Which of these things is not like the other one?

The Italian town of Castellammare di Stabia is considering a ban on miniskirts, low-cut tops, swearing and pick-up soccer from their town. Apparently it has something of an image problem and wants to come off as less trashy. That's all well and good, but why ban soccer?

Big Sports Weekend

I love weekends in October: college football, NFL football, playoff baseball, hockey, soccer and, if you are in Lexington, Kentucky, Keeneland fall races. With so going on, it can be hard to keep track of how my teams are doing.

Last weekend was great: I was at a wedding on Saturday, but the bride and groom scheduled a break between the ceremony and reception so we could watch the Notre Dame v. Western Michigan game. Plus,
my friends at home kept me updated throughout the day with various scores and highlights. The best moment was finding out via text that Kentucky was winning over South Carolina while seated next to a current SC grad student at dinner. Sure, we were both Irish at heart, but a little friendly competition never hurts anyone.

Fantasy Squad 

This weekend is much bigger than last weekend: Notre Dame plays Navy, the Giants and Rangers are making decent underdog runs at the World Series,  I'm attending the UK v. Georgia game, my fantasy team is probably unstoppable, and Man City is playing Arsenal.

That last game is especially important because though I meant to wait a season before throwing my support behind a team, I find myself cheering for the Citizens every weekend. Now they are playing three of my friends' favorite team. As a wise man once said, "This shit just got real."

Couldn't be happier

I couldn't be happier to wake up today to the news that Wayne Rooney was staying at Manchester United until 2015. He'd been making noise about leaving the club where he's played since he was 18. For me, it's just so much easier to have all the despicable things in one place. Someone mentioned yesterday that City might have been looking to pick him up and I threw up a little in my mouth.

I don't know what it is about this guy, but Rooney is also one of the reasons that I don't want the English national team to do well. He's like the A-Rod of football and he plays for the equivalent of the Yankees. What's to like?

Plus after a brief glance at his Wikipedia page, I found this to confirm my conviction: "Rooney owns a French mastiff dog, which was reportedly bought for £1,250."  Really?

When dogs resemble their owners...

Soccer: a light to those in the dark

Sports have a way of bringing hope, even in the darkest of places. The 33 miners trapped underground for two months are able to watch the international friendlies between Chile and Ukraine, the UAE and Oman. And those on the pitch haven't forgotten those underground:

The first miners are expected to be rescued on Wednesday.

How did the miners survive?

Celebrating Universal Music Day

In celebration of Universal Music Day 2010, here is an ad Puma produced for Valentine's Day last year. Remember, it isn't about how well it's sung. What matters is that it comes from the heart.

Would someone please hand Marty McSorley a Magpies shirt and some boots?

The saga that is Nigel de Jong's utter disregard for humanity just won't go away. Nor should it. By now, unless you have been under a rock (or you are the average American sports fan), you have seen, heard, or read about Nigel de Jong's recklessly conceived tackle on Newcastle United's Hatem Ben Arfa. De Jong's ghastly challenge assured Ben Arfa of a broken left leg, a swift trip to a Manchester hospital, and a premature end to his 2010-2011 season. Condemnation abounds. Even De Jong's national team manager, Van Marwijk, decided to leave the midfielder out of the Oranje's upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers. Nevertheless, because De Jong's actions went unpunished — not a red card, a yellow card, or even a free-kick — FIFA regulations stand in the way of any sort of retroactive punishment.

For the fourth or fifth time in three years, the EPL and its officials are under the microscope for yet another gruesome injury - Eduardo, Aaron Ramsey, Antonio Valencia, Zamora, etc. FIFA seems primed to throw its weight around to end 'brutality' in football, but the truth of the matter is that much of this 'brutality' is happening in the FA's jurisdiction and the FA already has the tools to stop it. This has been the case for the last few years, yet there has been no noticeable change in how conduct, such as De Jong's, is being policed on the pitch.

Essentially, two types of players populate the most popular football league in the world: domestic players (average to great) and la crème de la crème from around the world. The former type matured within a footballing culture that places a relatively greater emphasis on physicality and toughness, which is reflected in the way the English game is officiated. For the latter group, their native footballing culture generally snubs the physical side of the sport for the skill, technique, and fluidity of the game. When juxtaposed in the extreme (the average British players up against the skilled, technical, or 'sexy' player), this contrast in footballing styles creates an environment that invites increasingly reckless challenges unless match officials take charge of the game.

If, at some point, it should become clear that such enforcement is not going to make its way into the English game, then managers, for the sake of their players' health, will have to find creative solutions. I propose that a page be taken from the great North American sport of ice hockey: Bring in the enforcers.

Bring in the Tie Domis, the George Laraques, the Bob Proberts of football. If it was good enough for Gretzky, why not for Tevez, Fabregas, and Berbatov. Of course, this is not to be mistaken for an endorsement of violence in football. On the contrary, it is a recommendation that managers and players take matters of deterrence into their own hands as last resort. Put at least one man on every EPL roster, whose presence alone makes other players think twice about rash, desperate tackles.

Basically, the thought is this: You'll be less likely to go studs up on your opponent when you know there is a guy on his bench who gets paid to see red.

International Soccer Friendlies

Who's ready for some more international football? With Bob Bradley still at the head of the US Men's National Team, I'm pretty excited about our upcoming games:

The U.S. first takes on Poland at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sat., Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. CT, with the match to be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. Three days later, the U.S. will host South American rivals Colombia on Oct. 12 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Kickoff for the USA’s first match on the Chester waterfront is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans can follow both matches live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and at twitter.com/ussoccer. 

US Team (club team):

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Étienne), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), Jermaine Jones (FC Schalke), Brek Shea (FC Dallas)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)

Source: Bradley Names 20 Players for Upcoming Friendlies