The Baltimore Ravens’ TJ Houshmandzadeh dropped a Joe Flacco pass in a crucial 4th down situation, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are moving on to the AFC championship game.
SportsGrid
I’ve never seen a lob pass like the one Kings center Anze Kopitar pulled off the other night against the San Jose Sharks. Tremendous is the only word I could think of to describe it—absolutely tremendous. It’s the equivalent of an alley-oop in basketball, but way more difficult to execute. The fact that it came with Los Angeles up 3-0 with just about two minutes left to play, the perfect time to attempt a bit of trickery knowing there’s very [...]
The Last Angry Fan
Lost in the Titans 34-14 shellacking at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs was this juicy little nugget of unintentional hilarity, courtesy of Tennessee QB Kerry Collins, his big right arm, a wayward pass, and a concussed teammate. If you haven’t quite put those painfully simple puzzle pieces together, well, you’re beyond all hope. An errant Collins pass sailed out of bounds—directly into the unsuspecting melon of Titans DE William Hayes. Getting a football in the head isn’t all [...]
The Last Angry Fan
San Francisco’s Charles Standifer (1) gets off a pass in front of Washington’s Justin Holiday in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, in Seattle. Washington won 80-52.
(via Yahoo!)
Earlier today, Dave Levy brought you the story of an angry Manu Ginobili being woken up early from a nap, then taking out his frustration on the Warriors. Well, the Spurs might have won the game by 20, but the Warriors still had their moments.
Moments, specifically, like the one above, where Stephen Curry lobs a perfect half-court alley-oop pass to Dorell Wright. Obviously the Warriors are nowhere near the Spurs as a franchise, but the presence of a player like Curry ought to give them some hope for the future.
With the MLS season coming to a close, and with the January window rapidly approaching, steam is building behind another winter loan for Landon Donovan. Everton are the most vocal bidders, of course, and Donovan has regularly expressed his desire to return to Goodison since leaving England in the spring. Newcastle is also rumored to be interested in the Galaxy attacker.
But Donovan has given reason to believe it might not happen, citing fatigue as a concern. Allowing for the possibility that some time off would change the situation, he nonetheless talks like a man pondering passing on a loan.
“It would be hard to say no. I really hope that, if it’s not this year, I get to go back there and play again. But if you asked me now I would lean towards a little more uncertainty.” – Landon Donovan on a potential January loan
And frankly, Donovan should pass on another loan. There’s almost nothing to be gained at this point, having already proved he could play in the Premier League during his 2009 Everton stint. As a temporary hire, Donovan has value; but unless a Prem side is ready to step up with the necessary fund to buy him outright, loans will do little but hasten the decline of Donovan’s powers.
At some point, no matter how physically fit he is, all the playing time Donovan has had over the last few years will catch up with him. Between European loans, MLS, and the National Team, Donovan’s rest periods amount to little more than a few weeks from November to January. It’s not quite non-stop, but it’s about as close a player can get. “Burn out” isn’t just a phrase, it’s a reality. It would be a pity for Donovan to fall victim to it.
What does Donovan have left to prove? His period at Everton is remembered fondly, hence the repeat interest, and while there’s no real reason to think he wouldn’t be as good in another loan, a poor spell would spoil all the good feelings. If Donovan’s intention in going to Everton was to prove he could play there, the job is already done; the value in “doing it more” is debatable at best and non-existent at worst. In a classic risk/reward sense, the chances of doing damage, be it through injury while there or longer term, well outweighs the reward of a little more European glory.
A permanent deal is a different story. But if the option is another loan, with the recent history of constant playing that Donovan has, the answer should be no.
