As we are all well unaware of, Major League Soccer is in the midst of their conference championships, and millions of fans around the world are counting the days till the MLS Cup on November 23rd. Sarcasm aside, the league has had yet another disappointing season in terms of attendance and viewership. To make matters worse, its 2008 Player of the Year, Landon Donovan, is considering leaving the league to play in Germany.

"Galaxy forward Landon Donovan should have been in Los Angeles on Tuesday, picking up his fifth Honda Player of the Year award for being the best player on the U.S. national soccer team.

Instead, the poster boy of American soccer was 5,964 miles away, trying to show Bayern Munich that he now has what he didn't have before---the fortitude that it takes to survive in the rough and tumble of the Bundesliga.

Donovan is essentially trying out for a spot on the four-time European and 21-time German champion.

In his corner is Juergen Klinsmann, the former German national team coach and Newport Beach resident who is Bayern's coach.

Klinsmann knows Donovan's ability as a player, including his blistering pace and his deadly finishing. What he needs to see are the intangibles--- the willingness to rebound after being knocked silly by a defender, the ability to fit into a constellation of stars rather than being the lone star orbiting David Beckham.

For its part, the Galaxy said simply that Donovan 'will train . . . for the next 10 days . . . and is expected to return to Los Angeles later this month.'"

(Read the rest after the jump.)

The Wall Street Journal has confirmed what we all pretty much suspected: any sports cards bought over the past 30 years are virtually worthless:

"'What people need to understand is that the price guides list the retail price, and the amount a dealer would pay would be much smaller,' Mr. O'Connell says. For vintage cards---those from before 1980---a dealer might pay between 50% to 60% of the retail value. Newer cards may only command 5% of the retail price. That's not necessarily because the dealers are dishonest, Mr. O'Connell notes, it's just how they make a profit.

With only vague descriptions and few details, Mr. O'Connell could not even guess whether Mr. Christensen's collection carries much value. But 1972, his birth year, suggests that many of the cards are relatively new. 'So the values for cards that you saw in the '50s, '60s and '70s you won't get here," Mr. O'Connell says.'"

Case in point, when I was twelve years old, I pulled a Cal Ripken Jr. insert card worth $1,000 at the time. When I checked the Beckett price guide two years ago---$150! I've foolishly kept the card in a safety deposit box over ten years on the advice from the shop owner that the list price would only continue to rise. Well, that's an 85% loss in value and this decrease is represented in most of my collection, which spans the years 1990-2002.

I specifically remember realizing when sports cards were on their way out. The industry had been suffering for years and companies like Topps, Pinnacle, and Upper Deck were beefing up their packs to try and increase demand. These tactics included more insert cards, pieces of athletes' uniforms, autographs---even own a series that includes nothing but coins. Then came Pokemon and Magic, whose cards also doubled as components of a complicated game. This new and very young demographic of nerds and elementary school kids clobbered the sports card industry. While fathers continued to collect, their children were drawn to the allure of fantasy cards.

(Read the rest after the jump.)

"Momentum is always as strong as your starting pitcher is the next day."

- Joe Maddon

Leave it to the well-read Rays manger to come up with such a profound statement. Chances are this saying is nailed up in his teams' clubhouse alongside others from the likes of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Maddon's right, and he's used this pitching-first philosophy to propel his team into the ALCS.

If there's one quality that ties each of the remaining four teams together, it's that each of them can hit. They each have at least two big bats, lead-off men that can hit for average, and a bottom of the order that can consistently do some damage. When teams are this evenly matched at the plate, it's often a single blunder on the part of a pitcher that can decide a game. As we've seen in the Division Series between the Angels and Red Sox, it comes down to the pitching. Both teams boasted fabulous rotations and excellent hitting, but it was the Red Sox middle relief and closer that really won the games.

The same will go for both matchups in the Championship Series. The Phillies, Dodgers, Rays, and Red Sox all have three starters who can win games at home and on the road. However, these series are best out of seven games, which creates a dilemma for each of these ball clubs as there isn't a strong fourth starter to be found. Subsequently, these teams might start their aces after three days rest, or even force them to pitch for a third time if the series extend to seven games. This will be a test of player's stamina and sound decision-making on management's part. While managers struggle with whether to start a tired arm or an unpredictable one, a bullpen becomes even more valuable. They can come to the rescue (Matsuzaka in the ALDS), consistently put the lid on a victory (Papelbon and Lidge all year), or sometimes pitch the majority of the game after a starter bombs (Wade, Park, Kuo, and Saito of the Dodgers).

These games are going to be decided in the late innings, and this factor alone will make watching them gratifying.

(Read the series-by-series breakdown after the jump.)

Baseball has always been a superstitious game. It contains a novelistic past of hoaxes, jinxes, theories, and rituals. No other sport contains such fantastical fables as the curses of the Bambino, Black Sox, and Billy Goat. As with baseball, numbers are closely tied to superstitions---the phrases "seven years bad luck," "seventh son of a seventh son," and "three times a charm" come to mind. As the season winds down, it's interesting that analysts refer to the "magic number" that a division-leading team needs to reach before clinching a playoff birth.

The number "100" typically signifies something of importance, particularly milestones like birthdays or anniversaries. It's no secret that this year will be the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' last World Series championship. Since then the Cubs have experienced Billy Sianis and his goat, Leo Durocher and his impromptu vacation, and Steve Bartman's web gem. However, in 1908, the Cubs were granted a rare stroke of luck. Two days ago marked the 100th anniversary of what's known as "Merkle's Boner." On September 23, 1908, New York Giants first baseman Fred Merkle obliviously committed a blunder that helped the Chicago Cubs win the pennant, and subsequently, the World Series.

(Read the rest after the jump.)

I am confident that both Dustin Pedroia and Albert Pujols had the best all-around years in their respective leagues. Based on their individual performances in the batter's box and on the field, and considering how they contributed to their teams' playoff chances, they each deserve to be MVP.

The voting process takes place the Friday before the regular season ends. As a result, even though guys like Derek Jeter and David Ortiz come through with jaw-dropping numbers in the post season, these figures won't matter to the Baseball Writer's Association of America---their minds have already been made up.

It's the regular season that matters. Sports writers use various methods when deciding who gets their vote. Whether their basis is purely statistical or how the player individually affected his team, most can agree on one criterion: The team must have a good record. So, despite having superb seasons, Josh Hamilton and Lance Berkman probably won't win the award. However, you could make a case for each as to why they should win, and this raises an interesting topic concerning the semantics of "Most Valuable Player."

(Read the rest after the jump.)

After getting called up to the big leagues in 2005, Andre Ethier was immediately traded from the Oakland Athletics to the Los Angles Dodgers, in exchange for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez. Though the Dodgers gave up a formidable talent in Bradley, they saw something special in the minor-league right fielder. Simply stated, it was potential. When new general manager Ned Colletti was given the reins in 2005, he focused on creating a starting lineup that depended on its youngsters. Since then, he's been brutally criticized for signing former stars to bulky contracts that have failed to pan out. However, he should be credited for completing what he set out to do way back in 2005. By dipping into his farm system instead of his check book, Colletti has made Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andre Ethier into everyday players.

At times, it's tough to be a Dodger fan. Besides the Yankees, the Dodgers make more transactions involving blue chip players than any other organization. Their starting lineup one day may be completely different the next, as a smorgasbord of future hall-of-famers and one-time greats jump in and out of the lineup. Colletti has taken huge risks in spending enormous sums on big-name players. Manny Ramirez is proving to be his first untainted success after the unfruitful acquisitions of Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra, Juan Pierre, Jason Schmidt, and Brad Penny. Colletti is paying each of these guys at least $5 million a year and is hearing about it every day.

(Read the rest after the jump.)

As much as it pains tennis enthusiasts to miss out on another Federer/Nadal showdown, this match with Andy Murray will still contain the passion and close competition of that rivalry. Murray has a reputation of being one of the most disliked players on the tour. He's been viewed as petulant, argumentative, and he likes to talk a little trash before a match.

(Read the rest after the jump.)

It's been six years since an American-born woman has played in a U.S. Open singles final. That match featured one of the earliest showdowns between the Williams sisters. At just 21 years of age, that was Serena's second U.S. Open championship. Now, close to her 27th birthday, she's gunning for her third against Serbian Jelena Jankovic.

(Read the rest after the jump.)

This year's U.S. Open has already yielded many spectacular matches, and there's still three days left of play. After 25 years of coverage on the USA Network (ESPN and the Tennis Channel will pick up the rights next year), the athletes are providing a worthy sendoff. We've already seen an epic showdown between the Williams sisters and a grueling five-setter from Novak Djokovic and Tommy Robredo. However, unranked or low-seeded players have given the likes of Rafael Nadal and Dinara Safina a run for their money. Below I've previewed both the men's and women's semifinal matches, which will begin tomorrow.

Women

Dinara Safina RUS (6) vs. Serena Williams USA (4)

The spotlight has always just missed Dinara Safina. Though the 22-year-old has won a Grand Slam doubles title, a singles championship has always eluded her. Also, it doesn't help that she's the little sister of 2000 U.S. Open men's champion, Marat Safin. Safina lost to Ana Ivanovic in this year's French Open final and earned the silver medal in Beijing. Unfortunately, two-time U.S. Open women's champion Serena Williams now stands in her way. After losing to Venus at Wimbledon, the sisters put on a phenomenal show last night at Flushing Meadows, with Serena emerging the victor. Given Safina's emotionality on the court and her focused desire to win the same championship as her brother, tomorrow's match is a must-see.

Major League Baseball's scoring review committee has ruled in favor of Bob Webb, not CC Sabathia.

During Sunday's game against the Pirates, Sabathia had a no-hitter going into the bottom of the fifth inning. Andy LaRoche, with his .171 batting average, stepped to the plate, and dribbled a hit back to the mound. Sabathia tried to bare-hand the ball, and was unable to make the play as it slipped out of his grasp. Scorekeeper Bob Webb ruled the play a hit, on the basis that LaRoche was already two-thirds of the way down the first base line by the time Sabathia got to the ball. Sabathia, who is undefeated since joining the Brewers, didn't give up another hit through the ninth inning, earning the win for his team.

Milwaukee manager Ned Yost, Sabathia's teammates, and sports commentators across America immediately expressed frustration with the decision to not give Sabathia a no-hitter. The Brewers organization soon appealed. Yesterday, the committee ruled that Webb's judgment was not "clearly erroneous" and did not meet the criteria for reversal. If the call had been ruled in favor of Sabathia, this would have been the second no-hitter in Brewers history. (Juan Nieves recorded the first on April 15, 1987.)

A couple things irritate me about this situation. First of all, while Sabathia doesn't seem the least bit miffed, everyone keeps crying about how "the fans were robbed of a great performance." No, they weren't. It would be one thing if this LaRoche at-bat happened in the ninth inning, but it didn'ta€"it happened in the fifth. If Sabathia really had designs on a no-no, maybe he would've tried a bit harder to make the play. Nobody was robbed of anything, especially Sabathia. The fact that he didn't pitch a no-hitter will not hurt his chances for a National League Cy Young, which is the least of Sabathia's worries right now. His team is in the playoff hunt.

(Read the rest after the jump.)

In a recent article from the Los Angeles Times, columnist Barbara Demick examines China's methods for cultivating Olympic athletes. It's a very interesting read as it contrasts the American sentiment of fun and good sportsmanship to the Chinese attitude of duty and dominance.

"The only mother on China's team, Xian Dongmei, told reporters after she won her gold medal in judo that she had not seen her 18-month-old daughter in one year, monitoring the girl's growth only by webcam. Another gold medalist, weightlifter Cao Lei, was kept in such seclusion training for the Olympics that she wasn't told her mother was dying. She found out only after she had missed the funeral."

(Read the rest after the jump.)

Last night on The Tonight Show, Jay Leno interviewed American gymnastics phenom, Nastia Liukin, as well as one of my all-time favorite comedians, Norm MacDonald. Jay kept the questions relatively light and Nastia handled each one with poise and good humor. MacDonald, however, was absolutely hilarious as the first guest. (If anyone can find a video of his segment it would be greatly appreciated.) Norm spoke at length about the Olympics. I'm paraphrasing here:

"And did you get a load of those speed-walkers? Don't you think they probably got ribbed by the sprinters back at the Village? Don't you think they'd be like, 'Hey Sam, I saw you out there in your racea€"quite a brisk stroll you got there, Sam.'"

"Yeah, and that Usain Bolt guy, good Lord. You know he ran like a 9.6 or something like that in the 100-meter? So, I went down to the track at UCLA to see what I could get. And Jay, you know, I'm quite embarrassed to say, but I finished at just under 35 minutes."

(Read the rest and see the video after the jump.)

Before the U.S. men's soccer team even played their first match, coaches from other nations mocked them, saying their roster and style of play could not hold up in international competition.

This morning, Nigeria defeated the U.S. men's squad 2-1, knocking them out of the Olympics. With this win, and the Netherlands' victory over Japan, so ends preliminary play. To the dismay of the U.S. men's team, who played so well in their first two matches, a favored Netherlands and an underrated Nigeria will see their teams advance to the quarterfinals.

(Read the rest after the jump.)

As Major League Soccer enters the final third of its season, two of the league's teams just advanced to the SuperLiga final, which will determine the best squad in North America; David Beckham is having a solid year, but is not the most talented player in the league; game attendance and television viewership is the highest its been since play began in 1996.

Yet, the MLS constitutes only 2% of the American sports-watching audience. The everyday sports fan (who typically ranks football, baseball, or basketball as their sport of preference) may only be able to name one or two of the league's teams and players. With America's two summer sports at the same point in their respective seasons, I've drawn comparisons between Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball in the hopes that it will help newbies familiarize themselves with the sport when its playoffs take place in November, just after baseball's "Fall Classic."

(Read the post after the jump.)