Melrose Cup Coming To America?

Could the Melrose Cup arrive in the United States in 2013? Well there are two ways that could happen. 1) The USA Eagles shock the world and win the 2013 IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens or 2) The United States plays host to the 2013 RWC Sevens. Although we continue to improve, the first options seems like a bit of a stretch. However the second option may just happen.

Calm down, Cavs fans. It’s only two games.

Tonight’s loss to the Toronto Raptors already has fans in Cleveland and pundits on TV worried about the Cavaliers.  As Avery Johnson said on ESPN during halftime of the Nuggets/Jazz game, “It’s only two games.” There is absolutely nothing to worry about in Cleveland.  The Orlando Magic lost their first two games last season.  They ended up doing okay.

IRB Inducts Nine New Members Into The Hall of Fame

The International Rugby Board (IRB) have inducted nine new members into their Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at Rugby School in England. By the way, the sport of rugby owes it’s name to this very English boarding school.

USA Rugby: O’Sullivan Names Eagle Player Pool

United States Head Coach Eddie O’Sullivan has announced the pool of players eligible for selection when the Eagles take on Uruguay next month in a two match series to determine the “Americas 2″ qualifier for the 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup.

Appearing LIVE on All Things Footy today at 5 P.M. EST

This evening I’ll be appearing on All Things Footy, a live soccer podcast hosted by Kevin McCauley. We’ll be discussing various topics from the soccer world including MLS playoff pairings, this week’s Barclay’s Premier League action, and how the US Men’s National Team will replace Charlie Davies for the 2010 World Cup.

Listen in and share your comments at: http://bit.ly/30UfLr

Yankees beat Angels to set World Series

The Yankees are returning to the World Series after a 5-2 victory Sunday night in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.  The win gives the Yankees their 40th pennant.  Regardless of how you feel about the Yankees, you have to respect that.  I know of no team in the world (in any sport) that can match that kind of consistency in regards to winning titles.

MLS Cup playoffs set plus my predictions

The MLS season concluded today, so we now have playoff pairings.  As expected, the Western Conference took the majority of the wild card spots.  What was a surprise is who came out of the West.  Three of the four match-ups have history.  Some of that history is new (Houston v. Seattle), but some of it goes back a long way (Chicago v. New England).  Here are the rest of the pairings and my predictions.

Winter Springs defeats Lake Howell

Note: An shorted version without the commentary appeared in the October 24th, 2009 edition of the Orlando Sentinel.

October 23rd, 2009 – Winter Springs, FL

The inaugural Tuskawilla Tussle was a ground war that  favored host Winter Springs (3-5, 3-0 in 5A-3) as they defeated Lake Howell (2-5, 1-1 in 5A-3), 13-0. The Bears’ win virtually guarantees them a spot in the 5A playoffs.

Columbus wins MLS Supporters’ Shield, Chicago wins playoff spot

Chivas USA lost more than Thursday night’s game.  With their loss, they sealed the deal on Columbus’ second straight Supporters’ Shield, the MLS regular season trophy.  The Goats also lose out on the automatic berth in the CONCACAF Champions League.  They can still earn a spot by making the MLS Cup Final.

Chicago Fire look to lock up playoff spot tonight

Tonight marks the end of the regular season for the Chicago Fire.  Throughout the season, they have been one of the best teams in MLS. While the rest of the power clubs started locking in their playoff spots a few weeks ago, the Fire have struggled.  The Fire have not won since August, giving them just four points from their last six games.  Amazingly, they still sit in second place in MLS’ Eastern Conference and are in line for a playoff spot.