Top Five Fridays: American Footballers For England

This is my regular feature called Top Five Fridays. Here I'll list some of my favorite things like, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut.

The United States Men's National Soccer Team is in the midst of a fairly daunting three game stretch of exhibition matches. In the first match on Wednesday, the Yanks got beat 2-0 in London's Wembley Stadium by England. In a lot of ways, I thought the boys could be ready to play a match of that caliber, but they looked sluggish, unmotivated and frankly, just outclassed for the clear majority of the match. Next week, they will play in Santader against Spain and are likely to get a similar result. They will finish up the tour in East Rutherford, New Jersey against Argentina on Sunday, June 8. You can expect much of the same.

All things considered, I'm glad we're playing these matches. Under the old coach, Bruce Arena, we littered our "friendly" schedule with the likes of Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica, Honduras and other CONCACAF opponents that we were used to mopping the floor with in World Cup Qualifying matches. If we did play a European team it was often Sweden, Switzerland, Scotland, Poland, or another team that may or may not have been having a good run of play. What's the sense in playing teams that you know you can beat? Sure, confidence breads success. But the experience of losing these three games will give the boys a challenge and teach them a few things in the process. We often learn more from the mistakes we make and there are sure to be plenty of those in the next two matches just as there were against England. Too bad Landycakes was hurt, he could certainly use some toughening up more than most of the guys.

On with the Top 5. There was an article on soccernet.com the other day leading up to Wednesday's beating about American players that could start for England. Strangely enough, the article was nowhere to be found when I looked for it today (note: sarcasm.) I honestly believe that there are at least three, but the problem is that they all play the same position; goalkeeper. Tim Howard, Kasey Keller, and Brad Friedel. And not necessarily in that order. So that realistically leaves us with one. I mean, just look at the line-up the Three Lions trotted onto the pitch the other day:

GK David James (Portsmouth)
D Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
D Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
D John Terry (Chelsea) - captain
D Wes Brown (Manchester United)
M Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United)
M Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
M Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
M David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy)
F Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
F Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth)

That's sick. That's so sick, it's ill. No American is better than any of those field players. All of that will finally bring me to the topic for this post, and this question: Of all the players that have come through the United States National Team player pool, who most likely have a shot at making the roster for England? Keep in mind, this isn't necessarily a list of the "best" American players. This isn't even a list of guys who have the potential to land them a spot it in the future. And I'm certainly not saying, by any means, that these guys would get called up. I'm just talking about right now, what Americans are most likely to receive consideration by Fabio Capello for spot on the roster for a World Cup match if it were to take place today? With that, I give you the.....

Top 5 American Soccer Players That Might Make England's Roster

1. Tim Howard (Goalkeeper - Everton)
After appearing in over 80 matches for the MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls,) Timmy got a shot to play in England when Manchester United came calling in 2003. At the time, the Red Devils were weak in the net and Howard quickly stepped in and became the starter one of the richest clubs in the world. He had three up and down seasons at Old Trafford, being named to the Best XI in his first season, but losing and regaining his starting job a couple of times in the two subsequent seasons.

His unconvincing form and the releasing of his two competitors led to Sir Alex Ferguson bringing in the Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, a move that I can't in good conscious disagree with. Either way, Howard spouted off to the media and was immediately transferred to Everton, where he has played for the past two seasons. Everton finished fifth in the Premier League this past season and has spent more seasons in the top division in England than any other club. They also have the fourth most top division champions (9) of any team behind Liverpool (18,) Manchester United (17,) and Arsenal (13.)

Once settled at Everton, he regained his form and has impressed even the harshest of American soccer critics. His size and athleticism are unquestioned, but some think his talents are still a little raw. I agree with them. He has some things that he could learn from the other two goalkeepers on this list in terms of positioning and game management, but he gets the nod in the number one spot because he would get the number spot for the American roster right now.

2. Brian McBride (Forward - No Club)
McBride came home from a brief stint in Germany to help launch MLS with the Columbus Crew. His career in soccer began with a brilliant career at Buffalo Grove High School in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago and then as a two time All-American for St. Louis University, a hotbed for star American players. He played nine seasons for the Crew, scoring 62 goals for them, and was twice loaned out to EPL teams (Preston North End and Everton.) For the last four and a half seasons, he's been plying his trade with Fulham. After coming back from a major knee injury and helping Fulham avoid relegation, he decided to come home to the United States and rumor has it that he might sign with the Chicago Fire. Correction: his wife decided. It has long been known that she was unhappy in England and wanted to be back in Chicago where both of their families live. Can't say I blame her, I love this town.

McBride is a veteran of three World Cup's, scoring the only U.S. goal in the 1998 tournament in France during a 2-1 loss to Iran. He was the best American forward again in 2002 while scoring in the opening match victory over Portugal and again in the Round of 16 triumph over Mexico. He is a tall, physical presence and has always played the role of the target forward because of his ability to win the ball in the air. Although he retired from the international game in 2006, I believe he is still the best forward the United States has to offer. I also believe that, given the style of the English game, he would be the best choice to go alongside either Wayne Rooney or Michael Owen in the top of their lineup. If he has the ability to put as many balls in the net as he has when receiving service from crappy MLS players and Fulham's lackluster midfield, imagine the numbers he would put up with Beckham, Lampard, and Gerrard sending the ball into the mixer? Scary.

3. Brad Friedel (Goalkeeper - Blackburn Rovers)
A native of Cleveland, Ohio and Bay Village High School, Friedel also retired from National Team duty already (2005.) His club career began with two brief loan stints in England and Denmark and then two seasons with fabled club Galatasaray SK in the Turkish Süper Lig. He returned to the United States from Galatasaray to help launch MLS with his home state Columbus Crew. After just one and a half seasons and a MLS Best XI nod, Friedel left for England the nano-second the EPL came calling. Three rocky seasons with Liverpool, he transferred to Blackburn Rovers and has been a lock in the starting lineup ever since.

A veteran of three World Cup's, he battled Kasey Keller for the first team net duties and almost always won. His superior positioning and knowledge of the game, along with a tremendously powerful and accurate leg, have always been his strong points. He has been named the top goalkeeper in the Premier League at the end of the 2002-2003 season. If it weren't for his age and Howard's athleticism, I'd have put him in the number one spot. For me, he's still the top American goalie. Hell, this guy even has an English accent.

4. Kasey Keller (Goalkeeper - Fulham)
Keller may have actually been the most consistent goalkeeper the United States has ever had. One of just two American players to participate in four World Cup Finals events, he would have been alone with five had Bora Milutinovic hadn’t ignored him for the 1994 tournament here on his home soil. He’s played in 102 international matches, but it would be many more than that had his career not perfectly, or imperfectly as the case may be, overlapped with the brilliant careers of Tony Meola, Brad Friedel and Tim Howard.

On the club side, Keller has bounced around England, Spain and Germany over the years, getting the chance to start for clubs such as Borussia Mönchengladbach, Tottenham Hotspur, and most recently Fulham. Not too shabby. Solid athleticism and positioning, he is currently one of the top goalkeepers in the EPL and helped Fulham avoid relegation alongside fellow Americans Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey. He would have to be considered an option along with Howard to be one of the three best choices in net for England, if he were, in fact, English.

5. DeMarcus Beasley (Midfielder – Glasgow Rangers)
There are several players that I considered for the fifth spot, but when it came down to it, I remembered reading a bunch of quotes from managers in the EPL all talking about how dangerous of a player Beasley can be. DeMarcus is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and before finishing high school moved to the U.S. Residency program in Bradenton, Florida. He made an immediate impact when he joined the Chicago Fire in MLS and after several successful seasons he was shipped off via a $2.5 million transfer to PSV Eindhoven in the top Dutch league. After becoming a starter for the top club in Holland, he became a key player in PSV Eindhoven’s run to the UEFA Champion’s League semi-final. He became the first American to get that far in the tournament and scored four goals in his twelve matches.

He played a little over two seasons in Holland before injuries forced a run a bad form and he was loaned out to Manchester City during his third season. When he regained his form, PSV Eindhoven brought him back, but at season’s end he was transferred to Rangers in the Scottish Premier League. During this past season he has injured again during a Champion’s League match and missed most of the year, but returned in time to help Rangers to a championship in the Scottish Cup.

As the international level he has earned 69 caps and has scored 15 goals and when healthy he has become a lock at the left midfield position for the United States. Only 5’8” and about 150 pounds soaking wet, he’s actually smaller than me, but he is an absolute terror because of his speed and tenacity. His blazing speed and left footed crosses would likely earn him a spot off the bench as a late sub for England, but his lack of size and defensive presence would keep him from getting regular minutes.


“Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed.”

Eddie Lewis (Midfielder, Derby County) – If not for a career riddled with injuries, non-soccer fans may have actually heard of Eddie Lewis. Probably one of the more complete skill sets of any American non-goalkeeper, he just never was able to reach his full potential.
Landon Donovan (Midfielder, Los Angeles Galaxy) – The next he steps on the pitch he’ll become the fourth youngest player to ever reach 100 caps for any country in the world, but his perceived lack of heart, guts and physical play has earned him the nickname “Landycakes” among U.S. soccer faithful and many don’t believe he is the answer he once was thought to be for American soccer.
Steve Cherundolo (Defender, Hannover 96) – Not the best defender in the U.S. camp, but perhaps the most complete, he has come along way over the past several seasons and earned nearly 50 caps. As an outside back he is competitive and a good man-marker and has shown the ability to go forward and get involved in the attack.
Clint Dempsey (Midfielder, Fulham) – Give Clint’s heart and physical style of play to Donovan and we might have had ourselves a true footballer. All that aside, Dempsey is just not quite good enough to take on a forward’s responsibility at the international level and would need to better himself defensively enough to make it as a midfielder.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Memorial Day Break

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Memorial Day Schedule Break
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, May 25, 2008

Record: 1-1-2
5 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 15
GA: 14

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
5 – Matt Greenhalgh
4 – Danny Carver
2 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Mike Burg
1 – John O'Connell

Assists:
3 – Rudy Schaser
2 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld

Top Five Fridays: Fun Big Brother Memories

This is my regular feature called Top Five Fridays. Here I'll list some of my favorite things like, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut.

I apologize for missing last week's Top 5. It was about half written and then last weekend got rather busy with people coming in town for a wedding. Then I got pretty sick this week and I didn't finish it until just now, so hopefully this is good enough to quench your thirst from the past two weeks. In honor of the wedding that happened last Saturday here in Chicago, I decided to do a post in honor of the groom. He was my big brother in the fraternity and as we all know, he can be a bit crazy at times. So here are my...

Top 5 Favorite Big Brother Memories

These are just a few of my favorites from the past ten years of knowing the man. I'd like to encourage everyone to post your own favorite memories and quotes in the comments.

1. I Can't Be Your Superman
Sophomore year our fraternity formal was in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Our pledge class was known for how much they liked the drink, so this was an opportunity for them all to do so legally at the age of 19. At this point in my life, I was still pretty square. That New Year’s Eve was the first time I’d ever had a drink and I don’t think I had another one until we got to Canada. The trip itself was the source of many great college stories: the extremely dumb education major I was dating at the time and my first trip to a casino to name two.

The night of the actual formal, however, provided two memorable quotes from my big that would live in infamy. He knew I wasn’t a drinker and he saw me getting pretty tanked, so at one point we went out to get some air. He, himself, was completely in the can. We were sitting on the back steps of this trashy banquet hall when he uttered this line:

“Cap, the key to being drunk is to never act like it.”

Today I find this hilarious because it’s his biological younger brother, and not my big, who is the king of not acting like it. My big always acts like it. Either way, the conversation also provided one of the quirky, amusing and somewhat truthful things that I’ve taken with me ever since. For reasons that may not always be prevalent on the surface, I really looked up to him from the moment I showed up at rush. He was the president of the fraternity and he was a funny guy, always lighting up a room when he entered. It was clear from the start that in a lot of ways, I’d hoped I would be able to captivate an audience the way he did. He recognized this fairly early on in our friendship and, in that same conversation, told me a story.

I’m not sure if I’m getting this right, because it’s been almost ten years, but when he was a young Pi Kapp himself my big had a similar conversation with one of our older brothers named Keith. I think it was Keith. Whoever it was gave my big a little Superman toy and told him, “You shouldn’t look up to anyone except Superman.” My big told me the same thing that night, and when he “graduated” that spring, he gave me the Superman toy at Senior Pass Downs.

2. Mr. Bonilla, if you please.
This next story is also probably one of my favorite moments being a sports fan. It was my sophomore year and one of our other fraternity brothers, G-Lowe, got four tickets and a parking pass for the Cincinnati Reds game against the New York Mets down in Riverfront Stadium from his dad's company and he couldn't use them. Instead, myself, my big, my little (Swamp) and another one of our brothers, who we’ll call “Warden” because he held that position when I was pledging, drove down to the game.

We took my big’s car and he drove, though he informed me early on that I would likely be driving us back to Oxford. We got there in plenty of time for the start of the game and it didn’t take long for the Warden and my big to get a couple beers deep. The seats were amazing. If I remember correctly, we were on the aisle in the third row right next to the visitor’s dugout on the home plate side. Some of the best seats I’ve ever sat in.

The guy that hit third for the Mets at the time was Bobby Bonilla. You probably remember him. After a quick leadoff out, Bonilla stepped into the on deck circle. Immediately, my big and the Warden started laying into him and that’s when my big came up with this doozy:

“Bobby Bo, you bloooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

He said it multiple times, among other things, and it was obvious that Bonilla heard him. He was standing mere feet from us and the park was still relatively empty. Another quick out and it was Bonilla’s turn to bat. The first pitch he saw, he crushed. The thing didn’t look like it would ever land, but it eventually ended up in the upper deck. Bonilla trotted slowly around the bases, but as he rounded third, his eyes locked onto us. We were all standing, in silence, and Bonilla never took his eyes off us the entire 90 feet to home. He stepped on the plate, turned and walked back to the dug out. Starred at us the whole way.

3. The First Impression
In order to join a fraternity at Miami University, the first step is to attend “Open House,” a weekend where each potential rushee has to visit 75% of the houses on campus. During these visits, you will watch a repetitive slide show, listen to a speech from the Rush Chair about how they are the best house on campus, and then you are whisked away individually and given a quick tour of the house while a couple of the brothers have a five minute conversation with you and determine whether you are worth talking to again.

To be perfectly honest, when the guys from my freshman dorm were herded into the basement of the Pi Kapp house, we were unimpressed. We were a close-knit group of guys that played a lot of sports together and caused a raucous on occassion. We had also just come from Phi Psi, which, to most of us, was the best house on campus. A guy that graduated a year ahead of me in high school was a Phi Psi and although I originally had no interest in going Greek, he was the one that changed my mind. The second we were seated at Pi Kapp, one of the brothers started ripping on JoeJoe, a kid that lived across the hall from me, for wearing a Notre Dame hat. Now, to be fair, anyone wearing Notre Dame apparell deserves all the chiding he gets, but we were all friends and didn’t know this frat boy, so we weren’t amused.

The first time I met my eventual big brother was at a “Coke Date” later that fall. Coke dates were when the active brothers would take out potential rushees and try to impress them enough so that they would come back for Formal Rush in January. They were named as such because you weren’t allowed to have alcohol present for these events. For my coke date, my big came and picked me up at my dorm and we went to Hole in the Wall bar. There I met G-Lowe, Bally, Nine-O and Fitz. I’m not sure who else was present. Either way, we shot some pool and I beat my big in bubble hockey, that's all I really remember. I had a good time and was starting to reverse my feelings from that day of open house.

As my big drove me back to my dorm, he told me that they were having a formal brotherhood dinner at the house a couple of days later and that he wanted me to come. I agreed and he told me he would pick me up from my dorm again. The night of the dinner, he never showed. Never called. Nothing. I got a phone call the next day and he was apologized profusely for forgetting to come get me and he said that we’d go grab dinner up town some time on him. It’s ten years later and I’m still waiting for that dinner.

4. Freshman Formal
A moment that was more “big brotherly” and less humorous happened almost immediately upon joining the fraternity my freshman year. We had our formal in Indianapolis, Indiana that spring and I wanted to take my high school girlfriend, Lizzie. The problem was that she was still a senior in high school and didn’t have a car, and neither did I, so the four hour trip to Oxford was going to be a challenge.

My dad agreed to drive her halfway, and my big brother agreed to take me to Columbus to get her. We hitched another ride from someone, Darb I think, to Indianapolis, and then when I asked my big if he could take us back to Oxford, he said, “Sure, but we’re leaving the top down so I hope you don’t mind getting your faces blown off.” Cute. The top stayed up because it was freezing, but the point of the story is how a few guys went out of their way to help a brother out. I hadn't known these guys for very long, but already it felt like home thanks to guys like my big.

The entire weekend was capped off with a trip with Lizak all the way to Cleveland and back to drop her off. We stopped at my parents for dinner and finally hit Oxford at about 2:00 am. Amazingly, we made it the whole weekend without any traffic violations. That is, until I got pulled over in the fraternity house driveway for going 36 in a 25 on Spring Street. Are you kidding me?

5. What does DG mean to you?
The story I was going to put in this spot has to do with a walkie-talkie and the voice of God, but I have a strong feeling that everyone reading this knows who my big brother is and most of you already know the story. For those that don’t, ask your significant others, I don’t want to be the one to tell you.

Instead, I’ll give you this brief one that I wasn’t present for, but heard about during pledging. Delta Gamma sorority has a pledge event every year called “Anchor King.” It’s somewhat of a beauty pageant for the pledges in the fraternities on campus, except it’s more of a popularity contest than anything. There is a talent portion and then they give each contestant a question to answer on stage. My big was our representative when he was pledging and apparently his question was, “What does DG mean to you?”

His answer: “Dorky Gongola.”

Something leads me to believe this wasn’t the answer they were looking for.


“Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed.”

This section will be dedicated to some of the classic lines spit out by my big brother. Feel free to post your own favorite stories or lines in the comments section.

Cash is King.
Seriously.
Do you want to go practice making babies?
Do you want to practice kissing?
My girlfriend fell off a cliff and died on impact. It was tragic.
Do you want to hold hands with interlocking fingers?

The Welsh Wizard

Ryan Giggs, my all-time favorite soccer player, stepped onto the pitch for a Manchester United club record 759th time today. He came on as a substitute replacing Paul Scholes in the 87th minute, passing Sir Bobby Charlton for the Red Devils' appearances record.

The record was broken in the Champion's League Final against Chelsea, the first All-England final in the tournament's history. He came on near the end of regulation in a 1-1 tie and immediately created a couple of scoring chances before the whistle blew to send it into extra time. Two periods of extra time couldn't produce a result, so the game went on to penalty kicks.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed his kick, the third attempt for United, and it appeared all but over when John Terry, England and Chelsea captain stepped to the mark with the score tied at four and only his kick remaining. United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar guessed wrong, but Terry's shot missed the goal completely and ManU were given a new life.

After the teams traded goals with the sixth kick, none other than the man himself, the Welsh Wizard, Ryan Giggs, stepped to the mark and buried his shot in the lower right hand corner of the net for a 6-5 lead. Nicolas Anelka then took his turn in an attempt to tie the score again, but this time Van der Sar guessed correctly and turned the shot aside.

Manchester United have won the Double, the Premier League Championship and the Champion's League Final, their first such feat since winning the Treble back in 1999. Congratulations to the Red Devils, but especially to Ryan Giggs. Thank you for 18 memorable years of service on the wing for United and for finishing a spectacular game with a victory against Chelsea. I hope you make it a 19th season so I can come out to Old Trafford and finally see you play in person!

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 5

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC vs. Chicago Tanks FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, May 18, 2008
9:45 AM
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Weather: 49, medium wind (N-S)

Starting Lineup:
F Matt Greenhalgh
F Jamelle McCreary
M Eric Manos
M Danny Carver
M Rudy Schaser
M Mike Burg
D Brian Black
D Jimmy Rosenfeld
D Ben Bartholomay
D Michael Soroosh
GK Brian Stock ©

Reserves:
M John O'Connell
F/M Brandon Caputo
M Corey Mase
D/M Kevin Sorbe

Recap:
For the first time since I can remember, I started a game on the bench. It was a nice break after a rough game last week, not much free time to get a run or bike ride in, and then having a little too much booze at the Gongola wedding on Saturday night. To be honest, if this was a couple of years ago I probably wouldn’t have even made it to the game. Maybe I’ve gotten more responsible in my old age. Before I stepped on the field we got a quick goal. A shot from distance by Rudy Schaser that looked as though it should have been a routine save popped free and Mike Burg beat the keeper to the loose ball and knocked it home. The Tanks responded fairly quickly with a goal of their own and that’s when I entered the game for the first time.

About fifteen minutes later we traded penalty kicks on two horrific calls by the referee. The first went our way on a handball that may or may not have been intentional, which Matt Greenhalgh calmly converted for his team leading fifth goal of the season. One of the defenders was complaining pretty heavily about the call, I probably would have been too, but I just told him to relax; “What goes around comes around.” Sure enough, the Tanks got a penalty kick of their own about a minute later on what could only be described as a make-up call. The Tanks forward entered the penalty area near the goal line, an impossible angle to score from. He lost his balance and went down near our biggest and strongest defender, Jimmy Rosenfeld. Even though he went down on his own power, the penalty kick was awarded and the Tanks tied the score up at two.

About ten minutes later we got a throw in deep in the Tanks end and Jimmy came up from his sweeper position to take the throw. His throws are like corner kicks and this one traveled perfectly to Danny Carver’s head as he made a near post run. Danny beat his defender to the ball and flicked it past the goalkeeper and just inside the back post for what would eventually be the game winning goal, but at the time was merely a 3-2 halftime lead.

I started the second half in my old spot at right midfield, where I’d made my home for the two previous seasons in the league, and immediately made a few plays. The left midfielder for Tanks was a step or two slower than me, which allowed me to take advantage of a couple of his mental lapses and create some chances on the wing. I quickly ran out of gas, as there is much more fitness required to play on the wing than there is up top, but not before I beat him to a cross that had been broken up near the top of the penalty box. I knocked it down and found my new favorite strike partner, Jamelle McCreary, who was standing all alone near the penalty spot. He tapped it around the goalkeeper and into the net for a 4-2 lead. About twenty minutes later our favorite over-40 player, John O’Connell, blasted home a weak clearance attempt for the final tally in a 5-2 win.

Man of the Match: Dan Carver

Match Day 5 Goals:
Mike Burg (unassisted)
Matt Greenhalgh (PK)
Dan Carver (Jimmy Rosenfeld)
Jamelle McCreary (Brandon Caputo)
John O'Connell (unassisted)

Record: 1-1-2
5 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 15
GA: 14

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
5 – Matt Greenhalgh
4 – Danny Carver
2 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Mike Burg
1 – John O'Connell

Assists:
3 – Rudy Schaser
2 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld

Three Ass Dribble Outs

Asdrúbal Cabrera, the second baseman for the Cleveland Indians, accomplished one of the rarest feats in baseball last night; the unassisted triple play. With runners at first and second and nobody out, Cliff Lee got Lyle Overbay to hit a low line drive back up the middle. The runners were in motion for a hit and run, but Cabrera made the diving stop, stepped on the bag at second and then tagged out Marco Scutaro to end the 5th inning.

The other comparable rarities in baseball are the four home run game by a single player (13 times) and the perfect game (17 times.) However, these other two rare plays require a great deal of skill along with a little luck. The unassisted triple play is virtually all luck. Only twice has the trick not been turned by a middle infielder, and both of those instances were by first basemen. Every time the play has happened, it was virtually the same play. The ball was caught on a line drive and either the second or third out was forced by tagging second base. The other out was always recorded by tagging the runner.

It was just the fourteenth unassisted triple play in the history of the game. However, it was the third time a member of our Tribe has pulled it off making the Indians the only team with three such feats. Neal Ball made the first unassisted triple play in the modern era way back in 1909 when the Indians were still called the Cleveland Naps after star player, Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie. Bill Wambsganss then turned the only one in the history of the World Series back in 1920 against the Brooklyn Dodgers, who at the time was still called the Brooklyn Robins. Amazingly, the Indians have also hit into three unassisted triple plays, making them involved in 43% of all such plays in the history of the game. Quite a feat. There was also an unassisted triple play that happened back in the 19th century that is debated because the rules would not allow the play to have happened by the time Ball turned his in 1909. That would have made fifteen.

Last night’s triple play happened in the second game of a double-header, which the Indians lost 3-0. However, Cliff Lee threw nine innings of shut out baseball before Rafael Betancourt gave up three in the 10th. In the first game of the double dip, the Tribe won 3-0 behind nine shut out innings from Fausto Carmona. In that game, Cabrera hit a home run and turned two dazzling double plays while playing shortstop. Quite a day for “Ass-dribble,” huh?

Interesting piece of trivia that I heard on SportsCenter last night that I will have to confirm, Asdrúbal Cabrera is the fourth person in history to hit a home run and turn an unassisted triple play on the same day. If you ask me, that’s pretty remarkable considering the circumstances. Second base and shortstop have not always been a traditional power hitting position. For four of the fourteen players to have also homered the same day would seem extremely coincidental to me.

Here are all of the unassisted triple plays in the modern era:
1909 SS Neal Ball – Cleveland Naps
1920 2B Bill Wambsganss – Cleveland Indians
1923 1B George Burns – Boston Red Sox
1923 SS Ernie Padgett – Boston Braves
1925 SS Glenn Wright – Pittsburgh Pirates
1927 SS Jimmy Cooney – Chicago Cubs
1927 1B Johnny Neun – Detroit Tigers
1968 SS Ron Hansen – Washington Senators
1992 2B Mickey Morandini – Philadelphia Phillies
1994 SS John Valentine – Boston Red Sox
2000 2B Randy Velarde – Oakland Athletics
2003 SS Rafael Furcal – Atlanta Braves
2007 SS Troy Tulowitzki – Colorado Rockies
2008 2B Asdrúbal Cabrera – Cleveland Indians

Because MLB is a bunch of d-bags, you can't get the video on youtube.com. But you can find it here. Enjoy.

Another Attempt at Consistency

Good afternoon readers!

I'm going to try to keep this post short and sweet, but I just wanted to give a brief update on what's been going on in my life instead of all the sports posts lately.

First of all, I added a new feature called "Monday Morning Striker." To better keep track of our soccer season, and to get more consistent posts out of me other than the Top Fives, I decided to put up an unofficial match report after our games. It will include some personal commentary on ow I'm doing as I try to work my way back in shape after my first real leg injury of my 24-year amateur career in soccer. At the end of last season I suffered a 2nd degree ankle sprain (maybe even worse, I only went to see the trainer with the Chicago Fire a couple of times so I don't know for sure) and I'm just now getting into the swing of things. I'll also keep track of all of our teams goals and our record as we try to improve on last season and move up from the 1st Division to the Open Division. So if you look at the post just before this one, you'll see the report from yesterday's game. You can also click here and find the back dated reports from the first three match days of the season.

In other news, Mrs. Sizemore and I skipped town this weekend and went with my friend Julie from work to her Aunt's lake house in Beverly Shores, Indiana. It was a little chilly, but very relaxing. When we got in Friday night we just sat around and had a few drinks. Julie and her boyfriend, Lucho, had never played "Asshole" before, so we taught them that. As the night wore on and Mrs. Sizemore had a few too many Coronas, the song "The Heart of Rock and Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News came on the old iPod. I was singing along because I love that song, and since I hadn't heard in quite some time, I screwed up and came in a verse too early with the "...in Cleveland..." line. Mrs. Sizemore immediately started arguing that those weren't the words and the following line was uttered:

"If they say the word Cleveland in this song I promise I will become a Cleveland Indians fan."

Sure enough, in the last refrain, that's exactly what they say. Before going to bed, she sat at the kitchen counter with her head in her hands crying. There is now one less member of Red Sox Nation. Thank God.

Saturday morning we woke up and she didn't remember her losing bet the night before, but Julie and Lucho confirmed my story as we ate breakfast. The weather was just nice enough that we decided to get on the bikes. Mrs. Sizemore had still not been up on the bike for real, so we took her out on the back roads where there wasn't any cars. She did well for her first time and I think she went along way to get over her fears of crashing. Julie and Lucho road her aunt and uncle's bikes, which we thought were just going to be huffy 10-speeds. Apparently her uncle has been known to go all out from time to time. I realized this fully when I noticed the bike was a Trek Madone 5.0. Not exactly Lance Armstrong's Madone 6.9 or whatever the hell he is riding these days, but still a $2,800 bike. I hopped on and took it for a little test spin. Nice. Smoothest ride I've ever felt; I couldn't even tell if there was a chain on the bike it was so easy to pedal.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 4

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC @ Highlanders FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, May 11, 2008
9:45 AM
Elgin, Illinois
Weather: 45, rain, medium to high wind (N-S)

Starting Lineup:
F Kevin McCormick ©
F Brandon Caputo
M Phil McMaster
M Danny Carver
M Rudy Schaser
M Cory Mase
D Brian Black
D Jimmy Rosenfeld
D Ben Bartholomay
D Keith O’Connell
GK Brian Stock

Reserves:
M Kenny McCormick
M Mike Burg

Recap:
A slow start all around for our team led to an early goal for the home squad, but we answered back with two Danny Carver strikes within the first half an hour of the match. A penalty kick was awarded in the final ten minutes that leveled the game at 2-2 heading into the break.

The pouring rain and soggy field led to a first half that produced goals, but was fairly poor all around. We didn’t hold very much possession and the strategy seemed to be to play the ball over the top with the wind at our backs. However, With Kevin and I at striker, there wasn’t much hope in winning a long ball in the air and we were reduced to chasing most of the half. Personally, my legs felt heavy from the get-go and my short studs left me unable to cut or change direction and I couldn’t get anything going.

In the second half, they scored twice within the first ten minutes on shots that would have been difficult to stop by any goalkeeper. They controlled the possession for the remainder of the match, but we did get a couple of scoring opportunities that we failed to put home. All around, probably my worst match of the season to date. The week off, the weather, and all the wine I drank over the weekend at our friend’s lake house in Beverly Shores, Indiana were probably the biggest culprits to my shortcomings.

Man of the Match: Dan Carver

Match Day 4 Goals:
Danny Carver (Rudy Schaser)
Danny Carver (Rudy Schaser)

Record: 0-1-2
2 pts. – Tied for 4th Place
GF: 10
GA: 12

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
4 – Matt Greenhalgh
3 – Danny Carver
1 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo

Assists:
3 – Rudy Schaser
1 – Brandon Caputo

Top Five Fridays: Hispanic Athletes

This is my regular feature called Top Five Fridays. Here I'll list some of my favorite things like, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut.

This past Monday was Cinco de Mayo. For those that think the 5th of May is Mexican Independence Day, you would be wrong. That is a common misconception amongst Americans as the actual day is September 16th. Cinco de Mayo is more a regional holiday in the state of Puebla celebrating the victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is celebrated throughout much of the world as a day of pride for Mexican heritage.

This year Mrs. Sizemore, her cousin (Giggles,) Giggles' boyfriend (Gabe) and O-face came over to our house for some Cinco de Drinko and we ate homemade tacos and drank way too many Coronas and margaritas for a Monday night. Mrs. Sizemore is an excellent cook. If you haven't been to her cooking blog, check it out. There will be recipes from the evening up soon...or so she says.

Anyways, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, today I present you with my...

Top 5 Favorite Hispanic Athletes to Watch

Note: I promise there will be a non-Top Five Fridays post soon, I've just been too busy.

1. Omar Vizquel
Surprised? Didn't think so.

The best all-around shortstop of all time. I know that's bold, but I'm throwing it out there.

There have certainly been better hitters at the position; Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada in his era alone. Still, his .274 career average, better than average speed, ability to bunt and move runners along and his lack of strikeouts make him well above the median for the position over baseball's history. Of the top defensive shortstops already in the Hall of Fame, only Luis Aparicio and Pee Wee Reese were better hitters. Phil Rizzuto would be in the conversation.

Only one shortstop really compares defensively, and that's Ozzie Smith. The Wizard had a slightly better range and more speed, but I'll take Omar's glove and arm. Most people would take Ozzie, but I'll take Omar if for nothing else than how fun it was to watch him in Cleveland. Bare handed plays, diving stops in the hole, leaping over sliding base runners to turn a double play, flipping the ball with his glove...and he made it all look so incredibly easy.

On top of that, he is the single biggest reason my sister starting watching baseball. I'll take it. All I could find was this highlight video from his last couple season in San Francisco. It doesn't do him justice.



2. Cuauhtémoc Blanco
It's rare for me to hate an athlete this much. Derek Jeter. Isiah Thomas. Tim Biakabutuka. Really hated him. I always thought of him as a dive artist, worst than the Italian and Portuguese national teams combined. I thought he was such a showboat every time he scored against the United States. Notice the past tense though. He signed with the Chicago Fire in the spring of 2007 and upon his arrival I immediately saw why he is a folk hero to the Mexican people. Blanco is one of those guys that you hate to play against, but when he's on your team you love him.

His famous move, the "Cuauhtémiña" (otherwise known as the Blanco Bounce) is goofy, but fun to watch. His skill on the ball leaves you holding your breath thinking that something brilliant could happen at any moment. His celebratory pose of prehistoric ruler Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc after goals is ridiculous, but crowd pleasing. Mrs. Sizemore even gave the iconic Aztec warrior pose to a group of Mexicans wearing Blanco jerseys during the Chicago Marathon last year. I'm sure they were confused why a silly white girl loved Blanco, but its not hard to figure out if you watch him play for the Fire. And as for the diving, well, he doesn't dive as much as I thought he did. Sure, he exaggerates a ton when he goes to the ground, but he absolutely gets fouled more than any soccer player I've ever seen. He has an uncanny ability to shift his body at the last second to get between the defender and the ball and usually gets hammered as a result.


3. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro could have easily been in the number one spot, but I just couldn't stick him there having never seen him play in person. Just 23 years old, he is already considered by many to be the most dangerous attacker in the world. As it turns out, "Ronaldo" is a relatively rare name in Portugal. His father named him after Ronald Reagan. After reading bit of trivia, I immediately decided that Ronaldo is my third favorite footballer after Ryan Giggs and Brian McBride.

This video should put his brilliance into perspective for you. It doesn't even include some of the simply ridiculous goals he's put in during the current season.


4. Anthony Gonzalez
Sure, there are more accomplished Hispanic athletes out there. There are certainly even guys out there that I would pay more money to watch. But Gonzo was a Buckeye and the season that he and Ted Ginn, Jr. put together with Troy Smith as the Heisman winning quarterback was my favorite to watch. It all came to a crashing halt in the BCS title match with Florida, but for 12 weeks in the fall of 2006, I was on the edge of my seat expecting something brilliant with every snap. He's a hard worker, great route runner and has very deceptive speed. By deceptive, I mean that you wouldn't think it by looking at him, but he can flat out fly.

It all started in the 2005 Michigan game when Gonzalez made the miraculous catch after the mad scramble by Smith on the final drive. It carried over into 2006 when most opponents decided to focus more of their attention on the track star, Ginn. A-Gone made them pay for it and parlayed his success into a first round draft pick with the Indianapolis Colts. With Marvin Harrison getting older and his questionable personal decisions putting him into the law's eye, Gonzalez could be the guy that steps into a huge role receiving passes from Peyton Manning. Meanwhile, Ginn is with the fledgling Dolphins and Smith is with a pathetic Ravens offense and not even being given a chance to show what he's capable of. Looks like the second half of the 7-Eleven duo is the one who will remain "always open."

In fact, because he's a Buckeye, here are two videos:




5. Manny Ramirez
Simply put, Manny Ramirez is the best all-around hitter the game of baseball has seen since Ted Williams. Power, average, patience, driving the ball to the opposite field, runners in scoring position, game on the line, regular season or playoffs....all of it. It was a sad day in Cleveland when he left for the Boston Red Sox as a free agent in 2000. It was probably the first real step of the eventual rebuilding project that would begin in 2002. We ad a good idea that he would bolt when his contract was up, but everyone thought it would be for the New York Yankees, his hometown team.

By now, you've all heard the expression, "Manny being Manny." Ramirez makes some pretty bone-headed plays in the outfield and while running the bases. He's aloof. But whatever it is that causes these mental lapses, attention deficit disorder or just plain stupidity, it's also what makes him such a great hitter. That is, at least, if you ask me.

I feel like when Manny is at the plate, he's so ADD that he completely forgets what he did yesterday. He forgets about his last at bat. I'm sure he probably doesn't even remember what the last pitch was half the time. See ball. Hit ball. It's that simple. Sure, he has a tremendous swing and I'm positive that he spends plenty of time in the batting cages. But in "clutch" situations, he isn't thinking about how the pitcher is approaching him at the plate, he's just seeing a pitch and trying to drive it.

And because he left the Tribe for greener pastures, and by green I mean a crap load of money, he doesn't get a video. My apologies to Mrs. Sizemore and all you silly Sawx fans. Just be glad one of your boys made my list.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Pedro Martinez - Before Ronaldo and Blanco came into my life, Pedro would have been on there. My two favorite Pedro quotes of all time are the following:

"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass..."

"They beat me. They're that good right now. They're that hot. I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy."

Roberto Alomar - See my Top 5 Favorite Cleveland Indians post for an explanation.
Oscar De La Hoya - I'm not a huge boxing fan, but this guy is the poo. Not only is he one of the greatest non-heavyweight fighters of all time, but he is a 25% owner of the Houston Dynamo of MLS. Also, according to his website, he is NOT the uncle of Daisy De La Hoya from VH1's Rock of Love 2 with Bret Michaels.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 3

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC Bye Week
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, May 4, 2008

Record: 0-0-2
2 pts. – Tied for 4th Place
GF: 8
GA: 8

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
4 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Danny Carver
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo

Assists:
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Rudy Schaser

Top Five Fridays: Sporting Events to Attend

This is my regular feature called Top Five Fridays. Here I'll list some of my favorite things like, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut.

This weekend is one of the premier sporting events in the world and also one of the most unique, the Kentucky Derby. Horseracing isn’t a sport that is in the spot light on a daily basis like football, baseball, and basketball. It’s not even like golf or car racing where there are events almost every weekend, but most people just tune in for the major ones. It’s really just one major day (the Derby,) one semi-major day (the Preakness Stakes,) and one typically unimportant day (the Belmont Stakes.) Let’s be honest, the only way I’m watching the final event of the Triple Crown is if there is a horse that has already won the first two legs. And other than the enthusiasts and gambling addicts, nobody is watching a run of the mill horse race.

Personally, I’ve always wanted to get to the Kentucky Derby, but so far I’ve had to settle for going to “Derby Parties.” This is where we get an inordinate amount of guys coming into J. Crew to find an outfit that screams, “I’m a yuppie asshole.” Seersucker suits, madras ties, white suede shoes, and leather moccasins. And for the girls? Pretty sun dresses and big hats. We all descend upon a bar or an apartment and sip mint juleps and spend an entire day getting drunk and acting like rich people. It’s something you would find on Stuff White People Like. We have entire parties like this for a race that takes two minutes to finish. Good times.

As much as I want to actually head to Churchill Downs one day, it got me to thinking. So now, I present you with the…

Top 5 Sporting Events that I Want to Attend

Note: For this list I decided to exclude things like OSU-Michigan football, Duke-North Carolina basketball, etc. I’m sticking to the major championships, races, all-star games, etc. where billions of people tune in. As always, feel free to chime in with comments about what events you’d want to attend. Without further Freddy Adu….

1. World Cup Finals

I’d like to think that this is a no-brainer if you’ve ever met me. Soccer has been the love of my life for a quarter century and this is the most watched single sporting event in the world. And for you knuckleheads that think it’s the Super Bowl, you are so wrong that you should be committed. An estimated 715.1 million people viewed the 2006 Final match compared to the roughly 140 million people that tuned into the Super Bowl, and that’s just the final. The entire event draws in over 26 billion viewers.

One thing that makes it unique is that it only happens every four years. Another is that it’s truly a “World Championship.” Only the best players for the best nations in the world get to compete. And almost every country plays the beautiful game, unlike football, baseball and basketball. This is the one championship game that I really wouldn’t care what teams are competing. I wouldn’t care how crappy my seats where either, just being in the building would be enough. There have only been 18 World Cup Finals in the history of the event. It’s the culmination of two years of qualifying matches, and then a month long 32-team tournament.

And here is one final nugget for you: the reason the World Cup was invented in 1930 was because the Olympics didn’t host a soccer tournament in the 1932 Los Angeles game. The reason? They didn’t think it would be popular enough in the United States. The Americans went on to finish third in the inaugural event.

2. BCS Championship/Rose Bowl

I decided to lump these two events together and place them at number two. It’s my list; I’ll do as I please. While I would honestly rather attend either of these events before anything else other than the World Cup Final, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to get there if Ohio State or Miami University (never going to happen) weren’t in the game.

Next to soccer, however, college football is my second favorite sport. In January of 2003 when Ohio State upset the Miami Hurricanes I had several offers to go. It was my first year out of college and I was just finishing up my internship with the Chicago Bulls. I didn’t yet know that I would be hired full-time and I didn’t have the cash to get there and stay in a hotel. This past year, after Ohio State beat Michigan, Mrs. Sizemore and I thought for a second about trying to get to the Rose Bowl. Ultimately money, and an outside chance that the Buckeyes would still be in line to go to the National Championship again, swayed us not to.

The ideal scenario for me would be to have the Bucks in a BCS title match being played in the Rose Bowl. I think I would spare no expense to make that happen.

3. The Kentucky Derby

I’ll be honest about this one; I don’t really know the first thing about horse racing. I know a few things about betting and I always pay attention during the week of the event to the starting gates, the odds and the genetic lineage of the favorites. Maybe if I knew a little more I would pay closer attention and actually watch other horse races besides the Triple Crown. Maybe not.

In the mean time, it remains one of the events that I would love to get to. It seems to be one of those places that people go to just to be seen. It’s kind of my dream to head down to Kentucky with a seersucker suit and a beautiful girl with a pretty dress and a big hat on my arm.

It’s too bad that horse racing has suffered in recent years. I feel that it became popular because of the gambling, but as our country has advanced technologically and socially, gambling has become widespread in other areas and legal all over. As this happened, the American gambler drifted to other sports betting and fantasy sports instead of the tracks.

However, the Triple Crown remains a coveted feat and being the first leg of the event, the “Run for the Roses” has become the most popular. I believe I heard this morning that this year’s event at Churchill Downs will be the 134th running of the race and that it draws over 150,000 fans into the venue.

Here is a fun story to leave you with. As I mentioned in the intro, every year during this week men flock to J. Crew to purchase outfits for Derby Day. Last night we had this Asian lawyer named Jonathan come in who was flying to Louisville first thing this morning and going to the track. By this point, we have flat out run out of sizes of all of our seer sucker, madras, chino suiting, you name it. He told us that he wore a seersucker suit to the Derby last year, so this year he was looking at our Italian Chino Suit in the wheat khaki color. We had the pants in his size, but not the jacket.

After calling all of our Chicago area stores with no luck for a 40R, our next thought was the Louisville store. He could pay over the phone and pick it up when he got to town. Unfortunately, we were told, they don’t carry ANY men’s suiting. WHAAAA? I mean, it’s Louisville, right? The city where the Kentucky Derby takes place? If I were Mickey Drexler, I would make sure this store was stocked, if only for the month of April. Seems like a tremendously missed opportunity, no?

4. Tour de France

“Le Tour” has lost some of its luster in recent years. Lance Armstrong retired from professional cycling after a record seven consecutive wins. Doping scandals have rocked the sport to the point where a champion has been striped of a title and another has been banned from defending his title this year. Entire teams have been removed during the race. The French media have made it their personal mission to bring down Armstrong and have accused him of more rampant performance enhancing drug use than the American media has done to Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds combined.

Still, as an amateur cyclist and the son of parent who was killed by cancer, I love the story “Mellow Johnny” and have become enthralled by the sport in recent years. My biggest regret from college, aside from not partying more and having more “relations,” is that I never participated in our national fraternity’s biggest charity event, the Journey of Hope. JOH is a 63-day cycling event that takes the boys and their support vehicles on three separate routes from the Pacific Ocean all the way to the Capital Building in Washington, D.C. all in the name of Push America. Push is our philanthropy, started by Pi Kappa Phi’s, which raises money and awareness for people with disabilities.

Back to the Tour, I’m not sure if there is one particular stage I would like to visit. Cycling is a difficult spectator sport because you can really only watch your rider for about 15 seconds each day. If I had a chance to see Lance, I would have loved to see him on the Champs-Élysées in Paris or in an individual time trial stage. Of course I would want to try the time trial myself the following day. I’ve also had a dream to get the route and ride a mountain stage in the Alps, though I imagine that would be very painful and take an entire day. Maybe just the ascent.

5. Stanley Cup Finals, Game 7

There are plenty of other great sporting events out there that I could have put in the fifth spot, but to me, there is nothing as exciting as a game seven. And there is no professional sports tournament in North America that compares to the excitement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I know that hockey isn’t what it used to be, and I know that it isn’t the best TV sport out there. But being there and seeing “Lord Stanley’s Mug” enter the building carried by the men with the NHL suits and white gloves…that is excitement. Of course, if the St. Louis Blues ever make it back to the finals, I’ll probably try to get to a game, but game sevens are rare and the tension is unmatched.

The Cup itself is the only trophy of the major team sports in North America where they don’t present a new one to the winner every year. The winning team will drink their champagne from it, skate the rink with it, and then each member of the organization gets to take it home with them for a period of time before returning it to be presented to the next winner. The names of all the players and coaches are also engraved on the rings. When the bottom ring is full, the top ring is removed and taken to the Hall of Fame. A new bottom ring is then installed as the others move up one spot.

The Governor General of Canada Lord Stanley of Preston donated the Cup in 1892 and the NHL has been using it as it’s trophy since 1926. Prior to that it was awarded to the top-ranking amateur ice hockey club in Canada and then for about a decade to the winner between the various professional leagues starting in 1914. There have only been thirteen game sevens in the NHL era, but four of the last six have been decided that way.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Daytona 500 – I know, it’s NASCAR. It’s considered the “Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing,” but its also the first major event every season. Interesting.
Super Bowl – Okay, I’ll probably take from flack for not including this in the top five, but I like watching this on TV for the replays and the commercials.
World Series – The Indians and Cubs in the 2008 version. I hope. Go Tribe.
PGA Masters – Following Tiger around for the day would be pretty cool. Or just camping out on the 18th for the Final Round.
Final Four – I love the tournament, like college basketball (for a month or two,) and I imagine this would be a fun thing to be at. It’s at the bottom because it’s the easiest major event to get a ticket for. Just camp out at the semifinal and buy tickets from the losing team's fans.