DL499: Here Are Ten (Or Eleven) Of Our Favorite Show Memories

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I always hated when, around the holiday season, my favorite shows would be listed in the TV Guide as *NEW* but wouldn’t be anything more than a damn clip show with five minutes of “new” material only used to transition from one clip to the next.

So, with that, I ask this: what would you do, baby, without us? IT’S A CLIP SHOW!

The difference in our situation, of course, is that we’ve been gaining listeners over the course of the last few years, so you, dear reader, may not have been around to hear Rick Telander talk about running into Jay Mariotti in a sauna, or Ian Eagle tell the story of when Bill Raftery invented the term “Onions,” or when Tony Kornheiser called me a narcissist. (Note: all in the show).

There are hundreds of clips we could have pulled. Some of the notables NOT in the show include: Norman Chad telling us that Kornheiser is dead to him, Annie Duke talking about just getting back from speaking in front ofREAD MORE

DL497: Talking FIFA Bribes, Blatter’s Anti-Gay Remarks & Other Conspiratorial Debates

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Drexel beat Louisville. Jon Tannenwald and I talk about that.

Mostly, though, we cover the two huge stories surrounding FIFA and head honcho Sepp Blatter. First, the rumor put out on Twitter by Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter that FIFA officials were paid $10 million for their votes. Here are a few of his tweets:

Soccer scandal: Brits, U.S. (Including Bill Clinton) wasted time going to Zurich to win World Cup. Fix was in for Qatar!!

Soccer scandal cont: Press in FIFA nations shld probe how FIFA members spend their new $10 million apiece. Qatar bribed way to victory.

I didn’t read about $10 mil apiece soccer bribes. I heard it from very well-placed source. Hope Twitter can flush out more

Um…wow.

This isn’t just some crackpot Twitterer. This is a respected Newsweek journalist. So why the hell isn’t Newsweek doing this investigation? Why would Alter put it out on Twitter and then ask us to “flush out more.” What the hell is that? Is that what journalism has become?

Besides, even if it’s true, who can police it?READ MORE

Call of the Day: Worried For Jack Kogod’s Health After Chelsea & Redskins Epic Failures

Blogs are fun, especially when you can take a huge Monday morning in sports and make it about the health and well-being of a fellow blogging friend. Or, you know, twist the knife a little by posting two of the most epic failures of the weekend in one entry, both crushing results for Jack Kogod of KSK.

First, let’s post a video of Chelsea’s Didier Drogba getting stoned on a penalty kick that would have won a match for Chelsea. Instead of sitting atop the Premier League standings with a road win over Tottenham, Chelsea looks to be in big trouble in England’s top division, behind Arsenal and Man City in points (with Arsenal having a game in hand) and, oh yeah, tied with Manchester United, despite United having played TWO fewer matches (they play this afternoon in England’s version of Monday Night Football.)

So here’s the Fox Soccer Channel replay of Drogba’s miss. How to make this into a media post and not just a rip on Kogod? Well, Warren Barton gave credit to Chelsea for playingREAD MORE

LINKS! Verducci Slays Chass, Garnett Man-to-Man, Bill Conlin HOF & Other Stuff You Really Need To Read

I put up the show yesterday afternoon with Spencer Hall, so in the spot we usually post the show, I thought I’d post a set of links to other sites that you really should read. Most of it is stuff I wanted to post earlier in the week but wasn’t able to get to because of interviews, other news and a host of conversations with someone about “a fucking octopus” that you probably don’t need to hear the end of.

Anyway, some stories you should read.

• Is this the best thing Tom Verducci has ever written? I’ll answer that with this: Verducci used the word “blogger” nine times in this 596-word essay setting the record straight on whether or not he voted for Marvin Miller to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame (important note: he did). Eight of those nine mentions of the word “blogger” were directed at…Murray Chass.

It’s truly epic.

• Legendary sportswriter Bill Conlin was given the J.G. Taylor Spink Award this week, handed out by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Bill Conlin is aREAD MORE

What The Simpsons Monorail Episode Can Teach Us About FIFA & The IOC

In one of the many conversations this week trying to wrap my brain around the fact that FIFA awarded the World Cup to both Russia and Qatar — on the heels of an event in South Africa and in the midst of Brazil feverishly trying to stay on schedule for the 2014 World Cup — I came to the realization that FIFA, and the International Olympic Committee for that matter — are a lot like Lyle Lanley.

Who is Lyle Lanley? Well he’s sold monorails to Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook, and by gum it put them on the map.

Can’t you just hear Sepp Blatter making the mule with a spinning wheel joke? “You know a town with money…”

The context came during my conversation with James from Unprofessional Foul, in which we tried to figure out why FIFA insists on awarding the tournament to countries without a proper infrastructure to handle the number of games, and tourists. FIFA awarded 2018 to Russia over established European powerhouses like England and Spain who both have the stadiums (orREAD MORE

DL487: LeBron, NFL v NBA, Ron Santo & Soccer’s Future in a Cupless USA with Jon Tannenwald

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Second show of two today. It would be odd to not have Tannenwald on the show after the World Cup announcement, given how much time he and I talked about this day for the last six months.

Alas, it’s Qatar. We talk about the bid, what this means for the growth of soccer in America and what it might mean for the head of US Soccer, Sunil Gulati. Tannenwald is, to understate, mild-mannered. This is as heated as he gets.

But first, we discuss the passing of Ron Santo before talking about LeBron’s return to Cleveland. Is it just me, or my Philly sensibilities, or did nothing really happen? There was booing, there was a blowout and that’s about it. I actually expected worse, and while it’s good that most Clevelanders handled themselves calmly (there were tweets of inappropriate slurs thrown his way during the game and the TNT online cameras caught at least one fan in the stands trying to goad LeBron into a war of words (or more).

But it allREAD MORE

Making Sense of Russia, Qatar and FIFA with James From Unprofessional Foul

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Look, there’s a lot of soccer to be discussed today. James T of Unprofessional Foul and I try to make sense of Russia and Qatar getting the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

James actually called this, so he’s a good person to talk about HOW THE HELL THIS HAPPENED.

There’s a fair amount of talking me off the ledge. With James hailing from Liverpool, we talk about the English bid as well, what this means for them, and what this can…and will…mean for the future of US Soccer.

Mostly, we talk about the logistics of hosting a World Cup in a nation the size of Connecticut and how, per James, that could help FIFA. Fewer people at the event means more watching on TV, and that’s a big part of where FIFA can make their money. So is less more? AHHHHHHHHHHHH.

There’s a lot of that. But it’s not just ranting, and James is a very good, calming influence. Plus he’s British, so he automatically sounds smarter than most of our guests.

There are twoREAD MORE

Russia, Qatar To Host 2018, 2022 World Cups. Yep.

I’m not going to write 1,000 words on this (yet). Russia beat out three traditional soccer nations in England, Spain (with Portugal) and the Netherlands (with Belgium) to host the 2018 World Cup. Russia kinda makes sense, though. It brings the World Cup to Eastern Europe, somewhere it’s never been before. And Russia is huge, with many giant cities capable of hosting such an enormous event.

Conversely, the United States (and Australia and a few Asian countries for what that’s worth) lost 2022 to Qatar.

If I could use my leg, I’d go kick a dog or something. Wait, I like dogs. What do kids hug and take for walks in Qatar?

I’d like to kick a giant barrel of oil right now.

The country has 1.7 million inhabitants and one major city (with a population under one million). Actually, according to the CIA World Factbook, the population estimates in July 2010 was 840,926.

They have one stadium, promising to build stadiums that could be taken apart and shipped to Africa and other actual soccer countries after the tournament isREAD MORE

Ray Hudson Certainly Enjoyed Calling Barca’s Win over Real Madrid

Ray Hudson teamed up with Phil Schoen to call the English language feed of El Classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Thank you, soccer Gods.

The match wasn’t close. At all. Barcelona looked like the greatest team ever constructed (note: they may be) in dismantling what was thought of as the best team in the world heading into Monday’s match. It was shocking, amazing stuff. And yes, I’m talking about the superlatives thrown at us by Hudson.

For those who can’t see the video at work (or if the powers that be flagged it already) here are a few snippets. Be sure to read them with a faint accent, high-pitch in your voice and your shoes soaked in…excitement.

“Xavi, cool as Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock again.”

“It’s Xavi, those chameleon eyes with that kaleidoscope vision.”

“This is a goal of orgiastic proportions and it’s pure Barcelona. Again, this is a melange of magic.”

“Real Madrid’s defense stretched out like spandex on Miami Beach, and Casillas is left naked.”

(On playing against Leo Messi) “It’s like playing poker with a witch. You’re goingREAD MORE

DL483: WikiLeaks In A Sports Context, Dexter Theories, The Undrainable Knee

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The doctor couldn’t drain my knee because it has coagulated. They tried three times. I have a Frankenknee.

Nick and I try to figure out if this WikiLeaks story can be put into a sports context. Then I mention soccer.

Then we talk about Dexter.

Thanks for listening, and we hope the topics of today’s show pertain to your interests. Especially the knee thing.