The Republic of Sport

Good Newz Kennels

Good Newz Kennels's Comments

Posted Saturday March 21, 2009, About: Sir Alex hits back at Rafa

Poor Ferguson. Just struggling along, trying to tape together a team with a limited budget in tough economic times. Some of the guys that are on Man U's roster, I hear, are just pulled off the local semi-pro teams.

Posted Wednesday March 18, 2009, About: Bengals eyeing Beanie?

Not in a million years would Bengals select Wells at No. 6 overall. Not even a consideration. Most likely a tackle at that spot.

Posted Friday March 06, 2009, About: Seattle picked to host MLS Cup '09

Artificial turf used to be awful -- back in the '80s when it was just green carpet laid on top of asphalt (like what the Sounders/Cosmos played on at Portland in 1977). But the next Field Turf is actually pretty good for soccer. It's juicy. It's got some cushion. I play on an over-40 team, and I prefer the new-style turf over the grass fields that we play on. There no bumps and uneven spots. Whether they play on grass or turf, Seattle is a good spot for this championship game.

Posted Wednesday August 13, 2008, About: Seattle to announce Keller signing?

I could see it happening. But there are a lot of good keepers with ties to the Pacific Northwest. No disrespect to Keller, but there might be two or three other keepers from the area who are better than him now -- or almost as good. And those guys would be a lot cheaper.

Posted Friday July 11, 2008, About: Dynamo's Ching to Seattle?

The USL Sounders have had some good players in recent years -- most notably Ching and that Maykel Galindo guy who defected from Cuba and now plays for Real Salt Lake. This Sebastian Le Toux guy appears to be better than either of those two guys.

Posted Friday July 11, 2008, About: Dynamo's Ching to Seattle?

I believe Sebastian Le Toux will be one of the starting forwards for the Sounders next year. He was the USL MVP last year, and he's playing even better this season. He's about 24, he's pretty big and he's really fast. He's from France. He's been involved in probably over half of the USL Seattle team's goals this year.

Posted Friday May 09, 2008, About: Carvalho: Ronaldo may wilt

Rules change proposal: when two teams tie for the league championship, I think they should play one more game. It would be hosted by the team with the better goal difference.

Posted Monday May 05, 2008, About: Bucs tried to trade Simms

I don't understand the love for Chris Simms. If they threw all the quarterbacks into a pot and re-drafted them, would any team select Simms in the top 50? I don't think so. Is he in the top 80? Maybe.

Posted Thursday May 01, 2008, About: Portland's MLS expansion price up

I'm in Seattle. There are definitely rivalries with Vancouver and Portland, with those cities being within driving distance (3 hours). You get a large number of fans traveling from those cities to Seattle for games. So if you can get all three of those cities in, it will help.

Posted Wednesday April 30, 2008, About: Portland's MLS expansion price up

Portland is an ideal MSL city. They don't have an NFL or MLB team there, so the team would be warmly embraced.

Portland-type cities are perfect for this league.

Sounders-Timbers was always a very nice rivalry in the NASL, and that could be rekindled.

Posted Wednesday April 30, 2008, About: Portland's MLS expansion price up

Your dog looks a little better. I've got a lab too (black), and he lets me hear about it every time he walks by the computer and sees that I'm still using that photo. Hard to believe that Michael Vick is actually going to get another chance to play again in the NFL -- but he will.

Posted Wednesday April 30, 2008, About: Portland's MLS expansion price up

I'll throw a tidbit out there for MSL fans. Sebastian Le Toux should be a player next year. This is a young guy out of France, plays for Seattle's USL team. He was the MVP of that league last season, and there are rumors he's already signed with the MSL Sounders that will start play next year. A lot faster than anybody else on the field in these USL game. Appears to be better than Maykel (sp) Galindo, the Cuba guy who defected, played briefly for Seattle in the USL a few years ago and now is exceeding expectations in the MSL. Keep an eye on Sebastian Le Toux.

Posted Wednesday April 23, 2008, About: Pele: Take Maradona's medals

That was a good Italy team. Rossi and Zoff got hot. I think their best players, though, were Bruno Conti and Tardelli. And I think that Brazil team was a lot better them then. I watched the BBC documentary BOYS FROM BRAZIL a few years back. It shows every world cup goal involving Brazil (for and against) from 1956 to 1986. All the close chances as well. And watching those highlights, and remembering watching the games in 1982 at the time, I think that 82 Brazil team was the best one they ever fielded. Certainly the most entertaining. They were a little soft at the back because of the wild, attacking style they played.

Posted Wednesday April 23, 2008, About: Pele: Take Maradona's medals

(Reply to MoshNYM):

In regards to Brazil vs. Italy in 1982. You've got the tape of that game. Go back and watch it. That Brazil side was amazing. Tore everyone apart in that tournament. They toyed with Argentina in the previous game, with Ramone Diaz scoring a late goal to pull the score back to 3-1. Maradona was so humiliated in that game that he intentionally kicked a guy in the groin with about 10 minutes left and got red carded.

I haven't watched Italy v. Brazil since that time, but as I recall, Brazil was definitely the far better side and had many, many chances. There could have been some woodwork involved. Italy got a couple of goals against the run of play and managed to hang on. If those teams played 10 times, I think Brazil would win 9 times.

Posted Wednesday April 23, 2008, About: Pele: Take Maradona's medals

I'm 43, so I never saw Edwards play. I've got two soccer books here at the house. Both printed in England. One lists the top 30 players of all time (as of 1980). No mention of Edwards. The other lists the top 70ish players of all time and includes him. That author writes: "Nobody knows how good Duncan Edwards would have been ... when he was killed he was already one of the best players in the world." According to this book, 5 goals in 18 games for England. Definitely doesn't sound like there's any case to say he would be one of the top 50 players of all time to me. Can't put him up with the likes of Eusebio and Stanley Matthews.

Posted Tuesday April 22, 2008, About: Pele: Take Maradona's medals

Duncan top 10 all-time ridiculous. Tragedy that he died at the age of 21. Maybe he would have developed into a great one. But all-time lists are based on what guys actually did, not what they might have done. No way is Duncan Edwards among the top 100 players all-time.

Posted Tuesday April 22, 2008, About: Pele: Take Maradona's medals

I'm tired of Pele. He's generally regarded as the greatest-ever player, but I think a lot of that is hype. I don't think he was any better that Cristiano Ronaldo is right now. There is no greatest player who's a lot better than everyone else. Instead, there's a group of about a dozen guys who all belong in that top class. Di Stefano. Maradona. Cruyff. Zidane. Platini. Beckenbauer. Ronaldinho. Garrincha. Personally, my favorite ever team was the 1982 Brazil group that got shockingly upset by Italy. That Brazil group was absolutely magic.

Posted Thursday April 17, 2008, About: Agent: U.S. soccer needs tinkering

I'm a big soccer fan. Always have been. But I would like to see the rules tweaked to increase scoring. When the game was invented, what they had in mind was scores like 5-3. But over the decades, as the defenders have become more athletic, the scores has steadily declined. We had that one stretch of 12 years, for example without a true goal being scored in a World Cup final (West Germany beat Argentina 1-0 on a penalty in 1990, and Brazil-Italy went scoreless for 120 minutes. So tweak rules to increase scoring. Maybe the goal is made slightly larger. Or offsides is made more like what they have in hockey, only applying to balls played from one half to the other (no offsides on passes inside the attacking half).

Posted Wednesday April 16, 2008, About: Broncos to sign WR Jackson

I have two questions in regards to Jackson. Does he eat at McDonald's? And if he does, is he careful to make sure that the bag winds up in the garbage can?

Posted Saturday April 12, 2008, About: Hahnemann going home to Seattle?

The state of Washington has had more than it's fair share of goalkeepers. Hahnemann. Kasey Keller. Hope Solo (U.S. women's team current No. 1).

Posted Monday April 07, 2008, About: NFL rejects Rams throwbacks

When a team tries to wear leather helmets with no facemasks, I'll start to get interested.