the hand of argentina

Legendary Argentinian footballer, Diego Maradona, has recently been appointed the manager of the Argentina National Football team. Maradona is known for his "Hand of God" goal to win the 1986 World Cup for his country. He is equally famous for his club going and drug-addled off-pitch lifestyle. Or one might say infamous.

Diego Maradona is now the leader of his national team off the pitch, mirroring his role as a 91 capped player on it. Maradona is to Argentinian and European football what Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer have been to their sports. He is an iconic figure, both revered and beloved worldwide.

Though Terry Butcher, former England international and current Scotland national team manager, said he would not shake the legend's hand at the end of their upcoming friendly, the same hand, allegedly, responsible for the goal that lost the cup for a win-starved England. The controversial goal looks in retrospect that Maradona touched the ball with his hand as it touched the back of the net sealing the victory for the South American side.

Butcher is not doing a struggling England side any favors from a PR standpoint. By holding a grudge for over 22 years and well beyond their playing days, it does not reflect well on a bruised national side. After failing to qualify for the 2008 Euros, English football should be looking for ways to increase positivity and not ways to dredge up old, tired and negative memories. Thanks Terry Butcher!

I want to bring up Diego Maradona and his recent battle with what seems like a dim-witted, Butcher, because imagine if Kevin McHale refused to make a trade with Michael Jordan's Charlotte Bobcats because Jordan won an NBA Championship instead of McHale's Celtics. This is the level of foolishness that Butcher is perpetrating and the quality of Maradona's legacy.

Diego Maradona is a representative of how beautiful the beautiful game can be, but he is also a symbol of what can be most destructive in the world's most popular game. His skill is cherished and his vices are villainized. But to not hold out your hand after a hard fought match because of sour grapes, well Terry Butcher, you take the cake. The sour grapes cake!

ITALIAN-american

Giuseppe Rossi was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, a New York City suburb of just under 40,000 residents. New Jersey also happens to be the birthplace of another important American in football, Bob Bradley, the head coach of the US National Team. Rossi is the son of two Italian immigrants who met in America. Both of his parents worked at Clifton High School, where Rossi was raised. Giuseppe Rossi, however, felt that his allegiance was to the country of his ancestry and not the country of his birth. This is why Rossi chose to play for the Italian National team and not the United States.

Rossi's age, experience, and performance have made him one of the most sought after footballers in Europe. Rossi has played for Serie A's Parma, English Premier League sides Manchester United and Newcastle, and is currently playing for La Liga's Villarreal, where another young American is trying to make a name for himself across the pond, former New York Red Bull Jozy Altidore. But unlike Altidore, Rossi is not trying to gain experience at a higher level to add to his ability to play well for the US National Team.

Instead, the 21 year-old Rossi chose to challenge the likes of Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino for a spot as a first team striker on the reigning World Cup Champion Italian side. Rossi had gone through the ranks of the Italian National Team, playing for the Italian under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-21 teams. He has cemented his commitment to his newly adopted nationality by gaining his first international cap (which denotes when a player plays for his national team). Rossi made his debut for the Italian senior team on October 11, 2008 against Bulgaria making him all but ineligible to play for the country of his birth.

This is one of the reasons why soccer seemingly will never be as popular on this side of the Atlantic as it is where Rossi decided to hang his "cap". If American born players choose to represent the countries of their ancestry and not the country where they were born (and in Rossi's case, where he would be the first name on the team-sheet) the sport will continue to flounder on US soil. No amount of David Beckhams or Juan Pablo Angels can change the fortunes of this wonderful game in America. It is the Jozy Altidores and the Clint Dempseys and, in a perfect world, the Giuseppe Rossis who would lead this game into American's hearts. The only way to do it is through the World Cup, and not just hosting it like in 1994, but making news on the pitch. Altidore, Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Freddy Adu must lead the US National side deep into the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. That is how to make Americans pay attention to the most popular sport in the world, not with flashy imported stars like Beckham.

Then maybe a future young Italian-American will chose the country on the other side of the hyphen to represent after he scores his first goal.

the boy who cried wolf

Who is the best free agent starting pitcher available?

This is a question fans of any team, maybe not Yankees, should be considering. After CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Ryan Dempster, of the next four best starting pitchers: Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez, Jon Garland, and Randy Wolf, who should your team sign?

I believe Wolf to be the best value.

Here are the pitcher's specs:
Derek Lowe (36, 221 inn, 3.24 ERA, 6.27 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 14 HRs)
Oliver Perez (27, 194 inn, 4.22 ERA, 8.35 K/9, 4.87 BB/9, 24 HRs)
Jon Garland (29, 196.7 inn, 4.90 ERA, 4.12 K/9, 2.70 BB/9, 23 HRs)
Randy Wolf (32, 190.3 inn, 4.30 ERA, 7.66 K/9, 3.36 BB/9, 21 HRs)

Lowe was obviously the most productive, but he was also the oldest. Perez threw the most heat, but he was also the most inconsistent, based on K/9 and BB/9. Garland played for the best team, but was the least productive, individually. Wolf, however, is younger than Lowe, more consistent than Perez, and played well for two average teams (Padres and Astros). Also I believe Wolf would be cheaper than Lowe or Perez, leaving more money for other areas of need.

Randy Wolf would provide a solid second, third, or fourth starter on any team. He's not an ace, a quality which I believe Derek Lowe lacks as well, but he will be more consistent and cheaper than the alternatives left on the market.

The buzz is that he will sign with the Dodgers in the near future. So, LA fans will have something to take their minds of the "Dread-locked One."