Monday, December 26, 2011

12/26/11

Manchester Monday

It was a busy day in the Barclays Premier League as Manchester United beat Wigan Athletic 5-0 to draw even on points with Manchester City after City drew West Bromwich Albion 0-0. Man City had to travel to the Hawthornes today and grind out 3 points to stay the single leader of the division. The Baggies defended for a point with some brilliant last-ditch gestures and the strike force of City, with David Silva, Sergio Aguero, and Mario Balotelli could all gaze in wonder after the full 90 was done. Meanwhile, at Old Trafford, Manchester United gave Wigan a show in football after 3 goals from Dimitar Berbatov led United's rampant victory. Chelsea drew Fulham at Craven Cottage 1-1. Goals from Daniel Sturridge and Clint Dempsey canceled each other out as Andre Villas-Boas looks to still be on Roman Abramovich's hot seat. Liverpool also missed out on 3 points after a 1-1 tie with Premier League bottom-feeders Blackburn Rovers at Liverpool's Anfield. Rovers improbably struck first at the famous grounds, much to the dismay of Reds manager Kenny Dalglish, but Maxi Rodriguez pulled one back for Liverpool to share the spoils. Newcastle United bounced back from defeat at the hands of West Brom last week to beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0. Goals from the in-form striker Demba Ba and one off the bench from Hatem Ben Arfa ensured Toon success.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

9/15/11

Hello again, I'm Eli Schoop with a Champions League twist on Cocktail Sports Talk.


Inter fall way short


Yesterday, Inter Milan played Turkish side Trabzonspor at Milan's San Siro. Inter Milan is considered an Italian powerhouse but was defeated by the newcomer to the Champions League 1-0. "We're unlucky at the moment," Inter manager -- for now -- Gian Piero Gasperini told Sky Italia. "When it rains it pours." The Italians really need to step up their football now or face a deep trench in their group.


Mayhem in Manchester


On the blue side of Manchester, the Sky Blues were playing the Italians from Naples in a group stage battle. Both teams were playing balls out, and entertaining games, and both David Silva from Man City, and Edinson Cavani from Napoli were extremely impressive. Expect the games of the tournament from these two teams-this encounter ended at a 1-1 draw in the Eastlands.


Quotes of the Day


Cristiano Ronaldo - "I hope we will not have a repeat of this refereeing performance, it was shameful. Some referees allow them to give me stick like [the Dinamo players] did today. I think it's because I'm rich, handsome and a great player. They envy me, there's no other explanation."


Pep Guardiola - "Not even Usain Bolt would have been able to stop him."


Mircea Lucescu - "He is a great player, picking up blistering pace, playing one-two and then just bumping into an opponent to fall down spectacularly."


That's all for today. See ya later.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11/11

Hello everyone. I know it's a somber day for everyone. But I know it's also NFL kickoff weekend. But if you really want NFL previews at a time like this, go to ESPN.com or some other pre-occupied sports news site. I'm going to tell you what 9/11 means to me.

When I was 5 back in 2001, I was still reeling from the gifts I got from my birthday in early September. I was watching the news at my Grandma's house when suddenly there appeared footage of planes headed towards the New York skyline and then, the fateful moment the changed American history hit me. I saw the planes hit the Towers and I was in shock. Now, my 5 year old self could not comprehend what was happening that day, but I knew it was bad. Really bad. I could never forget from 9/11 that I was at my Grandma's house, in a supposed good time of my life, witnessing one of the most horrible American tragedies in history. I'm sure most adults out there have more saddening or powerful memories, but I can see it in my mind to this day.

So now, I hope everyone in America has fun watching their NFL team go head-to-head. To me it's diminished value games, but we all need a little release, right? This is Eli, signing off.

Go Bears.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

8/24/11

Today I break down the new NFL fantasy football season, a general manager looks to bring glory days twice to a new baseball club, and Jered Weaver makes some big money.

Fantasy Today
NFL defeated a miserable time for football fans in the lockout situation and now the biggest sport in America is back. Many a sports fan in the USA are gearing up for fantasy football season and many will fail picking inadequate players and falling flat on their keyboards. Here are 5 tips to ensure your fantasy team is a success.

-Don't reach for running backs. Seriously. There is far too deep a market of good ones.
-Same for QBs guys.
-DO reach for wide receivers. After Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, Greg Jennings, there's a huge gap in the levels of consistency, talent, and X-factors plaguing other receivers.
-Watch the trade piles very closely, there's always a new emergence in the world of fantasy football. DO NOT GET COMPLACENT.

-Trash talk. For everything trade, matchup, NFL game. Have fun with it!

Theo to Cubs?

Theo Epstein, general manager of the Boston Red Sox, has been linked to a move to the Chicago Cubs. Epstein, who led the BoSox to their first championship in 86 years with savvy business decisions and a clear head, has provoked the Cubs into thinking he can do the same with their title drought. The Cubs have tempted him to coming to the Windy City by giving him a big bonus and a promotion into president if he leaves Boston.

Angelic Spending

Jared Weaver has been one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball this season, with no doubt. So to reward him, the Los Angeles Angels have offered the ace $85 million and a 5-year contract that was met with raised eyebrows. Scott Boras, the big-time agent of Weaver's, said that the man signed for a hometown discount and left big money on the table. However, Weaver thinks it doesn't matter. "How much more do you need?" he said, adding, "Could have got more, whatever. Who cares?" A very clear-headed statement from the Angels' darling thrower.

That's all for today. Thanks again.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

8/23/11

Hey guys, long time no see eh? So where to begin? There's the recent (inevitable) University of Miami football scandal, Justin Verlander's ungodly pitching, The Brawl at Camp Nou, and so on. These weeks have been very turbulent in the time of sports, so let's dig in.

Miami's Mayhem
The University of Miami's football program has been in mounds of NCAA trouble these past weeks. Reports of illegal tax exemption, payouts to collegiate athletes, and corrupt boosters have made the university a prime target for NCAA investigators. Many a commentator have noted that the NCAA have suggested the penalties for these infractions could not only be fines and bans, but the "death penalty", which would be that the Miami football program would lose a whole season of football.

Hot in Detroit
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander has been the consensus best player in baseball in the 2011 season. Not only does he have a 2.28 with 19 wins and only 5 losses, but he has led the Tigers to an AL Central lead in the standings, in prime playoff position. Verlander psychs players out on the mound, and when he pitches, the Tigers have a slim chance of losing.

Barcelona Brawling

Once again, soccer's big boys are at it. Real Madrid's Marcelo committed a gruesome foul on new Barca boy Cesc Fabregas by scissor kicking him (watch here) and the Madridistas and Cules once again attack each other maliciously. Madrid's ace; Mezut Ozil was slapped in the face by Barca striker David Villa, and each head coach Jose Mourinho poked Barcelona assistant Tito Villanova in the face. Truly shameful.






Sunday, August 7, 2011

8/7/11

Saturday, August 6, 2011.


Let's cut to the chase here. I'm Eli Schoop and I'm here for all you men who get asked questions sports at parties or around the watercooler when you honestly don't care for sports outside of the occasional Super Bowl party or "that crazy highlight you HAD to see." If it's general enough that your co-workers or relatives will talk about it, I'll provide enough info that you can safely sound like you actually know what you're talking about but not overload the information to the point in which you sound like a fanatic of the game. Shall we begin?


Yankees 3 - Red Sox 2
The New York Yankees came back from 2-0 in the 5th to score 3 runs from plays by outfielders Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher. Yankees manager Joe Girardi yanked starting pitching Bartolo Colon and used 5 relievers in a span of 4 and 1/3 innings to keep the Red Sox at bay. This match-up brought the Yankees one game ahead of the Red Sox in the American League East Division.


The NBA lockout situation
As the National Basketball Association nears closer to regular-season games being missed, several high profile players are considering offers from foreign teams. One such player is Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who to keep himself from getting rusty in the lockout's time is considering a move to Turkish club Besiktas (that's besh-shi-tas). Another star of the NBA who is pondering going overseas to play b-ball is Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat, who has received an offer from Chinese club Zhejiang Guangsha (you're on your own).


HoF inductions
On Sunday, 7 of the National Football League's greatest were inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame. They are; former Atlanta Falcon and Dallas Cowboy cornerback Deion Sanders, former Baltimore Raven and Denver Bronco tight end Shannon Sharpe, former Chicago Bear defensive lineman Richard Dent, former St. Louis Ram running back Marshall Faulk, former NFL Films president Ed Sabol, former Washington Redskin linebacker Chris Hanburger, and former Los Angeles Ram linebacker Les Richter.


That's all for August 7th. Stay classy.