Monday, June 23, 2014

Today's Topics: U.S. men's soccer, Tiger Woods returns, Pat Riley pissed

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Every four years, I'm reminded just how many soccer experts we have in this country. :)

And I get that people need to assign blame on U.S. men's soccer team members for allowing Portugal to score a tying goal in the final seconds on Sunday. Much of the criticism fell on Michael Bradley for his turnover, which led to the tally.

But what about Portugal's first goal? That was a pretty weak clearing attempt by Geoff Cameron.



After seven World Cups and much ESPN coverage telling us how important the sport is, soccer certainly is enjoying all-time reach in the U.S. It's cool to see people filling sports bars and city venues to root for the national team.

Soccer, however, won't fully arrive until people care about it between World Cups. That might take another 20 years, but don't be surprised if one day the world's sport is among the Top Four in the ever-increasing melting pot that is America.



Not a big Tiger Woods' fan, but obviously his return to competition is a major boost to golf and the sport's media.

At 38 and assuming he's at relative full health, Tiger should be a weekly tournament contender and add another major or two to his collection in the next five years. But I'd be surprised if Woods ever dominated the game as he once did. Age and a all-time tough competitive field of opponents will see to that.



Pat "I'm Pissed" Riley was on point with his message to LeBron James, other Heat players and anybody else thinking Miami's best days are in the past. (Even despite reminders of Pat the Rat's faxing out of of his job with the Knicks, Riley's words hit nothing but net.)

Sure, Riley needs to revamp the Big Three's supporting cast. But he has earned the benefit of the doubt -- he knows what he's doing. Plus,  the road to the NBA Finals should be a bit easier in the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future.

Talented teams don't win every year. Great ones use defeat and adversity as motivation to get better and win another title.





An 11-year-old girl named Luci Li qualifies for and plays in the U.S. Women’s Open. A cute story, but something’s wrong with that.

I really don’t care how mature Li is for her age, or how vast her golf knowledge, or how well she plays the game. A giggling kid with braces and pigtails should be finishing up sixth grade preparing to enjoy a fun summer with friends and family.



The U.S. Patent Office's cancelation of Washington Redskins’ trademarks -- because the team’s nickname is "disparaging of Native Americans" -- does little in itself.

But it officially started the clock on owner Daniel Snyder and the NFL. The name ultimately will change. It's just a matter of when.

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