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South Africa’s 2010 World Cup has already been a wild ride.

Soccer, er, Football

I’ve been watching a lot of the World Cup. This year has easily been the most I’ve ever followed the FIFA tournament (in the interest of full disclosure, the only other one I eve watched a significant portion of was 1998, when I was hanging out with a lot of Europeans).

The more I watch, the more I enjoy. Heck, I don’t even mind the vuvuzelas on TV, though I’m sure if were attending the matches in person they would drive me deafeningly crazy.

I have come to the conclusion that soccer is much like baseball in that if you don’t understand the subtleties of the game, you’re missing a lot. Although I played a lot of soccer when I was a kid living in Tanzania, like most pick-up games, the specifics of the professional sport–the off side rule, red and yellow cards, stoppage time, etc–did not come into play.
Continue Reading World Cup 2010 South Africa – Soccer

Welcome our newest writer and column, Todd S. Robinson with Todd’s Tennis Takes, with a 2010 Wimbledon Preview.

2010 Wimbledon Preview

From the clay to the lawn, the best tennis players in the world have migrated to London and Wimbledon, ready to battle it out on tennis’s least used and most unpredictable surface. A few decades ago, three of the four slams were played on grass, as the Australian and US Opens were also played on the lawn. Now, there’s just Wimbledon, a couple weeks of tune-ups for the All England Lawn & Tennis Club, and then the Newport, Rhode Island, Hall of Fame event later in July on grass.

Since 2003, only two men have won here — Roger Federer (six times) and Rafael Nadal (2008). Since 2006, only one other player has made the final – Andy Roddick last year, after Nadal withdrew from the tourney due to injury. But Nadal is healthy now, coming off an undefeated clay season and his 5th French Open title, and, along with Fed, is an overwhelming favorite to make the finals again. Though they are both expected to meet in the final again this year, both were upset in tune-ups last week. Nadal lost to fellow countryman Feliciano Lopez 7-6(5), 6-4 in the quaterfinals of the London event, while Fed lost to 2002 Wimby champ Lleyton Hewitt 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in Halle, Germany. Federer has still won only one tournament this year, the Australian Open back in January. If they do meet in the final, I’ll take Nadal, as Fed is in the last quarter or third of his career at this point (29 this August).
Continue Reading Todd’s Tennis Takes: 2010 Wimbledon Preview

The best and worst of sports teams logos — Part 1.

Logos, Logos, Everywhere A Logo

I promise you this column will not turn into my usual rant on the racist logo worn by the NFL team in our nation’s capital.

I promise.

I did just read a piece asking the almost annual question of whether or not the Chicago Blackhawks logo is offensive.

Some describe the Native American head of the NHL’s Blackhawks as being a caricature, akin to a cigar store Indian.

Maybe they have a point. I don’t know. Trying to keep track of who is offended and exactly what is offensive is becoming tiresome–and offensive.
Continue Reading Chicago Blackhawks Washington Redskins – Racist Sports Team Logos?

Rajon Rondo is the key player in the 2010 NBA Finals.

It All Comes Down to This

I truly love when a player in any sport is performing at such a level high that, regardless of any other interest I may have, I want to watch that athlete compete solely to see what he or she might do. Tiger Woods used to be like that. Michael Phelps is like that. And, during these NBA Playoffs, Rajon Rondo has become like that.

With all apologies to Ray Allen in regards to his record-setting performance–and Allen is one of the truly great jump-shooters in an era when jump-shooting has been downplayed compared to the inside game–it became clear last night that if the Boston Celtics eventually win the NBA Finals, Rajon Rondo will be the Most Valuable Player.

I know that I wrote about Rondo’s development very recently, so this post may seem redundant, but the truth is that he is only getting better as these playoffs go on. Let Rondo run free, and you’ll find him all over the court, cutting, rebounding, dishing, even hitting the jumpers that were supposed to be the weak part of his game. Cover him, and you’ll find Allen wide open–and even then Rondo seems capable of generating offense himself.
Continue Reading Boston Celtics – Los Angeles Lakers – NBA Finals

Deep Into Sports presents the first DISwin Award honoring costly stupidity in sports.

The DISwin Awards: Winner #1

Most people are familiar with the Darwin Awards, the annual honoring of those individuals whose own stupidity has resulted in their deaths, thereby thankfully removing their idiocy from the global gene pool.

In the grand tradition of the Darwins, we are proud to bring you the DISwins. The DISwin Awards “honor” those athletes (and other members of the sporting community) whose stupidity adversely affects their teams and/our themselves with losses, injuries or other costly side-effects.

The inaugural DISwin goes to… drumroll please…
Continue Reading The DISwin Awards