea to bottle water from them and then prove that they had no idea that it was their idea that was stolen for 15 plus years. That is going to be a very hard burden to prove given that Aquafina has been on the shelves for over 15 years.

Still, here is the overall lesson for everyone. Clean your desk of all the paper on your desk every day. Had this secretary done this, she would have seen the letter the day she got it, or the next day at the latest. This would not have been a problem at all.

How's That Stimulus Working for Ya?

2009-10-21T15:14:00.001-04:00

Ooops, I'm sorry that should read "how's that stimulus NOT working for you. House Ways & Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) has issued a chart that shows the jobs President Obama's office projected would be created (or maybe created or saved) as a result of the stimulus bill we absolutely needed. Yeah--not a lot of job creation or even job savings.

Click to see larger image.

DC United Need Help to Advance in CONCACAF Champions League

2009-10-21T07:43:00.000-04:00

Toluca F.C. 1, D.C. United 1 - Video. the Black and Red get a point on the road in Mexico and have to wait to see what Marathon do tonight against Jabloteh. To a certain extent, DC have to feel done in, they clearly dominated large sections of this game and a dumb foul led to a penalty.

Check out the absolute brilliant goal by Chris Pontius in the sixth minute. A wonderful piece of control and an screaming shot from about 25-27 yards out. That has to be the goal of the year for DC United.

For DC United to advance, Marathon have to tie or lose to Jabloteh--a not very likely scenario as Jabloteh have failed to win any points in the group stage.

Could Crashing out of Champions League Be Good For Liverpool?

2009-10-20T09:48:00.000-04:00

Ian Wright makes the case, and I think he makes it well:

Liverpool's season could blow up right in front of their faces this week - and I am not referring to that blooming red beachball.

All jokes aside now. The loss at Sunderland, not helped by an inflatable, has left boss Rafa Benitez staring at a defining point in the season - and it's still only October.

It could all be over for them by next Sunday.

Liverpool are at home to champions Manchester United after facing Lyon in the Champions League this week, looking up from a worrying third place in their European group.

Losing to the French club will leave them floundering in Europe and facing an undignified and unexpected exit in the group stage.

It sounds shocking... but maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Ask Liverpool fans - and I have and I know quite a few - and they will tell you the Premier League is the trophy they want above all others.

After Sunday, the Reds have lost four games in the Premier League this season, that is one more than Liverpool lost all of last year, and we are only at gameweek 9. Liverpool have looked very shaky at the back, even leaving the red balloon incident aside. As Sunderland found this weekend, without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, there is little threat. Add to the missing is Dirk Kuyt, injured as well, and Liverpool have lost their three best goal scoring threats. As Liverpool's opponents have found (as well as the rest of the league) there is not a lot of depth on the Liverpool bench.

But Liverpool run a real risk right now of dropping out of the top half of the table. Liverpool sit 8th with 15 points. Liverpool could very lost to Manchester United on Sunday at Anfield, and wins by Stoke City(away to Tottenham this week) and Burnley (home to Wigan) could see Liverpool drop to 10th. (Note, Stoke may not win at Tottenham but Burnley has a 100% record at Turfmoor). Now I don't see Liverpool finishing in the bottom half of the table, but Liverpool, financially, have to make the Champions League next year. That is why crashing out of this year's Champions' League by the end of hte year will be helpful to Liverpool--their attention won't be divided and they can focus on finishing in the top 4. Without Champions' League money in the 2010-2011, Liverpool's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillette will be forced to sell-their debt load is simply too high.

Focusing on the League will benefit Liverpool. However, while crashing out of the Champion's league could mean Rafa Benitez cashing his last Liverpool paycheck.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2689805/It-could-be-over-by-Sunday-Rafa.html#ixzz0UU11JnLH

Law and Order Republicans Are Going to Have a Cow

2009-10-19T10:22:00.000-04:00

As the Obama Administration announces new rules regarding federal marijuana prosecutions, the reaction is bound to be over the top and utterly wrong by the Republicans.

Federal drug agents won't pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines to be issued Monday by the Obama administration.

Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law.

The guidelines to be issued by the department do, however, make it clear that agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes, the officials said.

The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes.

Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Now, I am not a big fan of medical marijuana use, in fact I oppose it. I oppose because I am sure that we can find a non-marijuana substitute among the plethora of medicines out there. Seriously, if we can have ten drugs on the market for erectile dysfunction, drugs for thin or weak eye-lashes, hair loss in general, and more serious problems like cervical cancer or asthma problems, then our drug companies must surely be able to mimic the relief given by medical marijuana.

I understand that the federal government has an interest in stopping interstate drug trafficking and that it is a legitimate concern. But I do think the federal government has gotten too involved and too overbearing in matters that quite frankly should be the law enforcement purview of the states. I think if a state wants to decriminalize marijuana, that should be permitted. I think the federal government could prosecute the person who transports drugs across state lines, but should not be invovled in state drug policy.

Oddly enough, I think that this move by the Obama Administration is one of the smartest it has made. It is in line with federal principles and states' rights. But to be fair, this is an odd policy area to suddenly come to grips with the 10th Amendment.

But Republicans are going to overreact. They are going to claim, wrongly, that Obama wants to legalize marijuana and I simply don't see that. I do see an acknowledgement that states have a legitimate policy interest and I think Republicans should take their battle to the states to prevent decriminalization or expansion of medical marijuana laws. But you can be sure that the GOP is going to react improperly on this matter.

Really? Moscow without Snow

2009-10-19T09:22:00.000-04:00

Moscow Mayor Promises a Winter Without Snow. I am not sure of the science behind that. But what about all those towns outside Moscow that will get all the dumped snow.

Major League Soccer Very Blown Call

2009-10-18T16:53:00.002-04:00

This blown call cost the Chicago Fire two points and a chance to secure the second Eastern Conference Playoff spot.

Reis took Rolfe down. It does not get to be more of a stone cold penalty than this one. Take a look at the second replay angle, you can see Reis make contact with Rolfe's right leg and bring him down.

Now it might be questionable as to whether Reis deserved to be sent off or just a yellow card, it is clear that Reis--not Rolfe deserved the card. IN my opinion, Reis should have been sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity.

Here is the capper, it is remotely possible that Chicago could miss the playoffs completely and it would come down to this play.

The Case Against Mexico

2009-10-18T09:44:00.002-04:00

After the final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, Mexico grabbed the number 2 spot after drawing with Trinidad & Tobago on the final match day.

However, Kartik Krishnaiyer makes the case that Mexico should not have qualified.

Mexico should have been eliminated in the semifinal round of qualifying. At Estadio Azteca in August 2008, against Honduras, CONCACAF’s best and brightest officials took a 1-0 Honduras lead and made it into a 2-1 Mexican victory based on two blatant dives and frivolous sending off for Honduras.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco, one of the least sporting players on the planet (and one that sadly plays on our own domestic league) appeared to have talked the officials into one of the calls after his team mate, Gio Dos Santos fell to the ground, and the other call was made, when Blanco himself hit the deck all too easily.

Mexico, later benefited from a clear dive by Andres Guardado versus Jamaica at home, and then survived to draw with Canada after two Canadian shots hit the post, and a clear Free kick shout for Paul Stalteri, was not given.

When it was all said and done, Mexico ended tied for second with Jamaica but won passage to the Hex on goal difference. CONCACAF can be questioned for this, because from an economic standpoint, Jack Warner and his allies probably preferred a Mexican team that is solid attendance draw in both qualifying and Gold Cup to a Jamaican side which represents a small, anglicized Caribbean Island. (Although it should be noted that Warner’s original election as head of CONCACAF was backed by Jamaica and not Mexico, but then again Sepp Blatter was originally backed as FIFA President by England.)

Mexico constantly getting calls was a combination of the cheating nature of Blanco and company, simple economic considerations, and the intimidation officials feel at Azteca. It also could have been due to the number of Latin officials that were assigned to Mexico’s games against non-Spanish speaking countries. CONCACAF without Mexico, is in terms of power like Oceania was before Australia left. The prospect of Mexico being eliminated at an early stage of qualifying must have shook Jack Warner tremendously.

I totally agree with Krishnaiyer on Blanco and Jack Warner. Blanco, for all his skill and excitement, is a cheat and has always been a cheat. He is an example of the worst of soccer, a man who refuses to beat people on skill and fees the need to cheat and bully and beg for indulgence from referees. There have been numerous MLS games where Blanco deserved not only a yellow card but two yellow cards for diving. That his coach Dennis Hamlett allows him to get away with it is likewise disturbing.

I heard on a podcast (I forget which one) Jack Warner described as the worst dictator who hasn't killed anyone. Warner is corrupt but no one has proved it. I despise Warner and all that he has done in CONCACAF. Football fans in the rest of the world consider CONCACAF a joke and Warner is a big part of that thinking.

Do I think economic considerations matter in football? Yes. Sepp Blatter and FIFA must have been sweating throught their Saville Row suits at the prospect that the two most exciting players on the planet might not make the World Cup as both Argentina (Leo Messi) and Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo) were on the verge of not making the World Cup (and Portugal still might not make it). But Warner knows that Mexico not making the hex is a big hit to the wallet of CONCACAF.

Yet despite this information, I don't think a fix was in from Warner's office. However, I do think that sometimes referees feel the heat in some of the worst football caldrons in the world like Azteca stadium.

I think that CONCACAF will be a far better confederation if Warner was gone and Mexico will be a much better footballing nation with Blanco not playing.

MLS Gets Exciting

2009-10-18T09:26:00.008-04:00

The penultimate weekend of the Major League Soccer regular season settled a couple of things and blew open a few others. Expansion franchise Seattle Sounders FC joined the list of teams that have clinched a playoff berth, continuing their almost Cinderella season. Already holding the U.S. Open Cup and a play in spot in next years CONCACAF Champions League, the Sounders win yesterday over Kansas City earned the Sounders a berth as the fourth Western Conference team to advance to the post-season.

The Playoff List
So far five teams have qualified

--Columbus (49 points--1 game remaining)
--Chivas USA (45 points--2 games remaining)
--L.A. Galaxy (45 points--1 game remaining)
--Houston (45 points--1 game remaining)
--Seattle (44 points--1 game remaining)
Yes, that is four teams from the western Conference and Colorado is knocking on the door and FC Dallas might make it as well if a few games next week break their way. That would be six teams from the West and just the top two from the East.

Here is the schedule for next week:

Chivas at Chicago (Thursday)
Toronto at New York (Saturday)
D.C. United at Kansas City (Saturday)
Colorado at Real Salt Lake (Saturday)
FC Dallas at Seattle (Saturday)
San Jose at L.A. Galaxy (Saturday)
Houston at Chivas (Sunday)
New England at Columbus (Sunday)

Race for Supporter's Shield.

If Chivas loses on Thursday to Chicago, Columbus will win the Supporter's Shield without another game. If Chivas wins on Thursday, the Supporter's Shield will be determined, as it should be, on the last day of the season. If Columbus wins on Sunday, they win the Supporter's Shield for the second year running. Chivas could win the Supporter's Shield if they win their final two matches and Columbus draws or loses to New England. L.A. and Houston are out of the Supporter's Shield race and no one else is close.

Still open is the second automatic qualifier spot for the Eastern Conference. Chicago had a chance to clinch the berth Saturday, but were robbed by a shockingly bad blown penalty call.

With three playoff spots open, there are no less than six teams who can clinch those three spots on the final weekend. Those teams are:

Chicago (42 points)
Colorado (40 points)
Toronto (39 points)
New England (39 points)
D.C. United (39 points)
FC Dallas (39 points)

Simply, Chicago can qualify with a win or draw against Chivas to secure a playoff birth and deny Chivas the Supporter's Shield. Now Chicago losing to Chivas is a real possibility. Chivas has been solid these past few weeks and Chicago looks to be in pretty bad form, particularly at home. Chicago has had poor form at Toyota Park, with a 4-4-6 record and a -2 goal difference. Of course, Chivas is likewise pretty poor on the road, going 4-7-3 with a -7 goal difference. Chivas has been pretty good on the road lately and overall in good form, with a draw in the Sounders cauldron and a big win over DC United. Chicago have looked shaky. I still think Chicago can pull at least a draw and clinch a berth in the playoffs on Thursday.

Colorado controls their own destiny. A win and they are in the playoffs on 43 points. A draw or a loss and they could be caught by any number of teams and be on the outside looking in. If Colorado win, there will be just two playoff spots left and five teams looking for a spot.

If Chicago loses to Chivas, then it is possible to end the weekend with five teams tied on 42 points. If Toronto, DC United, New England and FC Dallas win, and Chicago loses, those five teams would have 42 points each and you go to tie-breakers.

The first tie-breaker in MLS is head to head results against teams with the same number of points. It gets complicated because there are five teams. The permutations get crazy, but the only one that really matters is if Toronto, DC United, New England and FC Dallas win this weekend.

As noted above a Chicago draw puts them in the playoffs. A Colorado win puts them in the playoffs. That would leave just one playoff spot available for four teams now sitting at 39 points.

This weekend will be spectacular to watch.

American Football is Un-American

2009-10-18T00:07:00.002-04:00

Mike Flynn, writing at Big Government.com started talking about Rush Limbaugh's aborted attempt to become a part owner of the St. Louis Rams NFL team. I think Rush got railroaded by political correctness. While you may not like some of the things that Rush says, you cannot with a straight face claim he is not a savvy businessman. But I digress from my point.

Flynn actually pointed something out--American football is decidedly un-American in execution:

Rush took to the pages of the Wall Street Journal to address the mau-mauing that scuttled his NFL dreams. Personally, I’m a little mystified why Rush would want to own part of a football team. Oversized, preening and pampered athletes set in strictly defined roles and running elaborately orchestrated “plays” designed by a full bureaucracy of coaches seems, frankly, I dunno…unAmerican. Quite unlike the other football, where there are no plays, few coaches and wide latitude for individual initiative and improvisation. (How did we get stuck with the collectivist top-down heavy sport?) But, to each his own.(emphasis added)

I hadn't really thought of American football in quite that way. I had always decried its lack of fluidity and thinking. Only on a broken play do we see any hint of improvisation and usually it results in a loss or not much of a gain.

But American football is decidedly socialistic in its set up. The plays are controlled not by the players but by the centralized bureaucracy of a whole plethora of coaches. Now, American football teams have 19 coaches. A starting offense and starting defense in football consists of 22 players--not counting special teams, a punter and a place kicker.

By contrast, Manchester United, one of the biggest football (soccer) clubs in the world has 10 coaches and that includes their director of their youth academy and conditioning coaches.

But it is the rigidity of American football that is so Un-American. Everything is centrally planned. American football teams will often script as many as their first 20 or 30 or even more plays before the teams even take the field. The coaches make most of the decisions. In fact, while much is made of the role of the quarterback, how many quarterbacks have the knowledge, skill and freedom to call plays from the line of scrimmage and how many times a game is that freedom exercised.

Thus, despite chuckleheads like Jim Rome berating soccer as "Un-American" it may in fact be the most American sport around, one that cherishes individual effort in a team environment. Not that I will be able to convince people like Rome and the other sports punditry in this country of htis point of view, but there you go. Soccer is more American than American football.

Obama Goes on Offensive with Health Care Reform

2009-10-17T23:54:00.002-04:00

This past Monday the health insurance trade association, America's Health Insurance Plans, released a study which indicated that the current health care financing reform bills being floated about would cause insurance premiums to increase by 18 percent.

Today, in his weekly radio address, the President hit back. In his address the President said that he is considering a move to repeal the McCarran-Ferguson Act.

The president complained bitterly about the insurers’ attack on the legislation. “The insurance industry is rolling out the big guns and breaking open their massive war chest to marshal their forces for one last fight to save the status quo,” he said.

His signal of support for reviewing the industry’s antitrust exemption put him in league with Democratic leaders in Congress pushing for repeal or revision of the McCarran-Ferguson Act, which was passed in 1945 to keep regulation of insurers in the hands of the states. Although he did not explicitly endorse overturning it, a spokesman said it was the first time he had raised the matter publicly as president.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, testified at a Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday in favor of getting rid of the exemption. A day later, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House speaker, said, “There is tremendous interest in our caucus” in such a move.

Assistant Attorney General Christine A. Varney, the head of the antitrust division at the Justice Department, testified at the Senate hearing that repealing McCarran-Ferguson would create more competition, which could help reform industry practices.

I have to tell you that such a move should be not only considered but actually implemented.

Here is the scenario. Let's assume that you are an individual with their own business in say, Maryland. You have a say three employees. You want to do the right thing and provide health insurance for your employees. You begin to shop around and you find a great policy from an insurance carrier in Pennsylvania. The problem is that under the regime created by McCarran-Ferguson, you probably can't buy that policy because your business and your employees live in Maryland. Simply put, unless that insurance carrier is licensed in Maryland, you have zero hope of buying that plan. Even if the carrier is licensed in Maryland, there is no guarantee that they offer that plan in Maryland--where it must be said, the cost of health care is higher than central Pennsylvania.

See, the McCarran-Ferguson plan ensured that states would be able to regulate insurance companies, but it also stifled competition since most insurance carriers cannot offer coverage across state lines.

Taking our hypotethical, say our central Pennsylvania insurance carrier covered a fair number of people in central Pennsylvania, but was also willing to cover a few people in the more expensive state of Maryland. That PA insurance company could keep premiums low for the Marylanders because they covered more people in PA, thus the majority of the pool of insured were in a less expensive locality. By adding only a few people from Maryland, they can keep their rates premium rates lower.

So to a certain extent, while the President thinks the "anti-trust" exemption is a threat, it may actually be what a fair number of carriers want--that is, a way to expand their business by working across state lines.