By Will Robinson
The 2011 NBA Finals are kicking off tonight with the Dallas Mavericks tipping off in Miami against the Heat. Even though barely any players from the 2006 Finals remain, this will be considered a rematch of the controversial series. Here is a position by position breakdown for the starters, as well as looking at the bench as a whole, along with my final prediction of how the series will turn out.
By Evan Ream
Mohamed Al-Deayea of Saudi Arabia holds the record for the most international caps with 178. Next comes Claudio Suarez of Mexico who has 177. Cobi Jones is the highest American cap-earner with 164, good for seventh place. Landon Donovan currently sits in a tie for thirtieth place with 130 caps. Landon is 29.
Right now, Landon Donovan is in the prime of his career. He is MLS’s leading goal scorer with eight goals in eleven games. Landon’s career has been like clockwork; he has made 130 appearances for the national team in 12 years while never suffering a major injury or a complete loss of form (oh wait 2006 actually DID happen). Donovan has been chugging along: as consistent as ever for three World Cup Cycles now. The question is: what will his numbers look like when he is done playing? Can Landon be the first ever men’s player to earn 200 caps? Using the blueprint from the last World Cup Cycle (in each different year in a World Cup cycle, you can expect a similar number of games to be played), let’s take a look:
By Brent Pella
It’s been years since basketball was as exciting as it has been the past two months; Derrick Rose received a much-deserved MVP award and the Kings are staying in Sacramento.
Then the Lakers were swept, and the Bulls seemed to be charging toward an NBA championship appearance as if it were a red cape. All that stood in their way was a series against the Heat.
But then Miami remembered who was on its team.
The Heat have been hated, booed, criticized, and underrated all season. Yet as I write this article, just hours after the Eastern Conference Championship has been played, our perspective on the Heat is subject to dramatic change.
Current Year’s Record
Evan: 40-57
Kyle: 45-52
Nick: 34-63
Will: 39-58
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PHI at TFC
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NY at VAN | Chivas at CLB | LA at NE | SJ at CHI | FCD at HOU | SKC at COL | SEA at RSL | |
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Evan
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PHI
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NY | DRAW | LA | DRAW | FCD | COL | RSL |
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Kyle
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DRAW | NY | Chivas | LA | DRAW | DRAW | COL | RSL |
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Nick
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PHI | NY | CLB | LA | SJ | HOU | COL | RSL |
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Will
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PHI | NY | DRAW | LA | SJ | FCD | COL | DRAW |
| DCU at POR | VAN at Chivas | |||||||
| Evan | POR | Chivas | ||||||
| Kyle | POR | Chivas | ||||||
| Nick | POR | VAN | ||||||
| Will | POR | Chivas |
By Kyle Mohr
San Jose:
Lenhart Wondolowski
Johnson Ring Stephenson Gjertsen
Convey McDonald Hernandez Leitch
Busch
Columbus:
Renteria
Rogers Duka Gaven
Burns Rusmir
Balchan Marshall James Miranda
Hesmer
Review of San Jose vs. Columbus:
By Will Robinson
Last night, I checked out the Western Conference Finals. Oklahoma City completely owned the first 43 minutes of the game, up 15, looking like they would assuredly have another game on their home court, possibly to win the series and book their first trip to the NBA Finals since they were in Seattle (sorry, Sonics fans). But they couldn’t do it.
By Evan Ream
USA’s 2011 Gold Cup roster, along with the roster for the game against Spain, was announced today. All the usual faces such as Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are on the list, but there were a few surprises. Here is the Roster in numerical order:
Current Year’s Record
Evan: 34-52
Kyle: 38-48
Nick: 30-56
Will: 30-56
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CHI at PHI
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NY at HOU | LA at Chivas | SKC at SEA | NE at SJ | CLB at POR | RSL at FCD | TFC at COL | |
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Evan
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PHI
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NY | DRAW | SEA | SJ | POR | DRAW | COL |
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Kyle
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PHI | HOU | LA | SEA | SJ | POR | DRAW | COL |
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Nick
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DRAW | DRAW | DRAW | DRAW | DRAW | POR | DRAW | DRAW |
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Will
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PHI | DRAW | LA | SEA | SJ | POR | DRAW | DRAW |
| COL at NY | FCD at SEA | HOU at LA | ||||||
| Evan | NY | DRAW | LA | |||||
| Kyle | NY | DRAW | LA | |||||
| Nick | DRAW | DRAW | DRAW | |||||
| Will | NY | DRAW | LA |
By Nick Gallaudet
The American sports world is notoriously homophobic. It’s a traditionally macho culture, and there has never been an openly gay athlete in one of America’s four major men’s sports, including the NBA. In 1991, when Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive, he made an appearance on the Arsenio Hall show and unquestionably denied being gay, claiming, “I’m far from homosexual. Far from it.” Magic’s declaration of heterosexuality was met by an approving roar from the studio audience. In 2007, former NBA player John Amaechi came out as a gay man and was greeted with mixed reactions. Amaechi claimed that he was surprised by America’s reaction and expected it to be much worse than it actually was, but there were still negative comments, some from other former players. Tim Hardaway infamously claimed he would have asked for a gay player to be removed from his team. Last month, Lakers star Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for directing a gay slur at a referee.
By Evan Ream
According to reports, Landon Donovan could be on his way to Italian giant AS Roma. Roma, who will likely finish in sixth place in Serie A this season and claim a spot in the Europa League, would be a huge step up for Donovan. This rumor is gaining steam around the internet; it seems to be more legitimate than Clint Dempsey’s proposed move to PSG. Roma have just been bought by American businessman Thomas R. DiBenedetto, who apparently has his eyes set on buying an American, with Donovan topping the list. The question once again is: would this be a good move for Landon Donovan? Let’s examine the pros and cons:
