Okay, so I'll be honest -- this is basically dead because I realized I didn't have a whole lot original to say. I have a lot more fun posting pictures and links and short little snippets of commentary.

You can find those things here:
Twitter
Needs More Kittens [Tumblr]

This is staying up, but I'd be surprised if anything of substance is posted again. It's been fun, though.

MLS Eastern Conference final liveblog

Impending live-blogginess

Just a heads-up, y'all. My crush on the Columbus Crew continues, and shows no signs of abating. (This crush seems especially focused on Robbie Rogers and Brad Evans, but that's really neither here nor there, is it?) Anyway, because Columbus picked this season to also be a good team, they are in the MLS Eastern Conference final, which I will be liveblogging at this very location tomorrow evening, assuming I can get home from work in time.

Anyway. Watch this space.

New MLS crush

Video courtesy of The Offside Rules.

Yes, Danny Cepero scored a record-setting goal against my team. Yes, he just eliminated Houston (and therefore Geoff Cameron and Stuart Holden) from the playoffs. But that boy is cute, and that's all there is to it. Well, that plus my well-documented weakness for keepers. Done and done.

David Beckham on Sesame Street

Via Ballhype:



I'm sorry, I would have commentary, but I'm too busy flailing at the cuteness of it all.

I do have to say, I like this version of Beckham a lot better than the one who bitches at refs and gets calls he doesn't deserve. Not that I'm bitter about the DC/Galaxy game last night.

I've been watching a lot of MLS lately, both because Liverpool have been so utterly uninspiring and because I actually enjoy it. It helps that the team I sort of fell into following, Columbus, are leading the league and have clinched the playoffs. Also, I like Robbie Rogers. Forcing the opposition to take several yellows and a red, and still scoring on them? Pretty badass.

Quick note

I am guest-blogging today at This Is Extra Time. I don't think I'm gonna cross-post, but if y'all want to know my thoughts on ... random hot players, head over there.

Pointless question of the day

Actually, two questions: 1) When did Rogers get that tattoo, and 2) what the hell is it a tattoo of? I mean, I think it's probably better than Feilhaber's crooked Latin or Daniel Agger's ... everything and the kitchen sink, but man. If I can't see it, I can't judge it. Bah.

Also, um, nice abs, kid. As Sarah said, he must work out.

Lessons from the Olympics

1. Robbie Rogers is not a defender.
2. Very few men can successfully wear a white beret. Specifically, only Benny Feilhaber and Maurice Edu.

Oh, look...

This post is still necessary.

Call me the cranky feminist of the soccer blogosphere, but things like the comments on this post are fucking vile, and disrespectful of all women, let alone soccer fans. If y'all wanna have a frat party, is the internets really the best place for it? Much harder to tap a good keg online, I have to say.

Quick hit -- that's a lot of money

Yeah, this time the radio silence has been for a good reason -- the bar exam is less than two weeks away, and I am pretty much constantly studying. But I had to post about this, because Kaka to Chelsea for 80m pounds? That's 100m euros, and I don't even want to calculate how much that is in dollars. Leaving aside the question of if they need him, good lord, that's a huge number. Think he'd give me, like, a thousandth of it so I can pay off these student loans? It's not like he'd miss it. Thank god this transfer window finally got interesting -- I couldn't handle reading any more about Barry and Ronaldo.

Also, tomorrow I am going to my first regular-season MLS game ever -- FC Dallas v. Colorado. I'm going with my dad, and he keeps trying to call Dallas "F.C." for short. He tries, but. This is like how he used to call Arsenal "Armory."

Shallow and frivolous

18-year-old footballer breaks news of transfer on Facebook. Honestly, I'm a little surprised this hasn't happened before. (Though I think Alecko Eskandarian may have announced his transfer to, like, Real Salt Lake on Facebook. But that was at least one trade ago, and it's MLS.)

Speaking of Real Salt Lake, I present the first in an occasional series, called Hot MLS Coaches.

Part One: Jason Kreis

So, he whines about the refs a little more than I'd like. And he's shorter than me. But this is his first full season, RSL are amazingly not sucking this season, and he went to Duke, so I think the balancing test comes out in his favor. Also, he can wear a suit pretty damn well.

Euro final liveblog

Once again, I will be joining forces with This is Extra Time to liveblog the final. Apparently Ballack's fit, but Villa's out, so I have to call this for Germany. I hear you can never count them out.

Spain/Italy liveblog

Let's see if Spain can avoid their usual routine of playing well in the group and then choking at the earliest possible opportunity. My guess: probably not. Italy's defense is kinda weak, but Spain is Spain. Here's hoping.

Italy/France liveblog

Why I love Ladies...

Sexism in sports blogging: A Q&A. You should all read this. I think the soccer blogosphere (god, I hate that word) is actually a little better about all this than some other sections of the sports blogging world -- seriously, there are sites that I can't even read because they're so overtly misogynist. But I'd be lying if I said that the need some blogs feel to preface every Euro liveblog (or hell, every post at all) with a picture of random fans wearing as little as possible wasn't irritating. All that does is tell me that you don't care about half of your potential audience. It's a little bit alienating, and it gets old really fast.

That's my soapbox for today. There are a lot of different issues around all this, and I have to say, women not getting mentioned as potential editors isn't my hot button, mostly because I am far too lazy to handle even posting here a lot. But when your entire blog sends the message that I'm not even welcome as a reader? Yeah, I'm not surprised there aren't more women sports bloggers. And we won't even get into the constant disrespect of non-"hot" women athletes. Guess what, chief? Odds are you don't look like Cristiano Ronaldo either. So can we stop evaluating women on their looks for a second?

Also, while I'm asking, I'd like a pony.