Manchester United’s 12th EPL Title: Cementing Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs As Two of the Best Ever

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On Saturday at Ewood Park, home of the Blackburn Rovers, Manchester United sealed its 19th English Premier League title with a 1-1 tie. With their 19th, the Red Devils moved past Liverpool for most Premier League championships in history. It is also Sir Alex Ferguson’s 12th title since taking over the team in 1986. In fact, the whole city of Manchester was celebrating Saturday as Manchester City wrapped up the FA Cup title with a 1-0 win over Stoke City.

Ferguson has become one of the most revered head coaches in soccer’s history. Since he won his first title in the 1992-1993, Ferguson has replaced the various departures with guys that have filled roles perfectly, mixing and matching to put the best team on the field day in day out.

Ferguson is looking for his 24th first place finish as manager of Man. U. when it plays Barcelona on May 28th in the UEFA Champions League final.

Ferguson is looking for his 24th first place finish as manager of Man. U. when it plays Barcelona on May 28th in the UEFA Champions League final.

He has dealt with young prolific stars like David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. He has also had the benefit of having elite players who had a strong allegiance to United like Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane. All of these players came up through the ranks and at the start of the 1995-1996 season, they began their time as regulars for Manchester United and some for the English national team as well. Beckham went on to worldwide stardom for his physics-defying bending free kicks while Keane and the Neville brothers eventually moved on after a string of championships and runner ups, both in the EPL and the various other European tournaments.

The one player who has been there from the very first of Ferguson’s titles and is still here after this last one is Ryan Giggs. Brought up to the senior team in the 1990, he only had a few appearances but showed flashes of brilliance. He started the next season as a regular and won his first of 12 EPL titles in the ’92-’93 season, his second full season. One might compare him to David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, coming up towards the end of the season and showing flashes of brilliance and then immediately taking over as one of the leaders on the field in their first full seasons. This year, he has reinvented himself as a key part of this team that went 22-4-11 while not losing any games at home. In addition to winning the EPL, they could win the UEFA Champions League title on May 28th when they face off against Lionel Messi and his Barcelona club. Giggs has arguably been the team MVP, especially the last two months while securing the league championship and rumbling through the round of 16, the quarterfinals and the semifinals of the Champions League. It has seemed that almost every goal scored, every run, every scoring chance has involved the 37 year-old midfielder. He, along with Nani and Chicharito have become the glue to this team’s attack. His leadership on and off the field has become an example for every kid who wants to play professional soccer, whether a Red Devil supporter or not.

Ryan Giggs looks to write his name in the history books once again when he faces Barcelona on May 28th.

Ryan Giggs looks to write his name in the history books once again when he faces Barcelona on May 28th.

With 12 EPL titles (more than any other player in history), 21 first place trophies or medals (and possibly 22 after May 28th) and countless more runner up appearances, Giggs is probably the most decorated British player ever. His ability to stay healthy even into his late 30s is remarkable as well. He is the only player to have played and scored in every season of the Premier League since it’s inception in 1992 and is also the first player to score in 11 consecutive Champions League seasons.

His legacy as a United player will be right up there with Sir Bobby Charlton and his legacy as a soccer player will be viewed with some of the best in the world. Never flashy and not known for 5-million Youtube views type runs like Maradona or Pele, just solid. Always where he needs to be and always putting the team above himself.

What is amazing as well is that he is not particularly well-known in the United States the way Ronaldo, Rooney or Messi are. The relatively new soccer culture (in comparison with the rest of the world) feeds off the highlight reel goals of the trio mentioned above. A player like Giggs, whose off the ball movement is paramount to his game has not been able to get the same type of recognition. What people will start to notice hopefully are his 12 EPL titles and 21 first place finishes. No North American athlete has racked up that many titles in a team sport ever, let alone combining international tournaments. The closest are Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics and Henri Richard of the Montreal Canadiens, both will 11 titles. This type of hardware should start to turn heads sometime soon. With the highly anticipated Champions League final just a week and a half away, maybe the American sports media will begin to give him the hype he deserves.

1-A-Week to Get Your Blood Pumping

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This post is for those who have no team to root for (looking at you LA area folks) or for those who just can’t figure out which game they want to watch with their NFL League Pass on their 50″ HDTV’s.

Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at NY Jets: Rex Ryan goes up against his brother Rob Ryan, d-coordinator of the America’s Team on September 11th. On the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, look for flags to be in abundance (not that they ever aren’t at a football game) and security to be in even more abundance.

Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons: Michael Vick coming back to Atlanta for the first time, ’nuff said.

Week 3: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: Rematch of last year’s NFC championship game. Bears fans will be out in full force and you know Urlacher and the boys want some serious revenge.

Week 4: NY Jets at Baltimore Ravens: Always a hard fought matchup. Ray Lewis and co. want to beat Rex and Rex wants to rub it in their faces. Expect some entertaining trash talk in the week leading up to the game.

Week 5: NY Jets at New England: Sorry for being a homer, picking the Jets for three games already, but how could you not pick it? New England wants to win so badly and the Jets

Rex Ryan is looking to fulfill his Super Bowl guarantees after falling a game short two years in a row.

Rex Ryan is looking to fulfill his Super Bowl guarantees after falling a game short two years in a row.

want to make an early statement as the AFC East favorite (for all those non-believers of course); tensions will run high. (Byes start this week for all those who care).

Week 6: Buffalo Bills at NY Giants: Wide right rematch. Ryan Lindell beware.

Week 7: Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints: Rematch of Super Bowl XLIV, two of the best quarterbacks in the game and global marketing icons for the NFL (even my mom knows who they are).

Week 8: New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers: A matchup of probably the best teams of the past decade, always a hard-fought and amazing game. Also, Heinz Field will have just begun the defense of its reputation as the worst playing surface in the NFL; look for emerging divots and an abundance of brown spots…if the field isn’t covered with snow yet that is.

Week 9: NY Giants at New England Patriots/Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers: See, I’m not a homer when it comes to this piece! I hate the Patriots more than any team (except the Red Sox) and this is their 2nd pick. Couldn’t choose either, just watch both. Rematch of the One Giant Loss and Ravens vs. Steelers is always a classic.

Week 10: New England at NY Jets: JUST KIDDING!! New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons: This is the real game of the week for me as a neutral sports writer/observer.

Drew Brees holds the title of best NFC quarterback, but Ryan is a close third (with Aaron Rodgers an even closer second).

Drew Brees holds the title of best NFC quarterback, but Ryan is a close third (with Aaron Rodgers an even closer second).

Both will be trying to stake a claim as the best of the NFC South as well as momentum heading into their pivotal Week 16 matchup.

Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles at NY Giants/Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins: Matchups will decide the hierarchy of the NFC East. Also, last time Philly played in the New Meadowlands Stadium, this happened.

Week 12: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals/Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers: All the Thanksgiving Day games look like they are going to be one sided. Watch these two traditional matchups instead.

Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears: Time to check in on the Chiefs as they will be midway into their worst-stretch-in-a-schedule-ever part of the year. Hopefully for them, they won’t be too banged up.

Week 14: NY Giants at Dallas Cowboys: Classic Sunday night football matchup. Hard to tell if either team will be relevant this late in the season, but should be good either way.

Week 15: NY Jets at Philadelphia Eagles: The trio of Vick, Jackson and Maclin vs. the Jets D should be quite entertaining (if not nerve wracking for Jets fans). Jets D will show what they’re made of while Mark Sanchez will have to step up in almost certainly a high-scoring game. Vick will get his share of points; it’s up to the D to keep him in check and Sanchez to keep the Jets in the game.

Week 16: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: The only game on Sunday, Christmas Day (the bulk of the games are on Saturday). It’s a classic rivalry where both will be gunning for a playoff seed and possibly a first round bye.

Week 17: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders: Nothing more would please me than for the Raiders to play the spoiler and eliminate Philip Rivers from the playoffs.

Time for McCourt to Get Out of My Town

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A week ago on Wednesday, I headed up to Chavez Ravine to watch the Dodgers take on the Atlanta Braves. It was my time back at the stadium this season. A lot of people were wearing blue, but not Dodger Blue. Navy Blue. Thanks to an incident a few weeks ago against the Giants, police officers outnumbered the fans. Strike one: L.A. fans now have the reputation of being violent thugs. As an L.A. fan I know the drill: show up to games late and leave early. However, with Wednesday’s dismal attendance bordering on an empty stadium, gone were the old gimmicks of Bleacher Beach (the cheap seats out in left field that also come with beach balls, squirt guns, fake palm trees, and cheap tropical drinks) and “My Town” signs. Dodger Stadium resembled more of a ghost town than a Major League Stadium.

The Dodgers got up early in the first two innings, Andre Ethier hit his 100th career home run, and Jon Garland pitched the entire game. The Dodgers won. No one cared. In true L.A. fashion, most fans left the game early. The remaining fans showed no excitement. As Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” played throughout the stadium, no one sang along. Strike two: L.A. fans have lost interest in their team.

Why, on a night that should have been one of their better games this season, did Dodgers Fans show so little enthusiasm? The answer is that Bud Selig announced that day that he was removing Frank McCourt, and would appoint a member of the Commissioners Office to run the team’s day-to-day operations. Many contend that McCourt’s divorce and his poor financial decisions have been ruining the team. The team he bought for around 450 million dollars is now worth around $800 million, But McCourt has failed to pay off the loan he took out to purchase the team, and he has not put any money into the team. A sports team is a corporation, a business. As a CMCer, the econ major in me is about as angry with McCourt for his financial decisions as the Dodger fan in me is angry that my team has become the laughing stock of baseball.

Anyone who watches the Dodgers can see they are playing like an average team this year, maybe even below average. The pitching staff is doing terribly, ranging from inconsistent to consistently bad. Starter Clayton Kershaw struggles both with pitching well and winning games consistently. Closer Jonathan Broxton seems to be on the payroll of every other team in Major League Baseball. He likes to give up just enough runs to throw away the save. When he does get the save, he somehow manages to do so by only one run, despite starting with a three or four run lead. The hitting stats are not doing much better. Ethier and Matt Kemp may have a decent batting average but, again, when it comes to consistency, the rest of the team is lacking. Strike three: the players are not performing at the level that they can and should. That’s three strikes Mr. McCourt: you’re out.

Frank McCourt's time as the decision-maker for the Dodgers has come to an end, but he has left disaster in his wake.

Frank McCourt's time as the decision-maker for the Dodgers has come to an end, but he has left disaster in his wake.

Frank McCourt had once looked like he was going to help restore the Dodgers to their former glory. He led them from a struggling team to the National League West championship just two years ago. The problem is not a lack of talent, but a lack of enthusiasm. This is a team that thrives on the energy in L.A. and performs well when the players and the fans are excited. Right now, all of that is gone. The McCourts threw Los Doyers and their fans for a loop when they announced their divorce. Now, with an owner that cannot lead the team because the Commissioner of Baseball will not let him, the McCourts have created an even bigger embarrassment for the team and this city. L.A. is a city that loves champions, probably more than most. Fans here care less about sentimental value and tradition, and more about championship rings. In a city that measures success based on large paychecks and a lot of bling, being the loser just won’t cut it.

Even after striking out, McCourt is still standing in the batters box arguing with head umpire Bud Selig. He says he will fight Selig’s decision in court. That has about as much chance for a positive outcome for him as arguing with an umpire over the way he calls a pitch. He will lose and he will look foolish. Besides, he has already lost where it counts; he has lost the support of the Los Angeles fans, and he is not going to get that back. It’s the bottom of the 9th and the fans are looking for a Kirk Gibson miracle. McCourt is out. The question is, who is up next?

The 2011-2012 NFL Schedule: Winners & Losers

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Yesterday, the NFL schedule was released in the midst of the lockout and a second mediation session between the players and owners. Even though it seems likely that this season will either be canceled or delayed for at least a few weeks, the schedule has generated anticipation and analysis from plenty of places. It seems kind of silly to devote any time to a schedule that might not happen, but like everyone else, we will do it here at the CSC anyway. So now, let’s take a look at the winners and losers.

Winners

Baltimore Ravens: Coming off a year in which they ended on a heartbreaker to the dreaded Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs, the Ravens have lucked out with their schedule. Their opponents have a .457 winning percentage, second lowest in the whole league. Much of this comes from the NFC West, 4 games that Baltimore should have no problems with. No difficult games after their two west coast trips is also a welcomed break for a team whose leaders are reaching the end of their careers and are hungrier than ever for another Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh Steelers: While their opponent’s winning percentage is only .473, good for 5th lowest in the league, they do have a difficult two week stretch where they play New England and Baltimore after returning from a west coast trip to Arizona. Other than that their schedule is pretty much smooth sailing, as they play the lowly NFC West as well. Look for last year’s Super Bowl finalists to be back in a similar position as last year come playoff time.

Tennessee Titans: The good thing about playing the NFC South is that their travel schedule is very light (the farthest west they go is to Houston). The bad thing about playing the NFC South is that 3 of those 4 teams were playoff contenders last year.  They play Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, New Orleans and then Indianapolis on successive Sundays from November 18th to December 20th. This stretch could be potentially brutal if Tennessee doesn’t handle the rest of their relatively easy schedule.

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders have a tough stretch where they have to go east to play Buffalo in an early game and then come home to play the Jets and New England in successive weeks. Other than that and one other east coast trip followed by a tough opponent (Green Bay), the Raiders have a relatively easy schedule. They should be able to compete in an AFC West where every team appears to have at least a few question marks.

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons’ opponents winning percentage is .492, a bit lower than the .496 that they had last year. While that doesn’t always mean much (The Panthers had a .477 opponents winning percentage and they ended up with the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft), Matt Ryan and co. showed that they were able to take care of business in the regular season against weak teams. Their matchups against Green Bay in Week 5 after a west coast trip to Seattle the week before, Indianapolis in Week 9 after a bye week and of course their two matchups against New Orleans in weeks 10 and 16 will show whether this team is ready to get past the divisional round of the playoffs.

Losers

Carolina Panthers: Last year they went 2-14 and earned (if that’s what you want to call it) the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft. This year they get saddled with the highest opponents winning percentage in the league. Not too much could go worse for them (save for a season-ending injury to whoever their #1 pick is). They have a week 2 matchup with the defending Super Bowl champs, a week 10 game against Indianapolis and of course their division mates, New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa Bay, each twice. All three are looking to improve upon disappointing endings to their seasons so Carolina will get no mercy. I feel bad for Jimmy Clausen or (insert pricey new QB here).

Buffalo Bills: Yet another team whose season was a disaster and somehow managed to get saddled with a schedule that even Tom Brady would cringe at. They begin at Kansas City and then home for Oakland and New England. If they can make it out of these first three weeks without being 0-3 I’d say they would be happy because it doesn’t get any easier for them. Weeks 5 and 6 versus the Eagles and in New York against the Giants, a two week “break” with a bye and the Redskins followed by a brutal 4 weeks against the Jets, at Dallas, at Miami and at the Jets again. Once again I feel bad for Ryan Fitzpatrick or (insert pricey new QB here).

Detroit Lions: Yet another team that underperformed (all these teams had shaky to awful QB play last year, and all three paid a combined $12 million just last year for it (ha!)) and now has quite the tough schedule on their hands. They’ve got divisional rival (not much of a rivalry the past couple years) Chicago twice, a tough four games against the NFC South, and San Diego and Green Bay to end the season. If Matt Stafford ever lives up to his ridiculous rookie contract (I wouldn’t bet on it), this upcoming year will certainly be a start. It looks like it might be another losing season in the Lions’ books, and possibly another top 10 draft pick.

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts have the third hardest strength of schedule in the league with a .520 opponents winning percentage clip. Peyton Manning will never complain about playing tough teams because he’s Peyton Manning, but even he can admit that their schedule is pretty tough. They open up in Houston where they lost last year in week 1 34-24. They play in New Orleans week 7, one of the louder stadiums in the NFL, and then at home vs. Atlanta two weeks later with divisional foe Tennessee in between. The hardest test(s) will be weeks 13 and 14, when they go on the road to New England (in what seems like a yearly event at this point) and then Baltimore. No easy breaks for Peyton and the boys this year…

Kansas City Chiefs: If you thought any of the teams above had bad schedules, you haven’t seen Kansas City’s just yet. Look at the first 5 and one might think ‘well it isn’t too bad besides Indy’. Even the first 10 weeks, they could conceivably only lose two or three games, if they’re playing well. But that’s where the fun starts: Week 11 against the Patriots and then Pittsburgh, at Chicago, at the Jets, home for Green Bay and ending with divisional foes Oakland and at Denver. If KC makes it out of their last 7 games over .500, I’ll be impressed.

MLB Monthly Report: A-to-Z

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We’re about a month into the MLB season, and there have already been plenty of surprises and disappointments. While it is still early, I decided to break down some of the season’s developing story lines. Some of these have affected the season so far, while others’ results are yet unknown but are worth watching. Here is my A-to-Z breakdown of April 2011 of the season.

Andre Ethier – He started hot last year before a freak injury limited his effectiveness for the remainder of the year. This year, he has come out of the gates even hotter, setting an April major-league record with a 26-game hitting streak. Can he continue this impressive start?

Bautista, José – There was not a more polarizing figure in baseball last year than Bautista. His incredible home run barrage was often called a fluke, and Bautista’s value entering the season was a hot topic of debate. He has actually started this season even better than he played last year; looks like his production is for real, adding a .361 batting average to his impressive 9 HR.

Carl Crawford – The Red Sox have 142 million reasons to be disappointed thus far, as a .160/.202/.234 line is not what we expect from one of the game’s best outfielders. I expect him to turn it around and justify his big contract, helping the Red Sox compete for the division title.

Dan Haren – Always displaying incredible potential, Haren has finally captured his form and entered the ranks of the elite. His performances thus far have earned him the “ace” label.

Eastern Surprises – The Florida Marlins leading the NL East through almost four weeks was shocking. The Phillies have since overtaken them, but the Marlins have the look of contenders. In the American League, the Red Sox were the trendy pick to win the East. After a month, they are sitting in last place. Is it too early to worry?

Liriano's immense struggles have been a huge surprise this April.

Liriano's immense struggles have been a huge surprise this April.

Francisco Liriano – Many experts considered Liriano a top contender for the AL Cy Young in 2011. However, he has lost his velocity, movement, and command, leading to a 9.13 ERA and the Twins stuck in the AL Central basement.

Grady Sizemore – He’s back, ready to build on his 30/30 season from 2008. The best-looking guy in baseball is finally looking good at the plate and has Cleveland’s baseball fans and women alike getting excited again.

Hanley Ramirez – .197 batting average and zero home runs. Enough said.

Indians – Nobody was giving this team a chance, but they are leading the Central by 4.5 games and just welcomed Sizemore back to the lineup. Can this team continue to win, or will their luck run out?

Jered Weaver – He had been great for some time now, but he has now joined the upper-echelon, looking like the early AL Cy Young favorite.

Kemp, Matt - Playing like an MVP, Kemp has bounced back from a poor 2010 to recapture the form that made him one of the most promising young players in the league.

LA Takeover – Bud Selig has seized control of the Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt, and it looks like a lengthy legal battle could be in store. Only time will tell if this once-proud franchise will be restored to prominence.

Michael Pineda – The Mariners rookie has been nothing short of brilliant, already showing his ace potential. He appears to have all the tools to make the top of the Mariners’ rotation a formidable duo.

Near No Hitters – No, there haven’t actually been any. But Josh Johnson has been close on multiple occasions, and Anibal Sanchez came agonizingly close as well. Must be something in the water in Florida…

Orioles Pitchers – Zach Britton has been a revelation, Jeremy Guthrie continually gives the team a chance to win, and Brian Matusz will return from the DL in early May. This team could play spoiler late in the season.

Padres‘ Offense – They are batting near the Mendoza line as a team, and don’t really show any signs of turning things around. They have entered full-fledged rebuilding mode, and look barely competitive at the moment.

Quentin, Carlos – After years of promise and fluctuating performance, it looks like he may be ready to become the top-tier outfielder many experts believed he would. With a .294/.385/.598 line, he has thus far been the only capable White Sox hitter, while his 6 HR tie him for 15th in the majors.

Braun's contract extension has been one of the big off-field headlines so far.

Braun's contract extension has been one of the big off-field headlines so far.

Ryan Braun – Already signed through 2015, the Brewers extended his contract through 2020 for an additional $105 million. Currently leading the majors in home runs, he has overtaken Prince Fielder as the centerpiece of the franchise and the lineup’s most feared hitter.

Starlin Castro – While many analysts didn’t believe he could maintain his production, he is having a tremendous follow-up to his impressive 2010 campaign. He is still just 21 years old, meaning we still have no idea just how great he could become.

Troy Tulowitzki – There is not a better shortstop in the game today. In fact, there hasn’t been one since Alex Rodriguez moved to third base. He is garnering plenty of MVP consideration, a rare occurrence at a talent-starved position. Not to mention he has the Rockies atop the NL West despite limited production from teammate Carlos Gonzalez.

Utley, Chase – The Phillies’ star second baseman is unable to contribute to the club, yet they are still atop the NL East. Can they remain an elite team without their offensive leader, or will they miss his bat come summer?

Votto, Joey - His triple-slash line– .372/.504/.628– shows that his production has not slowed coming off an MVP-winning campaign. He also leads the league in walks and runs scored. My favorite stat? Against left-handers, he is 11-for-22; as a left-handed hitter, that creates some serious matchup issues for opposing managers.

Wild Wild West – Every team in the AL West has shown promise this season. The Rangers high-powered offense has them atop the division, while the A’s starting staff has given them a chance to win almost every day. The Angels have combined two steady aces with just enough offense, while the Mariners have a solid rotation supported by not quite enough offense.

Xavier Nady – Just kidding. Not a whole lot of options with “X.”

Yankee Surprises – Bartolo Colon is pitching like its 2005, when he led the league in wins. Russell Martin has the look of an elite catcher again, after being tossed aside in LA due to declining production. Phil Hughes has been absolutely terrible, and Rafael Soriano looks like a bust already.

Zack Greinke – The Brewers are third in the division right now; if they had Zack Greinke in the rotation, they could easily by sitting atop the NL Central. His offseason pickup basketball injury is starting to look pretty significant.