October 2007

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A little birdie says someone was really desperate to fill column space

Filed under: MLB

Pi Press gossip columnist Charley Walters offered up this nugget in today's paper:

The Twins have no plans to pursue free agents Alex Rodriguez, who is seeking $30 million a season, or Barry Bonds.

In other breaking news, word is loose that Barbaro plans to sit out this year's Kentucky Derby.

Posted by Paul Demko at October 31, 2007 1:49 PM | Comments (0)

 

Wolves' chance at title "a billion to one"

Read USA Today much? Me neither. But I happened upon a copy today, and duly checked out the NBA season preview special section. Any guess where the Wolves ranked?

Correct. Thirtieth of 30 teams. OK, fine. But the paper also ranked the Wolves as a billion-to-one longshot to win the NBA championship this year. I mean, c'mon. A billion to one? Think about it: If you took all those zeros, you could walk them to the moon and back 73 times. The next-least-regarded team, the 76ers, came in at 25,000 to one. All's I'm saying is, this seems a bit extreme.

From the not-making-my-case-any-easier department: Randy Foye's knee injury is looking more serious. The team announced today that he'll be out indefinitely.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 30, 2007 10:31 PM | Comments (0)

 

End of an era: T-Wolves waive Juwan Howard

Filed under: Timberwolves

The Timberwolves finalized their opening-day roster today. First, they waived Juwan Howard, who they traded for this summer before shipping KG off to Boston. Second, they released Wayne Simien, who they picked up in last week's deal with Miami.

The Wolves acquired Howard from Houston in June. At the time, he was seen as a good complement to KG. Quoting Kevin McHale just after the trade: "Juwan is a veteran low-post player who is a proven scorer and rebounder. He will add needed depth to our front court, and with this move we are balancing out our roster. Juwan also provides a solid locker room presence."

After the team dealt their franchise player, Howard made clear that he didn't want to stick around.

Just goes to show that life is one big, unpredictable journey.

It will be interesting to see who picks up Howard. Given his experience, it's hard to imagine that he won't find a happy home somewhere.

UPDATE: Howard has signed with Dallas.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 29, 2007 5:39 PM | Comments (1)

 

Gopher grapplers top pre-season polls

Filed under: Gophers

Given the weekly gridiron follies produced by the University of Minnesota football team, Gopher sports fans could use some positive news. Barring the unlikely announcement that Tim Brewster has resigned to star in Forrest Gump II: The Road to Passadena is Like a Box of Chocolates, non-football information will have to suffice.

The Gopher wrestling team, trying to repeat as national champions, is ranked number one in three different pre-season polls. Coach J Robinson's squad received all twelve first-place votes in the USA Today survey. What's more, eight of the team's ten starters are ranked in the top ten nationally.

The team will likely be led by top-ranked 149-pounder Dustin Schlatter. The Massillon, Ohio native capped a dominant 2005-06 campaign by winning a national title as a freshman. Last year, however, his string of 65 consecutive victories came to a halt when he was upset in the national semifinals. Schlatter ended up settling for third place.

Other Gophers ranked in the USA Today poll: Jayson Ness, 125 pounds, 4th; Mack Reiter, 133 pounds, 3rd; Manny Rivera, 144 pounds, 6th; C.P. Schlatter, 157 pounds, 5th; Tyler Safratowich, 165 pounds, 7th; Gabe Dretsch, 174 pounds, 7th; Roger Kish, 184 pounds, 2nd.

The biggest question facing Robinson will be who fills the heavyweight void left by the departure of Cole Konrad. "King Cole" finished his NCAA career with 76 consecutive victories and two national titles. A pair of homegrown redshirt freshmen, Ben Berhow and Joe Nord, will compete for the spot.

Robinson says the emphasis will be on retaining the team crown, but also improving on last year's individual performances, noting that only Konrad won a national title. "They got what they wanted as a team last year," he says, "but they didn't get what they wanted as individuals."

Posted by Paul Demko at October 29, 2007 1:50 PM | Comments (0)

 

Nathan a Twin in 2008

The Twins have picked up the option on Joe Nathan's contract for 2008. The ace closer will make $6 million next year, a few million below his market value. ESPN, as usual, has the scoop.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 29, 2007 1:22 PM | Comments (0)

 

Bucking the trend

Filed under: Timberwolves

They say that pinstripes are thinning. And friends, it must be true, because Antoine Walker, a man who this week was traded to the Timberwolves from the Miami Heat, reportedly for being fat, looked positively svelte in his black and charcoal suit. When you recall that the Heat boast the presence of a nearly 400-pound man whose body is literally decaying with every passing day, this explanation seems less plausible. It probably makes most sense to suggest that the trade went down because he was an aging, sulky, un-athletic gunner who will forever be cherished (in my mind, at least) as the man who, when asked why he shoots so many three-pointers, offered the magical response: "because there ain’t no fours."

Antoine seems like a decent guy and seems to be doing his best to be a social, supportive teammate. Last night he even seemed ready to weather the onslaught of whiteness that is Mark Madsen, as the two chatted amiably behind the Wolves bench. (Good gracious, I would cut out my own eyes just to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.) But I can’t imagine how, aside from beguiling somebody into surrendering a first-round draft choice or expiring deal (the Sixers, a reliable sucker, come to mind), the guy is going to fit into the Wolves' new plans. In last night’s 106-85 exhibition victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Wolves looked young, unselfish and energetic, and I’m not sure that adding an inefficient, defense-allergic, shoot-first wing just as they say goodbye to a younger, more skilled version of the same player (Ricky Buckets, thanks for the awesomeness) is going to help matters.

It seems strange for anyone who’s followed the Wolves preseason so far, but honestly, they really looked good. There are probably some aspects of their play that will be tough to count on consistently—I’m guessing Rashad McCants won’t go 8-of-8 every night, for instance, or the team shoot 61 percent—and they did turn the ball over 30 times (doh), lose track of a lot of cutters on defense, and foul with a joyous abandon. They also benefited from the fact that the Bucks committed twenty-seven turnovers of their own, and turned in, in the words of coach Larry Krystowiak, "a horrendous effort." But in building their huge first-half lead, the Wolves played with tons of energy, passed the ball crisply, ran the floor like pros and finished with flair and authority. They forced the Bucks into lots of ugly possessions, most of which featured point guard Mo Williams dribbling aimlessly around the perimeter and either turning the ball over or kicking it to a teammate for a frantic three-pointer with time running out on the shot clock.

Possibly most significant of all, Al Jefferson, the key component in the Kevin Garnett trade, totally dominated everybody. Especially in the first half, the Wolves point guards did a good job of finding Jefferson in the post early in possessions (could Bassie Telfair really be as good as he looks right now? Is it remotely possible?), and Jefferson made use of the time and space to score consistently. In thirty minutes of playing time, he shot 9-of-12 from the field for 24 points, making Charlie Villanueva look slow and confused. (As a side-note, Villanueva is an incredible looking guy. His bald head and smooth, blank baby-ish complexion make him look sort of like a black Powder. Also, his knee-length black socks are only a shade or two darker than the Bucks forest green silken unis—this delicious combo creates a sort of M.C. Escher-esque time-transcending optical illusion, a lot like staring into a parallel universe, or a magic-eye drawing. My brain kept trying to make a skeleton riding a motorcycle appear on his knees). Now, as we know, Kevin Garnett is possibly the best power forward ever to play. Watching him play basketball was, to me, similar to watching the sun set or the waves roll in from the ocean. He is my favorite basketball player, and I think I love him. But: I think Al Jefferson might have a better offensive game than KG. He catches the ball lower on the block, and, whereas Kevin liked to turn, face the basket and attempt to beat his man off the dribble, often resulting in a contested fadeaway, Jefferson’s array of back-to-the-basket moves usually creates him more space and allows him to finish at the rim. Some of the moves he put on Black Powder were so filthy they made me yell. I was shocked by how outrageously skilled this dude is.

Things got surreal for me as I came into the Wolves dressing room after the game. Jefferson, McCants, Ryan Gomes (who, it turns out, is a really charming, friendly guy), Randy Foye and Corey Brewer were watching highlights of the Celtics-Cavs game, in which the aforementioned KG managed a triple-double and some ridiculous highlights. It was beyond strange to see these normal (sort of) guys chatting about their former team and teammate, the most successful franchise in NBA history and a player so iconic that I just now compared him to the weather. The real world, the one with real people who have jobs and feelings, meshed bewilderingly with the media/consumer/computer world and kind of blew my mind. The talk was loose and funny and you could tell, as you can by watching them play, that they really enjoy each other, and really enjoy playing basketball. Most of all, from their casual banter, and from looking at their fresh faces, they just seemed incredibly young. Al Jefferson is only twenty-two; Gerald Green and the heartbreakingly skinny Corey Brewer are just twenty-one. These are the ages where most of us are just figuring what we want from the world and who we want to be and its amazing to me that we’re asking these guys to compete against grizzled celebrities like the Tim Duncan’s and Kevin Garnett’s of the world. These young T-Wolves are playing with enthusiasm, and if they can figure out how to play fast, while protecting the ball and keeping Jefferson involved, they just might be pretty good. I say we give this a shot. It could be fun.

-Ben Polk

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 27, 2007 5:02 PM | Comments (3)

 

MLS playoffs: D.C. and Houston will meet in the final

Filed under: Soccer

The MLS playoffs kickoff tonight with Chicago at D.C. on ESPN2, easily the most intriguing matchup of the first round. Some thoughts:

1. I would not want to play the Chicago Fire right now: Don't let the shabby 10-10-10 record deceive. The Fire are riding an eight-game unbeaten streak into the playoffs, although five of those were ties. If someone on the squad could just learn to finish they'd be a real menace. Cuauthemoc Blanco, of course, has played a vital role in the team's surge. But of almost equal importance has been the arrival of defender Wilman Conde from Colombian club Millonarios. He's slotted into the central midfield with Chris Armas the last few games and wreaked havoc with tough tackling and defense-splitting through balls. Just two weeks ago the Fire frustrated and outplayed D.C. at RFK in a 0-0 draw.

2. Bench Paulo Wanchope: The veteran Costa Rican striker has been miserable for the Fire. He looks old, slow, and indifferent. It's time to put the dude out to pasture--or at least to United Arab Emirates. Granted Chad Barrett hasn't been much better, but at least he's young, tenacious, and talented. Eventually the goals will start to flow for the kid. Pair him up top with Chris Rolfe and see if they can jumpstart the team's anemic attack.

3. Watch out for Christian Gomez: The reigning MVP had a lackluster first half of the season. Luckily for D.C. Ben Olsen picked up the scoring slack while Gomez floundered. But in recent weeks the Argentinian has once again been terrorizing defenses with his kamikaze runs through the middle of the pitch. He also seems to be looking for goal at every opportunity. With both Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio gimpy, Gomez will have to engineer the offense if D.C. is going to make a run in the playoffs.

4. Who cares about Chivas v. Kansas City?: I can summon no enthusiasm for this series. Chivas has been the biggest surprise of the season, finishing with the best record in the west despite a roster that looks pretty flacid on paper. But with Ante Razov out injured, Preki's duct-tape operation shows signs of finally coming apart. The squad failed to get a win in its final three games. After a strong start, Kansas City limped into the playoffs and doesn't appear to be a threat to knock off anyone. Look for whoever staggers through this series to get walloped in the conference finals.

5. This is Denilson's last chance: It's been an extraordinary year for foreign acquisitions in MLS. Almost all of the high profile signings--Blanco, Juan Pablo Angel, Guillermo Barros-Schelotto--have worked out tremendously. Some lesser known foreigners--Emilio, Juan Carlos Toja, Conde--have also had a dramatic impact on the league. Denilson is the one ugly exception. The nimble-footed Brazilian has added nothing to the Dallas attack and plays no defense. He has no goals from the run of play and no assists. Dallas has the option to cut ties with the midfielder at the end of this season. Unless Denilson can work some serious mojo in the playoffs, he'll soon be joining Wanchope in the United Arab Emirates.

6. How does Steve Nicol do it?: Take a look at New England's roster. What do you notice? Not a single high profile foreign acqusition in the bunch. Nicol has put together a squad that year after year is among the league's best basically by plucking players from the MLS draft. Every year it seems he uncovers some overlooked gem--Clint Dempsey, Shalrie Joseph, Andy Dorman, Jeff Larentowicz. This year it was rookies Adam Cristman and Wells Thompson contributing vital minutes. But I think the Revolution's run of tanking in the MLS final is over. I don't see them getting past New York.

7. Houston will win it all: Signficant injuries to Brian Ching, Brad Davis, and Stuart Holden have not slowed down the defending champs. Now that those three appear to be fit, they've lost Ricardo Clark to suspension after he fulfilled every MLS player's dream by planting a viscious cleat into Carlos Ruiz. No worries. They just bring in Richard Mulrooney to fill the defensive mid vacuum. Houston has the best defense in the league, dynamic wing players in Davis and Brian Mullan, and a nice yin-and-yang strike duo in Ching and Joseph Ngwenya. Look for them to once again hoost the MLS Cup on November 18.

Posted by Paul Demko at October 25, 2007 5:28 PM | Comments (1)

 

Released!

The Timberwolves announced today that John Edwards, the big white guy who sat on the end of their bench during preseason games, has been released. The move brings the roster down to 17 players.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 25, 2007 3:19 PM | Comments (0)

 

Trade!

Filed under: Timberwolves

The Wolves have dealt Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to Miami for Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, and Wayne Simien, as well as a conditional first round pick. ESPN has the scoop.

UPDATE: The trade is official. The Wolves will also get a future first round pick, although the details on that aren't yet clear.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 24, 2007 11:59 AM | Comments (1)

 

Timber!

Filed under: Timberwolves

Before we get started, a quick note: This humble effort SHOULD NOT be seen as even a half-assed attempt to fill the ball-shaped hole left by Britt Robson’s departure from City Pages. As anyone who has read his copious writings on the Wolves over the years knows, he’s the best and most insightful basketball writer in town. In case you for some reason aren’t aware, you can find his sports column at our rival publication, which shall go nameless.

To the business at hand: Last night’s preseason home opener.
Final: 106-95, Pacers over the Wolves.

The mood:
As the game was getting underway, a stringy-haired scalper flashed four primo tickets to passersby approaching Target Center. Asked how sales were going, he sighed. “Slow,” he said.

Game in a nutshell:
It wasn’t pretty, and mostly it wasn’t close, but there were flashes of what the Wolves need to do in order to win. For one, not play Marko Jaric at point guard. As we’ve long been aware, he’s not quick enough to defend the position. (PGs Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair continue to nurse nagging injuries, and neither is sure to be ready when the regular season starts next week.) For another, get Al Jefferson the ball. A lot. He’s solid in the post, and his inside presence should help free up shots from the perimeter. For a third, hope Ryan Gomes continues settling in at small forward. He’s played power forward his first two seasons in the league, but is now competing for time at the 3 with rookie Corey Brewer. Brewer is athletic and quick, but Gomes doesn’t miss most of his open 12-footers. And aside from defending quicker players, Gomes has a knack for being where he’s most needed at the right time.

Courtside fashion watch:
Mark Madsen, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, cheered his teammates on while wearing a suit that somehow managed to marry charcoal gray with sky blue. It worked.

Most intriguing facial hair experiment:
Travis Diener’s attempted mutton chops. The third-year man out of Marquette looks as though he’s about 10 days in. He’s at that scary point where you can’t really tell if he’s got what it takes to get the facial follicles across the finish line. Reason tells me that the 25-year-old is capable of pulling this thing off. Still, I’m nervous for him. Stakes is high. The regular season is just around the corner. My fingers are crossed.

Injury report:
Several players missed the game due to injury. I’d list them, but it’s too depressing. In related news, Craig Smith left the game in the third quarter after hitting the deck hard. At the post-game press conference, Coach Randy Wittman elaborated on Smith’s injury: “A bruised ass.” He had no further information.

Uninjured report:
Neither Juwan Howard nor John Edwards were injured, and neither of them got to play. Sad Times at DNP-CD High.

Inside the locker room:
It smells like cologne. Also, Al Jefferson wears extremely large diamond earrings. Like the size of very small translucent golf balls, practically.

Trillion report:
(A trillion refers to a player who has played one minute without recording any other statistic—no shots, points, assists, rebounds, steals, fouls, turnovers, etc. Pound for pound, the most fantastic statistic in the game.)
No one scored a trillion. But keep it tuned here to find out when they do!

Fan competition:
For those of you who’ve read this far, thanks so much! I’m touched. Just for you, here’s a chance to win a fabulous prize: Guess how many games the Wolves will win this year. Post your prediction in the comments. At season’s end, the person who gets closest without going over will win something awesome. Deadline is before the season opener.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 24, 2007 2:55 AM | Comments (11)

 

Next time you might want to try Mapquest

Filed under: Soccer

Soccer mom charged with taking a chair to coach's head

Posted by Paul Demko at October 23, 2007 6:19 PM | Comments (0)

 

Hudsonia!

Filed under: Soccer

How could I possibly not know that there is a blog devoted to Ray Hudson? It's genius, of course. I once interviewed the great man at a Chammps in Fort Lauderdale for a story about the Miami Fusion.

I played with the L.A. Riot Squad in a game Saturday morning against Chicago's Section 8 supporters. The winner of this annual match earns dibs for the year on the Jorge Campos Golden Bedpan. It was an ugly affair. Our goalkeeper's preparations involved drinking a beer prior to the 10 a.m. kickoff. A kid who couldn't have been older than 10 scored against us. I believe the final score was roughly 10-3 bad guys. Here's a photo of this motley crew:

Posted by Paul Demko at October 23, 2007 12:52 PM | Comments (1)

 

Wittman: "You've got wing guys and power guys."

Filed under: Timberwolves

At practice today, Timberwolves Coach Randy Wittman was asked how the 6'7" Craig Smith's responsibilities change when 6'10" Theo Ratliff is on the court with him. "How do his responsibilities change?" parroted a faux-exasperated Wittman. "His responsibilities don't change. He has to play defense and get rebounds."

Wittman's broader point is that there aren't really five positions in the NBA these days. As Wittman puts it, aside from point guards, "You've got wing guys and power guys." Smith, of course, is a power guy. And the idea that he should play further from the basket with Ratliff on the floor is evidently not one endorsed by Wittman.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 18, 2007 2:50 PM | Comments (0)

 

L.A.'s Peter Vagenas: "marriages were suffering"

Filed under: Soccer

The U.S. scraped out a 1-0 win over Switzerland yesterday in Basel. It wasn't the prettiest of victories. The yanks showed little clue how to put together any kind of attacking pressure for most of the match. They were desperately lacking a play-making midfielder. Their passing in the first half was pathetic.

But the backline (Carlos Bocanegra in particular) was extremely good, Maurice Edu had an impressive debut at defensive mid, and the Americans harried the Swiss until they fell apart. Then the kiddies came on and put the game away. Freddy Adu looked sublime, sending Steve Cherundolo in on goal with a slick back heal on his first touch, then nearly scoring on a breakaway. Danny Szetela served in the game-winning cross in the 86th minute.

Both dailies have stories today on the Minnesota Thunder's new ownership group. The Pi Press digs deeper into the details.

L.A. midfielder Peter Vagenas had some fascinating comments heading into tonight's showdown with New York. The Galaxy need at least a tie to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Posted by Paul Demko at October 18, 2007 10:22 AM | Comments (0)

 

Blanco v. Beckman

Filed under: Soccer

The MLS playoff system sucks. It's patently ridiculous for 8 out of 13 teams in a league to make the playoffs. It cheapens the regular season to a degree that's insulting to fans who pay to see matches all season long. But I understand the rationale. MLS brass want to keep playoff hopes alive, and therefore fan interest high, in as many cities as possible. And last weekend the league saw the best attendance of the season, with four out of five games drawing better than 20,000 fans. (The exception was Chivas USA, which apparently has a following approaching that of the Indomitable Drinky Crows.)

However silly the post-season format, it sets up some pretty damn interesting soccer matches this final weekend of the season. Four teams are still vying for two playoff spots, including the long-left-for-dead L.A. Galaxy, riding an improbable five game winning streek. If they take all three points against New York on Thursday, it sets up a winner-take-all showdown with the Chicago Fire on Sunday afternoon. This should be a grand spectacle. Two of the hottest teams in the league featuring two of the best attacking players in MLS history fighting for their post-season lives.

And best of all ... I will be there!

Posted by Paul Demko at October 16, 2007 3:48 PM | Comments (0)

 

City Pages gets belated memo: This Peterson kid can play

Filed under: Vikings

As things stand, Robert Smith is the top running back in Minnesota Vikings history. But let's do some number crunching. In his first two NFL seasons, Smith rushed for 505 yards. By contrast, consider Adrian Peterson. In his first five games, the rookie has rushed for 607 yards.

Sure, Smith was injured for much of his early career. But the numbers are clear: If Peterson can stay healthy, he's going to be really, really great. Don't believe Peterson is the second (or first!) coming? Geography doesn't lie.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 16, 2007 3:02 PM | Comments (0)

 

Q & A with Thunder coach Amos Magee

Filed under: Soccer

Bruce and I recently conducted a lengthy post-season interview with Minnesota Thunder coach Amos Magee. You can read (or listen) to the whole shebang over at Blue Sky Soccer. But here's a few choice snippets.

On the Thunder's disappointing 5-12-11 season:

We didn't get it done as an organization and I didn't get it done as a coach. So you get really frustrated about that. Ten of our twelve losses by one goal. And our goal differential over the course of the year--minus three. All those games lost beyond the 88th minute. Eleven ties. [Assistant coach Tod Herskovitz] and I have an expression when you get really close to something, but it just doesn't quite work out. We're always like "crossbar." Looks like it's going in, hits the crossbar. This season was a freaking crossbar. We got close, but they don't count crossbars. They count goals, and we didn't get goals.

On the team's new ownership group:

These guys came along and I think that they really have a long-term vision for our team that involves a soccer-specific stadium, that involves bringing big international games to the Twin Cities. ... They want to brand our team better. They want us to be bigger players in the sports culture here in the Twin Cities, through advertising, through re-branding if that's the way we go, through public appearances, through whatever way that they can do it. I'm a believer. I think that it's a great, great step forward for our organization.

On where the team will play next season:

We do have choices. But I think in our minds there's probably two venues that we feel are going to be steps up from James Griffin, that are going to bridge us the gap before our guys build us our new stadium. I can imagine you're a little skeptical. I'm sold on it. I believe it's going to happen. I believe that's one of the reasons why these guys bought the club. These are real players in commercial real estate. I think that they see that a stadium's a piece of that. So we've got to find a place that can really sort of help increase our professionalism between now and that new stadium.

On the Copa Minnesota and David Beckman:

We're feverishly working at trying to find a date. We thought we had a date and then freaking L.A. goes on a three-game winning streak. We can't announce anything. We can't sell anything. L.A. doesn't want to do anything until they're officially eliminated. It just couldn't have worked out worse. We're committed to bringing the Galaxy here and we're committed to doing it with Beckham. There's no other reason to do it. Listen, they want to work with us. They want to be here too. They see this as a chance for them to expand their brand and sell merchandise. The Metrodome is one of the few stadiums that's in a major metropolitan area that's not an MLS market that can do this. Everyone wants to see it happen. It's just gotta make sense.

Posted by Paul Demko at October 16, 2007 12:08 PM | Comments (1)

 

Happy Juan Carlos Toja wig day!

Filed under: Soccer

In honor of tonight's Dallas-Chivas match, the geniuses at Pizza Hut Park are handing out Juan Carlos Toja wigs to the first 5,000 fans through the gates. The brilliantly coiffed Colombian midfielder has been a bit off his game since returning from injury, but perhaps the site of 5,000 hairy clones in the stands will prove inspirational. Both Dallas and Chivas have clinched playoff spots, but the western conference post-season pecking order remains unresolved. Dallas got a big win on Saturday, with Abe Thompson netting two late goals to take down Columbus, but the team's defense remains highly erratic, especially now that both Clarence Goodson and Pablo Ricchetti are sidelined.

(Cribbed, of course, from Bruce.)

Posted by Paul Demko at October 11, 2007 10:53 AM | Comments (0)

 

Roma will be looking for revenge

Filed under: Soccer

The UEFA Champions League returns to action today. ESPN will be broadcasting four matches. The highlight should be Manchester United v. Roma (1:30 CST, ESPN2), with Francesco Totti and the Italians seeking revenge for last season's humiliating 7-1 quarterfinal shellacking. Also on today's schedule is Stuttgart v. Barcelona (4, ESPN Classic). Tomorrow it's Liverpool v. Marseille (1:30, ESPN2) and Lazio v. Real Madrid (4, ESPN Classic).

Posted by Paul Demko at October 2, 2007 10:10 AM | Comments (4)

 

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