Americans Abroad: Maurice Edu Scores for Rangers

Filed under: European Soccer, International Soccer, English Premier League, La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), U.S. Men's National Team

The U.S. national team's central midfield depth chart seems to get more and more crowded by the week.

Presumed starters Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley recently left less-than-enviable club situations for new homes in the English Premier League, with Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa (still to be finalized), respectively.

Stuart Holden has been starring at Bolton, Sacha Kljestan has been contributing at Anderlecht, and despite playing different positions for much of their careers, Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Bornstein are getting minutes in the middle for their clubs.

Then there's Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber and José Torres, who went to the World Cup, and up-and-comers like Mikkel Diskerud and Dax McCarty.

Amid it all, Maurice Edu is doing his best to avoid getting lost in the shuffle.

Making his second start for Ranters since returning from a two-month injury layoff, Edu scored the opener in Saturday's 2-1 win over Motherwell in the Scottish League Cup semifinals.

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2011/01/31/americans-abroad-maurice-edu-scores-for-rangers/

Jules Asner Julia Stiles Julianne Hough

Josh Beckett Struck by Baseball, Battling Mild Concussion Symptoms

Filed under: Red Sox, MLB Injuries

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett has mild concussion symptoms, according to the team, after he was hit in the back of the head on Monday during batting practice before Boston's exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins at City of Palms Park.

Beckett walked from the field on his own, with trainers at his side. But after being examined by a doctor, he was sent home to rest. The Red Sox expect an update on Beckett Tuesday.

It is believed that he was hit by a ball batted by coaching staff assistant Ino Guerrero, who was hitting balls from the outfield back to a bucket near second base.

Beckett is coming off a disappointing, injury-riddled 6-6 season, in which he had a 5.78 ERA. Beckett, a 1999 first-round pick of the Florida Marlins, is 112-74 for his career, with four shutouts and nine complete games. This is his sixth season with the Red Sox.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/02/28/josh-beckett-struck-by-baseball-battling-mild-concussion-sympto/

Ana Paula Lemes Ananda Lewis Angela Marcello

Dodgers May Not Win World Series, but They're Shoo-Ins for 'The Smiley'

Filed under: Dodgers, Giants, Padres, NL East, NL West, Spring Training

GLENDALE Ariz. -- Every team in the National League West except the Dodgers owns a league pennant from the last 13 years, two claiming the World Series, most recently the Giants last fall. The Dodgers have gone nearly twice as long without a league flag. In that time, all four expansion teams from the 1990s cracked the World Series.

West Coast Bias doesn't want the Dodgers to feel lonely, so I'm creating a trophy -- The Smiley --- to honor them for putting smiles on the most faces.

Estimated cost of the trophy, something tinny and Dodger Blue, is $19.88 --- same year as the Dodgers' last World Series. The Smiley would be cheaper without engraving Bud Selig's name, but I'm guessing Aol will foot the bill, even after buying the Huffington Post for $315 million.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/02/28/dodgers-may-not-win-world-series-but-theyre-shoo-ins-for-the/

Sarah Mutch Sarah Polley Sarah Shahi

Dan Patrick Courts Disaster with Charlie Sheen as Guest

by Milton Kent

Filed under: Sports Media, Sports Business and Media

Hollywood, in its infinite wisdom, is remaking the classic '80's film, "Arthur," with Russell Brand in the role made famous by Dudley Moore as a playboy who careens through his life drunk.

Both film versions are presumably fiction, but you can certainly draw some interesting comparisons between the character of Arthur Bach and the life of actor Charlie Sheen. And, in the last three days, radio talk show host Dan Patrick has made a pretty good case for the idea that he could play the role of Hobson, Arthur's friend/confidante and butler.

Twice this week, Sheen has appeared on Patrick's show, which is simulcast on DirectTV and a number of FOX Sports Net affiliates. During the first appearance, arranged by Patrick to discuss Sheen's impromptu pep talk last week to the UCLA baseball team, Sheen came across as cavalierly endorsing casual drug and alcohol use.

On Wednesday, however, Sheen called in, presumably to reduce some of the heat he's been taking, both from Monday and in general from conduct that led CBS and Warner Bros., the network and studio that air "Two and a Half Men," the sitcom Sheen stars in, to shut the show down so as to let Sheen get his act together.

In an often rambling nine-minute conversation, an unrepentant Sheen sought to diffuse speculation that he and Chuck Lorre, the creator and executive producer of the show, were on the outs over his behavior. He said that the "real message" of his talk at UCLA, in which he advised the team to stay away from the crack and drink chocolate milk, was to "enjoy every moment."

 

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Source: http://www.fanhouse.com/2011/02/16/dan-patrick-courts-disaster-with-charlie-sheen-as-guest/

AnnaLynne McCord Anne Marie Kortright April Scott

BYU Quarterback Jake Heaps Comes of Age After Tough Freshman Year

Filed under: Brigham Young

BYU starting quarterback Jake Heaps admits that when it comes to last season, there are parts that he'd rather forget -- the quarterback controversy, the 2-5 start, the first loss to Utah State since 1993.

But Heaps knows all of the experiences from his freshman year -- good and bad -- helped shape the quarterback that he ultimately became by the end of the season. The Cougars won five of their last seven games, including a 52-24 win in the New Mexico Bowl and Heaps proved, despite early doubts, that he could be the leader of BYU's football team.

"In my mind, I really don't remember the first half of the season. I almost kind of like to forget that it even happened," said Heaps, who played in every game for the Cougars his first season and started 10. "I think the hardest thing was at the beginning of the season, it wasn't just me, it was both me and (quarterback) Riley (Nelson) and there were two voices instead of just one. And that's always hard to do. It's almost kind of impossible, especially as a quarterback, to try and reach a team. There were times when it was really hard. After that loss to Utah State -- I was the first quarterback to lose to Utah State in I don't know how many years -- and that was a real low point.

"We really had a point on our team where we could have let the season fall and just accept the fact that we were a losing team or we were going to do something about it and make something out of the season and we ended up really coming together and being able to finish off a strong year."

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2011/02/27/byu-quarterback-jake-heaps-comes-of-age-after-tough-freshman-yea/

Tila Tequila Tina Fey Tricia Helfer

Mike Shanahan Addresses Albert Haynesworth, Donovan McNabb Drama

Filed under: Redskins, NFC East

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, who spent much of 2010 in wars of wills with his richest players, quarterback Donovan McNabb and defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth, has still declined to reveal whether either is definitely finished in Washington although the former ended the season third-string and the latter on suspension.

In his first media session since his Redskins debut season ended with a 6-10 thud, Shanahan on Friday said that he and six-time Pro Bowl quarterback McNabb, for whom he gave up second- and fourth-round draft picks to acquire last April, haven't spoken in the seven-plus weeks since the end of Washington's season.

The coach finally talked with McNabb's agent, Fletcher Smith, on Wednesday for 90 minutes but wouldn't elaborate on their discussion other than to say the quarterback's future with the Redskins won't be decided until after this April's draft.

"I was able to address questions he had and I thought the conversation went well," Shanahan said. "I think over the next few weeks we'll get the chance to talk again, and then we'll make a decision right after the draft of the direction we'll go."

With only McNabb and the unproven John Beck under contract at quarterback -- although journeyman Rex Grossman who finished 2010 as the starter could well be back -- Shanahan is believed to be strongly considering choosing quarterbacks Cam Newton of Auburn or Blaine Gabbert of Missouri with the 10th overall selection.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/26/mike-shanahan-addresses-albert-haynesworth-donovan-mcnabb-drama/

Nicole Scherzinger Nicollette Sheridan Nikki Cox

MLS Commissioner Don Garber: Soccer's Steward Sits Down With FanHouse

Filed under: MLS, US Soccer

NEW YORK -- Wednesday was a good day to be at Major League Soccer headquarters.

The league unveiled its 2011 playoff format, which will include 10 clubs rather than eight for the first time. It was an eagerly awaited announcement that, like a lot of what's handed down from the midtown Manhattan office, generated plenty of conflicting opinions.

At the focal point of all those decisions and subsequent conversations is Don Garber (above, right), the 53-year-old New York City native now entering his 12th full season as MLS commissioner.

He came to soccer late in life, but one could argue that he's had more influence on the fate of the global game in its final frontier than any other American. And as MLS continues to grow, with 18 teams planning to play this year and a 19th coming aboard in 2012, there are no signs his influence is on the wane.

On Wednesday afternoon, after 22 months covering soccer for FanHouse, I had the opportunity to spend about an hour in Garber's office. We examined the day's big news (and a favorite subject of ours), of course, but also looked back to the failed 2022 World Cup bid and discussed David Beckham, branding, ESPN, the challenges of creating a soccer nation and how much power the commissioner really has, among other things.

Thanks to MLS Executive VP Dan Courtemanche and Director of Communications Will Kuhns for setting up the interview, and thanks to our readers for supporting FanHouse's soccer coverage over the past two years.

And now, the Q&A:

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2011/02/25/mls-commissioner-don-garber-american-soccers-steward-sits-down/

Jennifer Morrison Jennifer ODell Jennifer Scholle