The Two Headed Think Tank

Champions League/Chelsea/World Cup

2010-05-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

The blog is beginning to lack in consistency of posts, and for this we apologize. Because of this we have a lot to talk about, first up: Champions League. Now I wished the worst for Inter Milan, mostly because Jose turned his back on Chelsea. He is the master tactician though, I will give him credit for that. But what will he do to Real Madrid? I think he'll turn them into a style the Madrid fans won't like, predictable, tough to break down, and boring. I'm a Chelsea fan, I loved when they would win, and its hard to dislike a winner, but eventually, just as at Chelsea, the Owner/fans will want not just to win, but to win with style and class. Back to the Champs league, Jose did well to beat three sides that outplayed him, Chelsea, Barca, and Bayern in that order. I think Jose was talking with the Greece 2004 team, they're coming out with a new book titled "How to win competitions you have no business winning". It is due out next summer, should be pretty good a lot of stuff to help your team over achieve. But credit to Milito, I didn't rate him too much before this year, but he was absolute quality.

Second on the docket, Chelsea winning the double, its fantastic to be on top once again right where we belong. At one point in the season I saw united 2 points clear, Chelsea we're eliminated from the Champions league by some scrubs and I thought to myself, not again. But now we have 2 trophies, United have 0, well 1 if you count Carling and in my opinion Carling only counts if you win the other three..

Now world cup is coming quickly, as I type I am watching Donnovan pick apart Turkey. If I were English I'd want to double team him for sure. English would love to have a winger of his quality, but instead they take their best Center Mid and play him out wide, Steven Gerrard for those of you who didn't get that one. I'm just saying, USA have a good team this year and not to jinx it but England should make sure they secure that second spot in the group stage.

World Cup predictions soon to come.

Matt

Barca v Inter Response

2010-05-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

You know I watched this game hoping Barcelona would win, after Mourinho left Chelsea I decided I would hope the worst for him. But The fact of the matter is, he is a great manager, he did what he did to Chelsea in the round of 16 to Barcalona in the Semi-finals. These two things are no small feat, especially when you have a crap squad, compared to Chelsea and Barcalona of course. Inter has some players I admire, par example, Cambiasso, Sneijder, and the Brazilian who has been brilliant this year Lucio. I know I hated on him against Chelsea for diving, but the jobs he did shutting down Drogba and Ibrahimovic are admirable because that is not easy.

At times in this game you could see Inter going with the hardly used 7-2 formation. With a man down to Barcalona you would expect them to park the bus though. I was glad to see Barca score because that last 10 minutes was the only bit worth watching, unless you like watching Inter's ability to shift and close down in the danger areas. I wish the goal would've come about 20 minutes earlier, that would've been a real test of strength for the Italians. As a midfielder myself, as soon as I go down a man against Barcalona I would think, here goes the longest 60 minutes of my life. Credit to Inter, they pulled it off and I would bet they will take the final as well. Robben might have a thing or two to say, but away goals don't count in the final so they might be in for it.

Matt

Barca vs Inter Milan

2010-04-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

If you were a fan of soccer you had to be tuned into the Barcelona vs Inter Milan game today. I feel the need to talk about it since it was quite an interesting game.

Obviously, I figured Inter would come in and park the bus a little which they did very well. There is nothing wrong with that because it is part of soccer and it takes great players and great tactics to pull it off.

Things got more difficult for Inter when Motta got the red which in my opinion wasn't deserved, but Inter weathered the storm and went through.

This is my dilemna though. I am a huge fan of Mourinho, and I think he will be one of the all time greats, but I believe the media gives him a little too much credit. Mourinho put his team in a position to win but he did not win the match for them. When you play a man down it is the players on the field that win the match, with their hard work and focus.

The media has spun it that Mourinho won the match when I believe he was only a part of it.

He is a charismatic fellow so it is easy to put all the credit and the blame on him, but I call it the ''Alex Ferguson factor.'' Where the manager gets too much credit for what the team did for him.

Congrats to Inter Milan though. They have given dignity to my beloved Serie A. Finally the soccer world is back to where its supposed to be.

On a side note, I absolutely loved the fact that Barcelona turned on the sprinklers while Inter was celebrating on the field. Can't you tell Barcelona doesnt lose much?

NIKO

Matt Friesen: Free Kick

2010-04-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

I like Niko, good little highlight vid, I loved the celebration at royal liege! Totally worth the yellow card.

I thought I'd put up my free kick video from last year against the Timbers:

You also get to see a first class interview with yours truly.

I recently did another interview with the Seattle Examiner, I thought I'd link that as well if you guys want to check it out:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-413-Seattle-Soccer-Examiner~y2010m4d27-Matt-Friesen-returns-as-Kitsap-Pumas-free-kick-artist

My freekick is on there to along with another goal I scored, check it out!

Matt

Niko Gkionis Showreel

2010-04-27T02:59:00.001-07:00

Hello friends,

I wanted to share with you a little highlight tape a friend of mine put together of me. I am not a fancy player so you will not see many Messi-esque type stuff but it should still be entertaining. Check it out and tell me what you think.

NIKO

Champions League Round-up

2010-04-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

I will be the first to admit that I was suprised by the result of the Inter vs Barcelona game. I do not know if I underestimated my favorite coah Mourinho or I underestimated the strength of Inter, but the result shocked me. I will chalk it up to the fact that Barcelona had to take an 11 hour bus to Milan instead of flying. (Lyon, Liverpool, and Fulham all couldn't fly as well and I think the only result that is positive is Fulham who drew away to Hamburg.)

Inter just played a very good tactical game and that should be expected from the Italian teams. Barcelona could hold possession but it was difficult to break down Inter. It reminded me of last years semifinals where Barcelona had a hard time breaking down Chelsea. I am sure Mourinho studied that match and obviously he came up with the right tactic.

The return leg will be a different story, but Inter are very tough defensively. Barcelona did beat them 2-0 at home in the group stage so that same result will put them through this time around. We will see.

Correction on Matt's post- Messi did not actually get the assist it was Maxwell.

Now speaking about the other match. What is with the French players making bone head mistakes in big games? FIrst it is Zidane with the headbutt and now its Ribery with that nonsense. You could see he was losing his head and he thought he could get away with that tackle. Credit to the ref, because a lot of refs would have been to scared to give a red there.

The ref on Toulalan was a little harsh but I could see why it was given. It changed the game a little bit and obviously Robben took care of business once again. The guy is on fire at the moment.

I think Bayern draws at Lyon and goes through to the final. After watching the first match I think they are strong enough to do it. They will definitely get an away goal I feel.

I find it comical that two players that Real Madrid did not want are dominating the Champions League this year. Wesley Sneijder for Inter and Arjen Robben for Bayern. Both are a huge reason why their respective teams are far in the Champs League. Meanwhile, Real Madrid are struggling a little bit. It is weird how soccer works isn't it?

NIKO

1000th's visit

2010-04-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Like to take a quick second to say thanks for everyone who reads the blog, the 1000 visit mark has been reached, hopefully it will continue to grow.

But anyway lets talk Champions League, two very exciting matches just went down.. First up Barca V. Inter, classic Inter performance. Lock down and counter attack, granted they play a LITTLE bit, just a little; Milito was offsides about 15x, but credit to him he was effective. Barca got caught very very high in possession multiple times, and I talked with Mourinho and that was the game plan. They shut down Messi, granted he got the assist but he was quiet for being Lionel. Now This sets up to be a fantastic return match and the camp nou, I'll tell you I'm rooting for Barca in this one only because Chelsea lost to Inter and I hate them in general. So my prediction is 3-0 Barca, they'll pull it out.

Now on to the second Semi, Bayern and Lyon. 2 red cards distributed equally in this match. The Ribery red, although didn't seem malicious, was a bad challenge the way he stomped down. Now the second red was disgraceful, Toulalone got all ball while taking the ball, never has ever been a red card (well second yellow); it wasn't even a foul. But you know these things happen, and Bayern's savior this year, Robben, who I'm not sure why Chelsea got rid of, saved them again from nearly the same location as against United. If they win the UCL he will be a huge part of it. Bayern would be my favorites to win it, but I think in reality the other semi final is really the final. This is reality.

Niko what was your take? Get at me
Matt

Chelsea Response

2010-04-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

Yes I want to apologize as well for the hiatus but my season over here is getting a little hectic too. I hope the readers accept our olive branch of peace.

It is funny because I did not even realize that Chelsea is set to win the double in England until I read your post. I just never put it together, but I guess it will turn out to be a good season if they do. I would be very careful with Portsmouth because even if they are bottom of the Premier League, they have the ''backs against the wall'' mentality and as we all know that is dangerous. Just ask all the Euro 2004 teams that played Greece.

You are right that if Chelsea pull off the double, there is no doubt they would prove to be one of the best teams in Europe but that is not Chelsea's ambition. I think Chelsea's ambition is to be the best in the world which they have the squad to be, but it cannot be this season because they lost early in the Champs League. I also feel Roman Abramovich's goal is to win the Champions League since he has done everything else.

As for the PFA player of the year stuff, your right. It has to go to Rooney. However, world players of the year is yet to be decided and I think it is a cake walk for the baby blockbuster Lionel Messi. It is a shame because Rooney has had a great season but Messi has been simply better. Rooney could be soccer's version of Andy Roddick. Never getting the credit he deserves because he played in an era of greats. We will see.

NIKO

PFA and Chelsea

2010-04-15T11:17:00.001-07:00

Sorry guys, forgive me for my absence I have been real busy with pre-season for the Pumas. I didn't even watch more than 2 minutes of live March madness, so obviously didn't really have time to blog either. I left Niko all alone for a time and for this I hope he can forgive me.

Anyways, lets talk Chelsea.. broke my heart in Champs league again and to Jose Mourinho's Inter, nothing worse. Just after this I was thinking, when will Chelsea have a good season again and win some important trophies. Then in the following couple weeks, we beat Man U, Arsenal lose yesterday; I looked at the table and with 4 games to go we are 4 and 6 pts clear of the nearest teams, not to mention we have relegation bound Portsmouth in the FA cup final! So after feeling negative about this season it looks very very probable that we will get the Premier League and the FA cup, both are english competitions, but we all know the strength of the English league; all english semi's in the champions league the last two previous years. Niko may disagree, but its the truth and despite not being in the champs league, winning the prem makes you one of the best teams in Europe, and I'm glad to see United ain't winning much this year.

Now on to the PFA player of the year, it is between Rooney, Drogba, Fabragas, and Tevez in order. Rooney will win it, he is the ONLY reason Man U competed for anything this year. Drogba was very very good this year as well, huge impact, tons of goals, but he also has players like Lampard dumping in 20 goals behind him which will give Rooney the edge in the importance in his team. Fabragas and Tevez both had decent seasons but you have to be competing for trophies to win awards, everyone likes a winner, sorry boys, your out. I dislike Rooney but he was great this year, congrats on that.

Side note: I was thinking if I was Rooney I would probably sit out the rest of the year and rest for the World Cup, its really what should be most important at this point. He's been semi injured for months, I wouldn't be surprised if he rests up for the WC now. Thoughts on that?

Matt

The Dance

2010-03-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

March Madness is upon us ladies and gentlemen. Although I am more of an NBA guy, I do love the NCAA tournament and I will be filling out multiple brackets. One thing working against me is the fact that I have not watched one college basketball game this year but I have read up on the teams a bunch. Hopefully my picks are better than my Champions League predictions, but we will see.

Oh just to clear things up I am talking about mens college basketball not womens. Womens basketball is probably lovely but I would eat a bucket of nails with a side order of thumbtacks then watch womens bball.

Obviously, I will not give all my picks on here but I will drop some knowledge on what I am thinking.

Biggest Sleeper- I would look out for #12 UTEP who have a monster on their team named Derrick Caracter. He is a guy from NJ who went to high school with some of my friends and I hear he is an absolute beast. He was a straight to the NBA prospect but has fallen short on expectations due to character issues. Look out for UTEP though.

Also look out for Siena who are the #13 seed. They usually win a game or two in the dance and so I see them upsetting Purdue in the first round.

Most Overrated- Kentucky is overrated I think because I think it is very difficult to be young and go far in the NCAA tournament. When your young sometimes its easier to play in the regular season and tank in the NCAA's when the pressure is on.

Team I Have a Feeling Will Lose but I am Scared to say it- Kansas. They are everyones favorite and I have them winning it all on paper, but they are in the toughest section and they have a very tough road. I can see them losing to Georgetown or Ohio State but I do not have the balls to write it down.

Most Underrated- West Virginia. Its hard to be underrated as a #2 seed but I think they are even better than people think. They should have been a one seed but had to settle for the 2 seed. They will suprise people and end up in the national title game.

My Final Four- Kansas, Syracuse, Duke, and West Virginia

I have Kansas over West Virginia in the final.

Let me know what you think as well.

NIKO

Reply Sampras/Agassi

2010-03-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here waiting for Inter v Chelsea to come on, I was so anxious I woke up before 9 with nothing to do. So I cleaned the kitchen meaning now my house cleaner will probably show up when there is nothing to do, typical. Anyways I hope you all watched that video Niko posted about this subject. Pitiful really what Agassi has done, Sampras making a playful jokes to entertain the crowds and Agassi pulling at his personal strings in response, classless if you ask me.

I'm a big Sampras fan, Roger too or 'The Fed Show' if you will, but you think it was coincidence they were on the same side? No, two great rivalries - two champions v two wanna-be champions. Although Nadal is a humble champion (when he wins) and a good professional but he's still not on the level of 'the fed show'. Anyway guess who wins? Yep, the champs.

I just finished reading Sampras' biography and for all the credit he gave to Agassi and their fierce rivalry I can't believe there would be any bad blood. As an athlete I would think to know that I have my opponent's respect within the game would be enough and all things that happen on the court stay on the court, but I think this bad blood transcends the game. You would expect Agassi to do this though looking back at his roller coaster of a career, but considering his recent behavior this uncharacteristic.

Sampras with a touch of class in the interview afterwards said you know I've only got love for you to Agassi, to no response. Agassi lost a lot of respect as a person and a professional, he did well to change his persona during his career, but just because you lost that garbage hair doesn't mean you lost your other garbage.

If your reading follow the blog and comment, give us that feedback and we'll get back at ya.

Matt

Sampras vs Agassi

2010-03-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Did anyone see what happened between the two of them this weekend? I will link the video but they were playing an exhibition match against each other as a fundraiser for the Haiti earthquake and things got heated when they went a little too far in joking around with each other. Here check it out first. Its calm at first but it gets heated.

It is well documented that Sampras and Agassi are not the best of friends since Agassi made fun of Sampras in his book that Sampras doesn't tip well. I do not know how Sampras didn't respond back since there is so much dirt on Agassi. Plus Sampras won 6 more Grand Slams than Agassi. They call it a rivalry but Sampras has won most of the times they played. I do not know why Sampras did not hit him with that.

It goes to show you how classy Sampras is because he made a harmless joke and Agassi got personal. Agassi is a druggie who underachieved his whole career and Sampras is a legend who goes down as one of the greats ever.

Good job Agassi, you just made yourself look like even more of a douche.

NIKO

Sir Alex Response

2010-03-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

Excuse me guys, I've been out the office for a bit, thanks for being patient I now have some some time to blog. Anyways I was just wondering, if a friend is severely hurt by something in the past do you keep bringing it up to them? Would you, say post a video of it on a blog on more than one occasion? Well thats what Niko has done to me, please stop putting that JT penalty miss on the blog, this blog is about respect, honesty, truth, compassion, emotion, bravery, courage, and everything banterful; please respect that.

First of all, I HATE Manchester United, hate. I love it when they are eliminated from competitions, lose, and draw. I'll show you my favorite goal of the year happened when united lost to Burnley, one happy day in my year:

http://www.sportsviews.com/video/3101/Burnley_Vs_Manchester_United_1-0_Goal_By_Robbie_Blake_WHAT_A_GREAT_GOAL_190809

I found it in the easiest language to understand, your welcome. But that goal gives me chills every time, I just imagine myself sinking united on opening day, those are the situations you dream of.

That being said, its hard for me to give Sir Alex props, but I feel I probably will have to. Every year they have their struggles, just like any other team. But I feel like Alex, I'll call him Alex since we're pretty much friends, handles all of them in stride. He makes the right adjustments and the right comments in the media. He stirs up controversy in the media ahead of big games to take some of the focus away from players. Mourinho did the same thing, and a lot of mangers don't have that knack, but it is an important piece to managing.

The greatest ability he has is to judge a players career, when to let great stars go and how to replace them when they leave. When Christano Ronaldo left, obviously he's still a great player but he replaced them with Valencia (pace) and Michael Owen (goals) two things that Ronaldo possessed; not to mention Valencia has added some goals this year. But he weighed the money Ronaldo attracted and how it would effect the team and look they are still good. Already won the League Cup, they are in the FA cup, currently 5-2 up on aggregate in Champs league, and first with a game at hand on my Blues in the Premier League. Wouldn't expect that after letting your best player go. Same thing with Ruud Van Nistelrooy, even though he is still potent in front of goal, injuries are more consistent then goals.

I don't think Alex is overrated because yeah, he's had some luck in the UCL, but he's prepared his team and gotten them to those positions where luck can play it's part. A coach of mine always said "you make your own luck" and I think Alex has a huge role in the success of his team and will definitely be one of the greatest managers ever. Last good thing I'll say about anything United on this blog, except for maybe Wayne Rooney's current form.

Matt

Sir Alex Ferguson = A bit Overrated

2010-03-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

When Mr Ferguson retired he should give a big thank you to lady luck because this is a Sir Alex has been vaulted from a good coach to one of the greatest coaches simply by a couple strokes of luck. I do not want to go over all his domestic records because he has many and it is a credit to him that he has been around so long and has won many domestic titles. My quarrel is with his Champions League resume and the fact that he has won two Champions League trophies by sheer luck.

Lets rewind back to May 26, 1999 for his first Champions League final. Bayern Munich is up 1-0 on Manchester United in the 90th minute. We all know what happens next. Manchester United scores 2 and wins the game. They win the Champions League and finish the season with the famous treble. 1999 goes down as one of the greatest season for Manchester United and all because they got a little bit lucky to score two in the 90th minute. Lets say Bayern Munich holds on for 30 seconds and wins that title. Manchester United finish with a decent season and no Champs League title. Check out the video.

Fast forward to 2008, when Chelsea plays Manchester United in the Champions League final and John Terry slips and misses his potentially match winning penalty kick. If that isn't lady luck I do not know what is. Sir Alex Ferguson did not orchestrate the win, nor did he have any hand in it. It was simply John Terry choking to lose the title. Manchester United wins the title and has their second Champions League trophy. All praise to Sir Alex for being a great manager!

As you can see those two titles are fairly questionable. Manchester United have not won an outright title in the Champions League but were gifted two titles. That has transformed Sir Alex into the greatest manager ever when it is simply not the case. Take away those two Champions League triumphs and he has a good domestic record but average European one. He is a great manager but nothing different to someone like Carlos Ancelotti. I would even put Jose Mourinho up there already as well.

So everyone should stop jumping on the Sir Alex bandwagon. He is a very good coach but he has one thing on his side.

Lady Luck.

NIKO

Reply: Ice Hockey

2010-03-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

I watched a bit of the Gold metal match as well, I thought we, the USA, were done for until 20 seconds before the USA did something that made me jump out of my seat. At this moment I was thinking, first of all America, F*** Yeah, second is Canada good at anything? Kinda harsh, but this is just my random thoughts I'm sure there is a Canadian who is good at something, I mean besides Celine Dion of course. Sid the kid did his best impression of Casper for most of the game, but just when you least expect there he was to score the game winner, how ever soft the goal might of been, credit to him and Canada.

I don't have much more to say about that game, or the games. America wins most medals, no surprise there. Can't wait for the summer Olympics when you get to see some good events.

Matt

Olympic Hockey

2010-03-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

Now if you read the blog, you know I have made fun of hockey in the past. I actually don't have anything against hockey I just didn't know it still existed because when I was a kid the NHL was on TV all the time and now you see more ''Jersey Shore'' re-runs on, than anything pertaining to hockey. However, yesterday I was engulfed by the Olympic spirit and I decided that I would tune into the USA vs Canada gold medal match and watch the full thing.

While watching you can't help but notice that hockey is a very fast paced sport. I would label it ''controlled chaos'' since it is back and forth and people flying everywhere. Since it is so helter skelter it also has an inherit ''uglyness'' about it. There is nothing pretty about hockey, not even the goals. You just watch the madness and then a goal goes in, which you don't realize until the horn goes off. I was wondering if the players didn't celebrate and the horn didn't go off would anyone in the stands or at home know its a goal?

I have heard the name Sidney Crosby many times and I have come to realize he is the face of hockey these days. I was curious to see him in action and see this superstar work. I knew he was on Canada, but he didn't do anything worth noting all game until he missed a breakaway in the 3rd period and then scored the game winner. The game winner really messed up my blog topic because I was going to write it on the fact that he is the hockey equivalent of Lebron James and I did not know he was even on the ice half the time. Credit to Sid the Kid for silencing me.

In Canada, hockey is the national sport so I think I would have felt bad if the USA beat Canada in their own sport. The USA were close and extended the match to sudden death overtime but then were defeated. One day, the USA will dominate hockey though, it is just inevitable. For now, we can only give credit where credit is due, and that is to Canada.

In the end, the game was enjoyable. There was action and a lot of entertaining stuff going on. Am I going to tune into hockey again anytime soon? Probably not, I will leave that to the Canadians.

NIKO

Inter vs. Chelsea Reply

2010-02-25T02:54:00.000-08:00

I must admit I am a fan of good tactical soccer, and that is the best way to summarize last nights match. For the novice soccer fan, Inter's style might have looked a little boring but, believe me people, there is a method to the madness.

In order to appreciate Inter you must appreciate the finer things in soccer. Things like defenders not just clearing the ball up the field when they win the ball off attackers. I noticed the Inter defenders had the confidence to work it out of the back which is a hard thing to do, but is valuable for keeping possession. In the Arsenal match last week, Sol Campbell would have all the time in the world after winning the ball but he just cleared it up the field. It makes a difference, a difference that is not easily noticed.

Anyway, speaking about this particular match it was incredible that the referee missed that penalty call. It was pretty obvious, but we must also remember, that refereeing for all games has never been worse. This years Champions League has been tainted with bad calls and this was probably just karma working for the Italian clubs since Fiorentina got robbed last week in there match against Bayern Munich. Check out how far Bayern Munich were offsides for the game-winning goal.

About the divers... I do not think they were dives, but I do think they exaggerated the fouls a little especially Balotelli. Balotelli went down very easy but Lucio was very smart when he earned fouls. They were soft fouls on Lucio but he went down at the right time and those are called 99 percent of the time. Every free kick also wastes a lot of time, so in the end this all comes back to tactical football and knowing how to manage a game. Credit to Lucio though, he had the handcuffs on Drogba all night. He took Drogba hostage for 90 minutes, and in some places that is criminal. All joking aside, it was nice to watch Lucio and Walter Samuel play because they are physically inferior to the Chelsea forwards, but they defended very smart.

I have to give a shout-out to Diego Milito because I think he is extremely underrated in the world of soccer. The guy has a pretty good track record of scoring and he absolutely torched Terry for that one. Glad to see he is putting his name on the map. I think Chelsea's goal could have been saved but in the end I think Chelsea deserved a goal anyway.

In the end, Johann Cruyff, who is one of the best players to ever live, summed it up nicely when he said ''Italians can't win the game against you, but you can lose the game against the Italians.'' Truer words have never been spoken. Chelsea had the better of play, more chances, and the overall better game, but in the end they lost. Can they turn it around in the 2nd leg? Absolutely.

But do not underestimate tactical football.

NIKO

Chelsea V Inter Leg 1

2010-02-24T16:32:00.000-08:00

Alright you guys get the pleasure of hearing me rant, ya your welcome. Ok so Chelsea, if you watched the game, dominated every facet of the game except goals, well and dives. We've evidently got three of the biggest diver's ever on the field at once: Lucio, Balotelli, and Drogba. I put up with Drogba's because he is an absolute monster and lethal in front of goal, and because I'm a Chelsea fan. But Balotelli getting breathed on and he's down, every time, no exceptions is a disgrace and he should be booked. Lucio, diving multiple times going towards his own touchline, granted they give defenders the benefit in this case; but Lucio annoyed me today. Credit to him, he played an alright game other than that.

Ok, so the first goal: John Terry, have you really put your personal issues behind you? I watch you multiple times track forwards, well beyond the defensive line. When a forward runs with his back to you, just STEP HIM OFFSIDES. The first goal is no different, you 8 feet deeper than any other defender and in your own box to make it worse. This would've saved you the embarrassment of getting diced. 2 mistakes in a row, stabs in then takes the long way back to the player (spins), rather than shuffles and a great finish, goal. This is piss poor defending, horrible.

The Kalou no call penalty, this is unreal to me. Listen up ref if you can't keep up with play, go ref Sunday league, not champions league. Love to hear you explanation why your 30 yards from the spot of the foul. From where you were you couldn't even see what happened, but what happened was a STONE COLD PENALTY, they do not get easy to call then that.

Finally Chelsea did get an equalizer which they deserved, but then Cambiasso with an impossible to defend ping-pong like goal; Great finish. No complaints that 2 of Inter's 4 shots at the point have gone in, that's football. Chelsea just weren't creative enough to open up the Mourinho defense that he is famous for. But Chelsea, quick note: that is what the width is for. I still have Chelsea taking this in the second leg one or two to zero.

Get at me kid, I'm sure you have some argument as you somehow like Italian football.

Matt

Reply: Winter Olympics

2010-02-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

Good post kid, I was actually just watching Curling yesterday. I was sitting there like "what a bunch of crap", first of all it was women's and second of all the only action is these girls yelling at a rock. But then I fell asleep for like an hour and a half and realized Curling is good for something; same with NFL and MLB, great for napping. I can imagine that girls might actually be better than men at Curling though, its basically like cleaning (all the sweeping), which girls are obviously better at.

But Ice Hockey, now that is a sport I can watch. The combination of footwork, physicality, speed of play, as well as hand-eye coordination for me, makes it entertaining, as well as a very skillful sport. I used to play roller hockey when I was younger, so I know I got the stuff to make in the NHL, my life has just taken a different path. But seriously, those guys on the ice make it look pretty easy, but let me tell you its not, just ask this dude:

Ha, note to self: when Figure Skating, Guy pick up girl. Oh and by the way, Canada losing in their national sport (Hockey) to the US. They just wrote another chapter in the book on how to not be taken seriously as a real country. Shout out to Adam Zymirski, who wrote a chapter too.

Last night I caught some of the Men's Arial's, now that's entertaining. The only thing that sport lacks is creative names, like in snowboarding for example a Chicken Salad Air, Michalchuk, or Rodeo Flip; it gives the sport some character. These guys were doing tricks like full-double full-full. Why don't we call that a quad back-flip or 'the McQuad' or I don't know anything else. Still its unbelievable this guys are going like 30-40 ft straight in the air and flipping and spinning and somehow find their way onto their feet, simply amazing to me, how do you even learn that. Some great athletes out there for sure, just none of them in Curling.

Matt

Winter Olympics

2010-02-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Once in a while, as I am flipping through the channels over here in Belgium on my 14 inch TV I stumble upon the Winter Olympics. I really had no idea they were in full swing, but then again I never really watched the Winter Olympics, I was more of a Summer Olympics guy.

It is nice to see the different sports even though some of them are quite bizarre. I would put curling in the bizarre category but I have a lot of respect for all the Olympic curlers. They are training for years, night and day in a sport that no one really has interest in. Show me a curling fan and I will cure him. I bet there is a lot of strategy and expertise in curling, but then again there is a lot of strategy in baseball too, and we all know baseball is a terrible excuse for a sport.

Here are David Lettermans Top 10 on curling. Check it out.

I guess hockey is one of the biggest draws for the Winter Olympics, which I wasn't aware of since I thought hockey had folded as a sport. Back in the day, you could see a live hockey game on TV all the time but it seems like it fell off the map lately. To be honest, I didn't even know the NHL still existed. However, I was glad to see the Americans beat the Canadians in there own sport. Thats like seeing the USA national soccer team beat the Spanish national soccer team... oh wait.. that happened too.

At the end of the day, as much as its fun to knock the silly Olympic sports, everyone should respect the tradition of the Olympic games. As a Greek, my ancestors developed the original Olympics so to make fun of the Olympics is to make fun of myself.

Then again I am not sure the ancient Greeks were doing any snowboarding.

NIKO

Tiger Woods Apology?

2010-02-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

You know I did not expect much from the Tiger Woods speech today. I thought he would just ball his eyes out (easy since he looks like he is going to cry anytime he talks) and deliver a sincere apology where at the end of it I would think ''Dang, I actually feel really bad for this billionaire.''

But we didn't get that my friends. We got a speech that came off as genuine as the Gucci bag I picked up in China-town and gave my Mom for Christmas. This guy is probably a clever guy, but he was speaking like his audience was a group of foreign exchange students from Taiwan who knew little English. Tiger...we....understand...English...

One thing I did not understand was when he had to clarify that he did not get beat up by his wife. Hey Tiger, I know you got an ego but its not the time to make sure the world knows you didn't get your ass beat by your wife with a golf club. Not sure if thats a rumor even worth clearing up considering you got a million other worse rumors floating around.

The guy got it all wrong. All he needed to do was get up there without the scripted speech and speak from the heart about how he was truly sorry because I bet deep down he is. He should have invited all the media to the event instead of a hand selected few and taken a couple questions after. Answering ''no comment'' to some questions is better than coming off like a douche by not taking questions. I guess all the money in the world can't buy you a good PR advisor.

As much as I dislike Kobe Bryant, Tiger should have watched Kobe's press conference when he was charged with sexual assault. Kobe got up there, gave some sincere facial expressions while crying and said he was sorry for his infidelity but at the same time innocent of rape. Check it out...

In the end, everyone will move on and Tiger will get back to golf. He was on track to be one of the most loved sportsmen ever, but he has a little dent in his image now. Sports figures should only be role models to a point. We need to remember that all the greats are humans and screw up too. Asking Tiger about his sex problem is like asking Michael Jordan about his gambling problem. Everyone has problems, but Tiger just handled the whole situation the wrong way.

NIKO

Tiger Woods Press Conference

2010-02-19T14:03:00.000-08:00

So i'm sure if you have ESPN you've seen them cut up and analyze Tiger's press conference today. Well here the only analysis that matters: There are a few things you can take from this, the first public appearance for Tiger. First of all to seem more sincere, you must and I mean MUST, speak as slowly as possible and enunciate; Tiger does this to a T, making him seem almost robotic. Maybe a good feature on the golf course, but not so much in area of emotions. Second thing is Tiger's wife must've had surgery recently, because there is absolutely no remanence of a spine. I don't know about you guys, but one affair and they're done. I can't even keep track of Tiger's "transgressions" and these women were strippers, porn stars, waitresses, and bar tenders, not Jennifer Aniston or Megan Fox. No offense if that is your occupation, everyone has their place in the world, but these type of "transgression" are just asking for trouble. At least they didn't accuse Tiger of rape, cough, Kobe Bryant.

In what other relationship does this happen? He's got loads of money, first athlete to break a bill, but surely his wife, Elin Woods, isn't just gonna take him back; how embarrassing for her. She could easily get someone else to take care of her and the kids, its not like she's shaved her head yet, Brittney.

Anyways I guess that is for them to work out, for some reason I don't think I get a say in it. I just hope this doesn't hurt Tiger's memory in the future. He is one of the greatest golfers ever with out a doubt. He should be mentioned in the same breath as all the greats and I just want to see him back on the course, being robotic, where robotic counts.

Matt

Tiger Woods

2010-02-18T14:47:00.001-08:00

So Tiger has called his first press conference tomorrow, we're all excited to hear what he says. Hopefully he doesn't pull an MJ, and I mean both MJ's. (for those of you who don't get my reference, Michael Jordan retired twice and came back, and Magic Johnson contracted the HIV) Lets hope he's returning to action soon, the PGA sucks with out some Tiger. He's always been one of my favorite athletes, and everyone makes multiple mistakes and sometimes for long periods of time; just look at Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, Bobby and Whitney, or Tiger and his Wife. But anyways we'll talk tomorrow, so stay tuned I'm sure I'll have something really important to talk about.

Matt

My Champs League Predictions

2010-02-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

One of the best time of the year guys, knockout stage of the Champions League. This is when you really need to buckle up, as I well know this competition can break your heart. Chelsea, my BOYS, two years in a row, so so close. First JT slips on the game winning penalty in the final (thanks Niko or putting that on our blog) and last year Barcelona scores a last minute goal at Stamford Bridge and gets through to the final on away goals rule. I'm not sure which hurt worse.. but just know that the blue boys are hungry and I have them penciled in for the final. But here my predictions for this year's round of 16:

Chelsea vs Inter Milan - Jose, your not that great. My boys will be too strong for your this year. Ancelotti is running a tight ship and although a little bit of a dip in form for Chelsea as of late, Chelsea will step it up as they all are desperate for a champs league trophy

CSKA Moscow vs Sevilla - I have Sevilla in this one, I think they are very dangerous side including Luis Fabiano who is the highest assist getter in the UCL. I could see CSKA sneak this one if they can hold Sevilla scoreless at home in the first leg, they'll need a goal difference to sneak this one and an away goal for Sevilla could be a death sentence.

AC Milan vs Manchester United - Although I am rooting against United, they have a distinct edge and a tradition of winning. Even without Vidic, and youthful Beckham set to start for AC Milan, I think United just have too many weapons i.e. Wayne Rooney who is in unbelievable form at the moment.

Olympiakos vs Bordeaux - I got Bordeaux in this one. Gourcuff running riot in the middle, will be too much for a defensive Olympiakos who will try to counter out of the back all day.

Stuttgart vs Barcelona - I don't even have to put this one really, its a given.

Bayern Munich vs Fiorentina - Gonna have to go with the German powerhouse. Currently in first in the Bundesliga (well level on pts with an extra game) they will have too much power and I can guarantee set piece goals will be crucial in this one.

Porto vs Arsenal - Arsenal are a quality side that lack a bit of consistency, but Porto will have no answer for Arshavin and the fantastic Fabregas. Porto will probably earn a nil-nil draw at home then get rinsed 2-0 at the Emirates.

Lyon vs Real Madrid - Top goal scorer in the competition Christiano Ronaldo should have a few things to say about this tie; meaning a couple of goals for you less capable minds out there. Real have all the fire power, but can they get it firing at the same time? That would be a scary thing, sorry but Lyon don't have a chance.

Well there they are, you guys can go place your parlay bets.. I'll take 10%, but seriously, these are a lock. Let me know if you disagree and we can discuss how your wrong.

Matt

Champions League

2010-02-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Champions League resumes on Tuesday so I think it is about that time for me to talk a little bit about what I think about this years competition and about the competition in general. There is no time for jokes or banter or anything, if your a soccer fan its time to get serious. Like most of you should already know, we are in the knockout stage of the competition where there are only 16 teams left. This competition has had a little bit of a break for two months and it is set to begin again this week. I like the way the Champions League is set up because it spreads out throughout the entire year. As we all know teams have ups and downs throughout a full season, therefore this competition correctly gauges which teams are overall the best for that season. Liverpool and Juventus are probably the only two recognizable teams who did not qualify for the round of 16 due to bad form in the group stage.

I am not the biggest fan of making predictions since this competition is very unpredictable. We saw last year in the semifinals, (not to rub it in to Matt), that Chelsea were looking all set to be in the final but with 15 seconds to go Barcelona scored an unlikely goal to knock Chelsea out who looked like the best team in the competition. Barcelona, who were considered the underdogs in the final, then went on to barbeque Manchester United.

With that being said here are my predictions for who advances out of the round of 16. Remember the knockout stage consists of two matches. Each team plays one match at home. The team in bold is who I think advances.

Chelsea vs. Inter Milan - This is a classic fight of Goliath vs. Goliath. No David's in this one. Both teams are very strong but Chelsea's version of Goliath is jacked up on some horse steroids. They are simply too strong my friends.

CSKA Moscow vs. Sevilla- Classically underrated CSKA Moscow will give Sevilla a bit of a scare but in the end Sevilla have enough firepower in Freddy Kanoute and Luis Fabiano to put them through. Look out for CSKA's Milan Krasnic, this competition has been his coming out party.

AC Milan vs. Manchester United- Rule #1 in the Niko Football Handbook is ''Always root against Manchester United.'' I am just hoping Ronaldinho shows up to the match sober, and not on the tail end of a 48 hour partying binge.

Olympiakos vs. Bordeaux- Olympiakos is one of the teams I root for since I am Greek, but do not tune into this one unless you like tactical football. This one will be low scoring and defensive. Olympiakos stun the French champions.

Stuttgart vs Barcelona- Best team in the world versus a team who are mid-table in the German Bundesliga. Hmm...

Bayern Munich vs. Fiorentina- Hard to bet against the Germans. Fiorentina are strong but will be missing there best player Adrian Mutu due to him loving the nose candy more than Lindsey Lohan.

Porto vs. Arsenal- Cesc Fabregas aka. the Baby Blockbuster puts Arsenal through but look out for a player named ''Hulk'' on Porto. The guy is a beast and is there a better name in sports?

Lyon vs. Real Madrid- The Champs League final will be played at Real Madrid's stadium this year. That is motivation alone to get there. Also, if your team has Cristiano Ronaldo on it, you got a shot at winning it all.

Let me know what you guys think.

NIKO

Reply: Dogs?

2010-02-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

First of all, I totally agree with you I'm not a huge superbowl/NFL fan either, but it has become sort of a tradition. I watched it with a few people I've never met before mixed in with some great friends, but a couple times I heard a "Good job guys!", from one of these guy's girlfriends. Did they even know which team was which, the team names, or even the rules of football? They could've been cheering for a good holding call, good job guys! Just sayin, because they sat there and watched the whole thing, probably only game they watched all year.

Now Niko, dogs... yeah I feel ya dogg. My neighbors have three little mutts, one of the ugliest poodles I've ever seen, one of those dogs that looks like a wolf, and an absolutely ugly dog that is of unclassified species. But they constantly wake me up at 5:30 as they put their dogs outside for the day as they leave for work. I mean how much do they care for these dogs, its the middle of winter and they are outside ALL day. Just leave us with these annoying dogs for the entire day, its fine.

I saw a pretty invention though, dog fanny pack. I'm not sure if its the girl who sells it because she is lovely, but a great photo either way. God forbid that dogs walks or gets excercise:

In response, I feel the same Michael Vick shouldn't have gone to prison for so long. Don't get me wrong I love dogs, but people fight in cages too. I see both sides, but why not do something different than prison, is he really that dangerous? I'm sure he learned his lesson, but there are probably some rapists, drug dealers, etc that I'd much rather see behind those bars.

Weird thing is Niko, we probably ate dog last year at RRFCM.. We had all sorts last year, horse, iguana, couple others, so wouldn't be surprised. Shout out to 'the code' as well, i know he's reading now, thanks for the props on the blog, and you know what I'm talking about..

Matt

Dog Rant

2010-02-11T04:17:00.001-08:00

This post might seem off topic but I have been inspired to write something about man's best friend... the dog. For the past week I have been woken up early in the morning because the dog next door was in a continuous state of barking. As I lay awake today, contemplating Michael Vick-esque things to do to the dog I couldn't help but wonder how we have gotten to this point where dogs hold almost as many rights as humans.

I will admit, I am not much of a dog lover and to me the idea of a dog as man's best friend is ridiculous. I will admit that I have never had a dog in my life so I have no emotional attachment to them since we only had a fish named Oscar when I was a kid. It was pretty simple with Oscar, if he died we would just flush him, then buy the same type of fish and call him Oscar. He was a never-ending friend with no worries or hassles, he was a part of the family and we didn't have to pick up his doodoo.

In this day and age, people have to cater to every need of the dog. Its quite humorous because sometimes peoples lives revolve around an animal, like not going on vacation because they can't leave the dog alone. Lets get one thing straight, I think what Michael Vick did was very wrong but why does he get more time in prison then someone who was drinking and driving and killed a human being. Its outrageous to me, society needs to put it in perspective that they are animals and although they should not be treated cruelly, they should not have nearly the same rights as humans. Dogs do serve an important purpose in this world like for dog sleds and stuff like that.

Hey, you never know, maybe the sweet and sour chicken you just ordered from the place down the street is really Sweet and Sour Lassie. That is a little freaky but why is that the case? It is because society has brainwashed us into thinking certain animals are human-like and forbidden from being eaten. In some area's in the world they have been eating dog meat since 500 BC and so how are we going to claim that that is inhumane? They been doing it since before any animal rights organizations were created.

Doesn't look too bad does it?

I think society just needs to calm down with the whole dog thing and realize they are an animal just like the main ingredient in the chicken sandwich I have in front of me. So the next time I am sitting down eating some sort of mystery meat in a sketchy place and pondering where it came from, I will only say one thing.

Pass the salt.

NIKO

Super Bowl: Reply

2010-02-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

I have to admit since coming to Europe 3 years ago I have not watched the Super Bowl. I am a fan of football and have followed the sport for many years when I was younger, however, I just do not feel the Super Bowl is a must-see game to me anymore. If I had to choose one team to support I would pick the NY Giants since they are the local team, but I didn't even watch it when they won the Super Bowl 2 years ago, and that game had to go down as one of the best Super Bowls ever.

Its obvious, the Super Bowl is not really about enjoying football as it is an American tradition to get together with family or friends and enjoy good food. The Super Bowl is a somewhat like a holiday in the same mould as St. Patricks Day. You get together with people for no apparent reason and just because its the traditional thing to do. I mean does anyone truly sit around the TV for the whole game and watch? Sitting through a whole American football game is like watching The Real World DC. The idea of it is entertaining, but in reality its pretty boring.

However, I must congratulate the Saints on the win because I was pulling for them even though all the ''experts'' said they have no chance. I read a little bit about the Super Bowl and all I heard was how good Peyton Manning and the Colts were and all this jazz, but in the end what happened? The Colts got smoked and Peyton Manning choked on the final drive. The outcome was against all the predictions everyone made and it just goes to show you how viewpoints and reality are sometimes very different.

In the end, getting together for the Super Bowl is a tradition and something I will watch in the future because its just part of being American. Will I be glued to my seat? Probably not.

NIKO

Super Bowl

2010-02-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

So i'm guessing everyone heard that the superbowl was on Sunday, so I figured I would talk about it a little bit. First of all, some funny commercials... Here is my favorite:

Bud Light: Bringin the T-Pain 2010 Super Bowl Commercial

2010 Super Bowl Commercials | MySpace Video

Pass that guacamole.... Yeah very clever commercial. There were some other very funny ones.. hit me up with your favorite.

Also as far as the game goes, when Colts went up 10-0 I thought they was no way back for the Saints. But credit the saints, they kept the ball out Peyton's hand, and that onside kick to start the second half, very gutsy, but paid off with a huge momentum change. I usually don't like football games, but I was entertained by this one. Despite hating on some line men being over weight I saw some decent athletes out there yesterday. Congrats to the Saints and New Orleans, Marty Gras Stats a week early this year.

If you all saw Bourbon Street after the game, then you know that is where I belong. Get me out there...

Matt

Real World Gone Wrong

2010-02-07T04:18:00.000-08:00

Obviously, MTV struck gold with the show Jersey Shore, but then it followed it up with a big stinker that is the Real World DC. Could they have assembled a more awful group of people? Listen, I am no casting director but if I was, this is how I would select the people for the show.

1.) Look for anger issues because that is entertaining especially someone who is rather tall and muscular, preferably a male.

2.) Hot Chick who is willing to get down. This is important because this will bring viewership to the show. Could be down-to-earth during the day, but when the party starts, she likes to get nasty.

3.) Hot chick who knows she is very hot. This person will always start drama because she is so full of herself. Its a crucial castmate because she can fight with everyone.

4.) Funny guy. This is important because the audience needs to laugh at the expense of the castmates so I would find someone who is good at messing around with the castmates, but also gets along with everyone for the most part. Awkward funny is not funny so stay away from that.

5.) I would call this one the curveball castmate. This is where you just throw a curveball and cast a gay guy, lesbian, she-male, chick who secretly is a dude, dude who is secretly a chick, or an albino with trust issues. This is a must, just because it is entertaining to watch how awkward all the conversations are. This person usually gives the classic BS line ''This experience will help me find myself and grow as a person.''

6.) A guy or girl who is fully against any of the curveball options I just mentioned. This could be a guy or girl who holds strong that all that stuff that the curveball castmate does, isn't morally right and will start serious drama with the curveball castmate. This will in essence lead to more fights, yelling, and overall entertainment.

7.) A very ghetto, straight outta Compton type person. Someone in the mold of Ghostface Killah or somebody of that type. This is crucial because I do not think we have seen this on any of the shows yet.

You round out the group with an all-American kind of guy who everybody loves and thats it. MTV made a crucial error in casting and so they need to follow my rules so it does not happen again. MTV, I expect better, you are better than this. I will applaud one good thing about the season. Glad to see ''The artist formerly known as Prince'' get casted this season as a guy named Josh from Philly. Check out the pic.

NIKO

MTV Real World... zzzzz

2010-02-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

I would just like to point out that I was correct in saying JT would not be captain for 2010 world cup. ESPN soccernet says Capello stripped him of it to save him from media pressure. Wait, who said that? Oh thats right, I said that. Only thing is JT didn't step down, being the dick that he is. (Full story here: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/737297/ce/uk/?cc=5901&ver=us)

Continuing on, who watches the Real World? I've been a huge fan for years, RW Las Vegas was to reality television then, like The Jersey Shore is now. But I would just like to take a second and ask what they are doing to what was once such a great show. Its Saturday and I haven't even watched this week's, and i'm not dying to either. Last week's big drama, blondie struggles with weight issues.. zzZzzzzzzZZZZ. Is it really that hard to find interesting people to put in a house? I don't think this is a had premise for a show, but somehow they've messed it up for two straight seasons. Last season, in Cancun was only good because of the location, and the best character was sent home for not going to work. The classic mix isn't working (couple hotties, possible lessie, a troubled black guy, a gay guy, and your classic american guy), maybe switch it up?

I'm just saying get me in there, I can guarantee a couple things: First off american will fall in love with my charisma and charm, secondly I will drink often and do some things that I hope my family isn't watching for. I mean thats what you want to see right? People at their worst, making poor decisions, something I am susceptible to. I can tell you one thing, I'm not gonna sit there crying about my weight or talking about my singing career (Especially for someone who can't sing), that stuff is boring. You know why Jersey Shore was good? Because they have personalities. They topic of dinner conversation isn't if God exists, if your conservative or not politically, or gay rights. How that stuff doesn't get cut out, I don't know; just shows you how boring they are. If I wanted to watch political debates I would probably watch CNN, not music television. Just saying MTV, step up your game cuz your about to lose a loyal fan.

Matt

Reply: Jersey Shore Season 2

2010-02-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

Thank you for talking about Jersey Shore, I feel like I have so much to say. First of all this show wouldn't have been HALF as good with out the one and only Sitch, The Situation to you guys. This guy is unbelievable, he is 28 years old and actually acts like this. He is pure entertainment, these are rules to live by: shave last minute, hair cut the day of, maybe some tanning and the gym. Check out this vid of some classic moments from The Sitch:

I hope you all enjoy him as much as I do, but I can't even believe that that is actually the way he acts, but I love it. I need a good nick name like this, if anyone can get at me with a good nickname we'll figure something out to do for you.

As far as the rest of the cast goes... expendable. They don't need a Jersey Shore second season, they need a Mike the Sitch goes to Paris or Sitch down under. Give him free reign to do whatever he wants, boom success. Maybe bring Pauly D with him and one new comer just to spice up the mix.

The problem with doing a second season with the same characters as Niko mentioned, it would take away the point. Everybody knows who these people are and it'll take away the best portion of the show. Everyone will get with them just to be on TV making it too predictable.

What really eats away at me is the fact that these guys are on tour on every talk show possible then going out and making appearances at night clubs, and I don't get to see any of it. I mean not that I care what Snooki, Ronnie, Vinny, Sammi, and Jwow are doing... Just show me the situation in an atmosphere where all the girls are trying to get with him, entertainment. His ego must've increased ten fold by now, which is why we need to see the sitch again next year, and to the rest of the crew trying to hang on to his coat tails, its about time for you to let go. Vinny your fist pump is just sad, and have you heard of antiperspirant:

Go beat up the beat in your mom's house. I loved your mom though, I just need to find me a girl like that.. Cooks, doesn't eat til everyone is done, then cleans up, and does my laundry, quality. BTW if this is you ladies, get at me @mattfrsn on twitter

Matt

Jersey Shore Season 2

2010-02-04T05:13:00.001-08:00

Am I alone in thinking that the second season of Jersey Shore with the same castmates is not going to be as good? Lets get one thing straight first, Season 1 of the Jersey Shore goes down in history as the best show on TV aside from of course, The Soprano's. I am a huge fan of Jersey Shore since I am from New Jersey and have grown up around guido's all my life, but it doesn't seem like the second season could be as ''real'' as the first one.

I mean The Situation, Pauly D, and Snooki are appearing on every TV show on the planet right now, JWOW is probably getting down with half of Hollywood, Ronnie and Sammie are becoming more boring by the day, and Vinny is just bang average at this point. The best part of the first season was the fact that this is how they REALLY act, but I have a feeling the second season will become a little more acting for the camera's along with the fact that everyone in the USA knows who they are. The Situation and Pauly D's random hook-ups (the best part of the show) will be nullified, because every girl in the bar will want to get with them already.

(Side note: That chick Angelina has got to be the biggest idiot on Earth. She left the TV version of the Beatles right before it blew up. I honestly feel bad for her but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger... and poorer. I wonder if they invite her back for Season 2 or throw in a wild card castmate. I propose they replace Angelina with the guy that got his ass beat by Ronnie. The tension would be unimaginable but entertaining as well.)

When I get back to New Jersey this summer I will be asking around to see where they will be filming because they have to film in NJ. I heard they might do Vegas or Miami or something but I don't think so because it wouldn't be the same. I have already begun taking horse steroids so that in case Ronnie has a problem with me I will last longer than one punch. If I do run into them this summer, I will make sure I tell Matt so he can come over and we can make our dream of becoming reality TV kings happen. It is all part of the master plan.

NIKO

Clarification: WC Affairs

2010-02-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe you would put that JT PK on "our" blog, at least out of respect for me, but thats fine, I'm over it. Wanted to clarify, while in the zone last night writing the blog, I referred to Bridge's former girlfriend as his wife, just wanted to make sure that was straight.. But I found some interesting tid bit this morning about Terry and the ex-gf. Evidently Terry knocked her up and paid her €35,000 to keep her happy after having an abortion at week 7; All behind Bridge's back. I'm officially switching to "team bridge", so Adebayor I know you read the blog, get at me and send me my shirt. Anyways just had to add that tid bit, thats absolutely disgusting, so officially switching sides.

Terry your still my boy when you got the blue shirt on, when you take it off I see you as sort of a Jude Law from closer, only an uglier version and an even worse human being.

Matt

Reply- World Cup affairs

2010-02-03T04:38:00.000-08:00

OK, we all know Matt is a massive Chelsea fan so he will stand by John Terry at all costs but my general standpoint on some of my soccer preferences has changed a little bit since the incident came out. We all know John Terry is a great player but its just hard to root for any personal success for him. I mean him and Wayne Bridge were very good friends and even though it was Bridge's girlfriend and not wife it still is messed up on so many levels. You don't do that to friends. If I had to pick an English team to support, I would probably root for Chelsea still but not John Terry (thats how deep my hate for Manchester United runs). I used to feel bad for Terry when he missed the game-winning penalty against Manchester United in the Champions League final two years ago, but not anymore. (don't watch the video Matt it might be too painful)

Oh, and I heard about the whole ''Team Bridge'' t-shirts the Manchester City players were wearing. Isn't that adding insult to injury? Thats like if little Timmy got beat up in middle school and he just wants to forget about it but his friends wear t-shirts that say ''It's OK Timmy''. Obviously, its not ok because Timmy just got his ass beat.

Gotta love Eric Wynalda coming out of the woodwork to get some press on this subject. Mr. Wynalda was very clever to put the story out now to jump on the media train. Right now, Eric Wynalda has the fame level of a former Real World member but since he put this story out maybe he will be upgraded to the fame of a Jersey Shore Cast member. I take that back, not any Jersey Shore cast member because ''The Situation'' is most wanted man in America, but I think Eric Wynalda is more on the level of Vinny . Famous but no one really gives a crap about him.

As to what happens now, I think Matt is right. John Terry will step down as the captain but still be part of the team. Wayne Bridge won't go to the World Cup but I am not sure he would have made the team anyway. I think the persons life that changes the most is Eric Wynalda. His name used to be semi-recognizable as '' some guy that played soccer'' to ''wasn't that the guy whose wife slept with his teammate?''

NIKO

World Cup Affairs

2010-02-02T21:05:00.001-08:00

Okay, so we got lots to talk about, but first I'll just touch on Niko's article. Of course I understand your skepticism about Pink being hot after the talks about lady gaga being a guy, I know remain undecided if Gaga is hot, but that pink performance was it. If you know me, you all know I'm not a rap guy, those guys did alright but I made almost that exact song with a synthesizer, online looplab (www.looplabs.com), and a recorder; only good thing about their version was lil' wayne who could use some street cred, as much as Gilbert Arenas couldn't. Well thats enough of that...

Big stories coming out lately, MY BOY, JT, John Terry to you guys, getting dirty with former Chelsea teammate and international left-back Wayne Bridge. Now the thing is, well first I'll show you a picture of both of them:

Which one did you choose? Ya so did my boy JT, the one on the left was Wayne Bridge's former misses Venessa Parroncel, but England captain gets what England captain wants.

There is all kinds of speculation about JT losing his captaincy and what not, but does that really matter much who is captain? I can tell you the outcome right now, not even a hard decision; forgive me for being insensitive, not a strong point of mine. Wayne Bridge will be dropped from the World Cup squad and Stevie G, Rooney, or maybe Rio will step up as captain, after JT steps down only to avoid backlash from the media and receiving blame for possible bad results. It is a simple question who means more to the team? JT. Poor Wayne, I do feel for him, only support coming from the "team Bridge" shirts his teammates sported last game, while he watched from the bench injured. Such a hard situation for him, hurt emotionally and physically, is now going be dropped from 2010 WC squad for something done to him (even though he was quoted saying he didn't want to be included); Ben Harper said it best Welcome To This Cruel World.

In breaking news this happened to the US national team in 98' (story here:http://www.denverpost.com/rapids/ci_14319062) and in that case the offender, another New Jersey native (Niko is too), John Harkes was dropped from the squad by Steve Sampson, citing leadership issues as well as others. Eric Wynalda felt compelled to talk about it now that it has happened to Wayne; Thanks for sharing Eric. Luckily for the US the story was kept in house, although it didn't help, we finished last out of the 32 teams. What can we learn from this story, about as much as you can from Fox Football Fone-in or when ever Eric Wynalda says anything. Eric being the leading goal scorer for the US at the time, now taken over by Landon Donnovan (fantastic player), couldn't be dropped so the choice was easy. Who means more to the team? A good midfielder in John Harkes or leading goal scorer? Sampson chose Eric who didn't score in 98' so maybe it was the wrong decision. Things I can guarantee though is John Terry Stays in the team, if anyone is out, its Bridgey (sorry buddy, tough luck as of late) and that England finished better than 32nd...

Get at me with your responses..

Matt

Reply. Grammy Performances

2010-02-01T05:45:00.000-08:00

Considering I live in Belgium I didn't have the luxury of watching the Grammy's live, but I got a few messages from some friends about checking out the performances.

I generally like Pinks music because she has some catchy ''stay-in-your-head'' tunes but I generally stay away from watching her videos or performance because for some strange reason I think she looks like a more manly Aaron Carter. She is sexy at times but I feel like its hard to admit that since there is a slight chance she actually might be a dude. To be safe, I will just stick to listening to her stuff on itunes.

The performance of the night though was that Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake set. They really dominated it and that turned out great. The only knock on that one is Travis Barker who is trying to convince us that him playing the drums is different then Joe Schmo playing the drums. Travis Barker might be a talented song writer or producer or whatever he does, but I am not convinced that in that set having Travis Barker go wild on the drums is any different then another drummer doing it. Playing an instrument and playing the drums are two different beasts but hats off to Travis Barkers agent for pulling that one off. Someone get me in touch with his agent.

I am curious as to why Kanye West was not in the performance since he is in the original ''Forever'' song. I hope it wasn't because people still hate him from what he did to Taylor Swift. Everyone knows all of the celebrities are on some sort of illegal substance and Kanye just got a little out of control. Give the guy a break!

Here is the Drake, Lil Wayne, Eminem performance in case you missed it. (Check for it online, all copies seem to be copyright protected for some reason)

NIKO

Reply: Is Federer Underrated?

2010-01-31T20:31:00.000-08:00

I don't know about underrated, although we share the same love for the 'Fed Show'. He may not have the mass appeal of Tiger and Jordan but then again neither does tennis. Thats what I think makes these two so great, especially Tiger because the golf channel was only subscribed to by retirement homes and maybe Justin Timberlake before Tiger's era, now its in basic cable package.

'Fed Show' hasn't done that to tennis and I'd say even Nadal has more mass appeal. The 'Fed Show' is that New York Yankee/L.A. Laker guy who everyone knows is the best and is watching hoping he loses, but instead he beats the number 4 player in the world in straight sets. I mean I am a huge fan his, great recognize great ya feel me? No, but seriously I don't think anyone underrates him he just is not that interesting on the court to the blind eye. What I am suggesting is yeah, most people just see what goes on on the surface they just want to be entertained by emotional players (John McEnroe), Sampras got the same criticism. That is part of what makes a great champion, being able to control your emotions under extreme pressure; obviously I understand this, BUT DO YOU? Short and sweet, new topics coming... maybe Pink's performance at the grammy's...

(Check for it online, all copies seem to be copyright protected for some reason)

>Matt

Roger Federer is Underrated

2010-01-31T12:37:00.000-08:00

Roger Federer just demolished Andy Murray in the Australian Open final in straight sets. This is Mr. Federer's 16th Grand Slam title in his career which is remarkable considering he is only 28 and already holds the all-time record. The guy has a laundry list of accolades and records that you can check out on his wikipedia, but I want to touch on something else.

We are witnessing the greatest sportsman since Michael Jordan and in my estimation Federer is underrated by the media. Every time Tiger Woods wins we hear about how he is the greatest and all this jazz but he doesn't even hold the all-time record for majors in his sport. Woods is a fantastic sportsman but we cannot even consider him the best athlete because he is not even the all-time best at his sport. The reason everyone knew Tiger was because he WAS marketable but now that that went out the window we will have to wait until he beats Jack Nicklaus record and then we can put him in the category of the Fed-Express.

Federer has taken tennis and made it his own. The scary part is I think he is going to haul in a few more. If his career ended today he would be the greatest ever, but he is only 28 and we must remember he plays a style similar to Pete Sampras who won a major at 31 years old.

How is this guy not on every billboard on Earth and mentioned in the same breath as Ali, Ruth, and Jordan. He does have a lot of sponsors and is famous beyond imagination but maybe its because he plays tennis that he is not hyped as much as others. I am not sure but this guy is doing amazing things and I would recommend anyone even if your not a fan to check this guy out.

There will be no one else like him.

NIKO

Reply: My Lacrosse Exp

2010-01-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

Good stuff Niko, seems your a pretty big fan. I wanted to give a shout out to Corey for reading the blog, thanks for the topic idea. When I first started thinking about it I was like yeah sure Corey, they have decent Polo Shirts, actually own a couple. But then I got to thinking, I actually used to play Lacrosse and really enjoyed it. I dug up an old picture of my lacrosse gear for you guys to check out:

What a great game! I didn't realize they had rules and people who played it above the age of 9 until the Duke Lacrosse team had some "surprise sex" with that dancer/escort in 2006. Of course in the end they were proven innocent, the glove didn't fit again.

I think Lacrosse is going to face some of the same challenges soccer does, only on a bigger scale considering they have nearly no fan base to start with (compared to soccer, #1 in the world). So basically its like this video: http://www.maniacworld.com/blind-man-climbs-mount-everest.html (watch that, its funny). But ya Lacrosse being popular is like this blind man climbing Mt. Everest; ya he did it, but he needed a lot of help and the odds are stacked against you, only it wouldn't make as good of a documentary.

Now as to Lacrosse being a skill sport, I agree and I have respect for those who play it. I compare it to hockey, a skill sport with more physical side, there are some good Lacrosse hits highlights on Youtube. But is it as skilled of a sport as soccer, simply answered, no. We are naturally going to have hand eye coordination, or else we wouldn't be able to do everyday functions. This is what makes soccer so different and in a class of its own, in my opinion. If you can get your feet to work in coordination it takes a different level of Athleticism. I'm open to hearing your opinions on that statement, but in the end would I be good at Lacrosse? Probably, this is a given.

Get at me, what you think about that? Anymore blog topics? You know the Fed Show (Roger Federer), Jersey Shore, Tiger Woods? I got opinions, hit me up on twitter @mattfrsn or comment on the blog!

Matt

My Lacrosse Experience

2010-01-30T05:15:00.000-08:00

Prior to my four years in college I did not know much about the sport of lacrosse. Of course, I had heard about it, but I never actually went to a match or knew any of the rules. That all changed when I went to Stevens Institute of Technology because the school had a good lacrosse program and I met many friends who played. Stevens did not have a football team so the two biggest and most successful sports were soccer and lacrosse. It was always a good time to have a couple cold ones and then head on over to catch a lacrosse game. Over the years, I got to know the guys and I even threw the ball around a little a couple times. It definitely looks easier than it actually is. Lacrosse would definitely fall into a skilled sport category because obviously your physical attributes will only get you so far.

I always wondered about the goalie and how he doesn't wear many pads all over his body but yet he has to save 100mph shots. I also always appreciated the savvy players who shoot the ball around there back or through the goalies legs. Even though it is a physical sport it is nice to see some finesse in there too. Thats what it is nice to watch, the finesse part, and that is a big reason why one of my favorite soccer players is Francesco Totti. So can someone please tell me who the Francesco Totti of lacrosse is.

As for the future of the sport in terms of popularity, I think it will be difficult to become extremely popular at the professional level because the market is small. Although there are some areas of America that are into it hardcore, I don't think it will be huge. The interesting thing about lacrosse is that it is a fairly older sport and at the college level it has been around for a while, which is baffling because the professional lacrosse never really picked up.

I see the women got involved in the sport too and they wear the funny looking mask which is like the lacrosse version of Horace Grants basketball goggles. No offense but womens lacrosse is little boring but thats normal because thats usually the case with womens sports. It just depends on the level of boring we are talking and that varies from sport to sport.

That being said I do encourage people to check it out because it is entertaining with the hits, shots, and overall style of the sport. Shout out to all the Stevens lacrosse people I have met over the years.

I am not sure about Matt's experience with lacrosse up in the cold confines of Whitworth University but I am curious to see what he thinks about it.

Here is a video of Mikey Powell who I hear is one of the best lacrosse players ever. Some of the stuff is pretty impressive.

Niko

Reply; American Soccer

2010-01-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Matt, Thanks for the shoutout about the article and I agree with your piece as well but I wanted to take your argument one step further. Putting aside all the business factors like salary cap, MLS Draft, etc, I think it is fair to say that it is just simply more difficult to become good at soccer than it is to become good at other sports. Playing soccer is becoming popular for the youth but stressing youth development is paramount because you can't just become a professional soccer player because your 7'0 tall or run a 4.2 40 yard dash (see NBA or NFL) which are both natural attributes in some people. I truly believe this and there are many examples out there on why this is the case. Here they are.

NFL

The NFL is absolutely dominating the USA in terms of money and to be honest I do follow it from time to time. However, lets face it, there are not many skilled positions. The quarterback is definitely a skilled position but it pretty much ends there. If I was 6'2 250 pounds, could run a 40 in 4.2, I would be on the radar of many NFL teams. I wouldn't even had to play football in college or anything. Look at Antonio Gates who is one of the best tight ends in the NFL. The guy never played college football! Every year you hear about guys who couldn't make the NBA, ''try-out'' for an NFL team. Its crazy, I would like to see someone would had not played soccer at any competitive level go ''try-out'' for Chelsea. It would be comical even if that person had played soccer before. Playing in the NFL is principally based on physical attributes, and there is nothing wrong with that, but when physical attributes are what is measured above all then it proves my point.

NBA

Now I love the NBA, and its my favorite sport other than soccer, and I think Matt does as well. I do think its more difficult to become a good NBA player than it is to become an NFL player but tell me you haven't heard someone in your life say to a tall person ''Hey you should play in the NBA.'' This is where the problem lies because if I am 7'0 tall I have a 75 percent chance to play in the NBA if I introduced to the game before the age of at least 16. Hasheem Thabeet, the number two pick in the 2009 draft had not touched a basketball until he was 15. Its simple, if your extremely tall and can attempt to block shots you have a shot of playing in the NBA and that is somewhat sad if you think about it. Remember the NBA is the best basketball league in the world and that stuff happens. However, credit to the NBA there are many skilled players who have practiced many years to become good so I won't hound the NBA as much as I did for the NFL.

MLB

Not worth chatting about it.

As you can see its pretty straightforward. Ok, the MLS is behind in quality of play and all that jazz, but it is a new sport here in the USA and it will take time for the kids of America to develop into world class talent. Of course, we need to change the infrastructure but we have chosen a very skilled sport to watch and so we should just be patient. Let me know what you think.

NIKO

Problems with the American Soccer system

2010-01-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

I wanted to reply to my boy Niko's article published by Americansoccernews.net, you can check that out here: http://american-soccer-news.com/?p=4198. To give you a synapses he talks about the problem with the MLS structure, i.e. player development and drafting conflicts, salary caps, and NCAA conflicts in terms of player development. A great article, definitely worth reading. Now to the point, lets talk about the real problem with American soccer and why its not gonna be catching up other countries any time soon.

One reason, lack of viewership and commercial dollars. Although I agree with Niko, there are other problems with the structure. The MLS season is March 25th (MLS First kick) until the end of October when playoffs begin. This only overlaps by a month with opening week of the NFL starting in September. Coincidently NBA regular season starts as MLS regular season is ending, at the end of October. So if your playing in the MLS your getting 7 months of Guaranteed games, not worst case scenario, where as in England you get a full 9 months (August 15- May 15); 2 more months. (We will just compare Top league with Top League, even though in the US the lower divisions have severely shortened seasons) I think this is where the problem lies..

In america we have to compete with all these crap sports for viewer ratings, no offense. But obviously soccer is better than baseball, takes like 5 hours to see 4 or 5 cool things. Mark McGwire breaks the HR record even while on steroids, what a great athlete, where you at now? We also have to compete with football, no offense again, but the only thing good about the NFL is Chad OchoCinco, half of each team are getting rewarded for bad genes, i.e. they are fat. NBA is alright, I'll give them that. Must be why we break season at that point.

Until Soccer generates a fan base that can compete with these sports, there won't be money coming back into these leagues. Large portions of the premiership is funded by television deals thus the large salaries (like my boys Chelsea 5 in the top 11) and the ability to fund the lower leagues the top division will suffer, and the national team with it. Lets face it only place that is doing it right is Seattle, who are going open up 32,000 season tickets for the up coming season. This is the problem, and why I am located in Seattle. What you think? Get at me kid

Matt

Introduction

2010-01-28T13:06:00.000-08:00

Niko Gkionis is a professional soccer player who currently plies his trade in the Belgium 3rd division for Excelsior Veldwezelt. Born and raised in New Jersey, Niko has a strong affinity for MTV reality television shows and sports of all kinds. He is a educated man as well who received a degree in Chemical Biology from Stevens Institute of Technology. http://twitter.com/ngkionis

Matt Friesen spends his days in the rain of the NW playing soccer for the Kitsap Pumas, members of the NW division of the USL's PDL. Been West Coastin' his whole life, born in California and raised in Oregon. Matt attended Whitworth University and holds a degree in

Computer Science. He enjoys reality television, GOOD music, and sports, just sit back and listen to what he has to say. http://twitter.com/mattfrsn

Niko and Matt First teamed up in Belgium, running through other center midfield pairings while creating a great friendship. Because of our shared interest in all things reality tv, sports, and more we have teamed up once again to create a blog on our thoughts on numerous subjects.