Choice Sports Blog

Already some players are starting to shine through the dross and put a sparkle in the fans eyes, so here is a quick run down of the hottest players of the 2009 season right now:
· Hot Goalie – Keeper Steve Simonsen impressed fans and critics alike in a recent win against Tottenham, especially after been promoted very suddenly from the bench when Sorensen was taken ill just minutes before the game started, not an easy task for any player.
· Hot Defenders – critics maybe saying Jamie Carragher is past his prime and lagging behind the field during match play, but in the last few games he has been the best man on the field, blocking and working the defence like the pro he is and generally putting in a team winning performance.
· Hot Midfielder – Frank Lampard continues to be the driving force behind whichever team he plays in, and is certainly one of the best goal scoring mid fielder of recent years, and after two more goals and more wins for Chelsea he is certainly the best midfielder this season so far.
· Hot Striker – Fernando Torres showed us what he is made of against Man U, and methodically worked the field to ensure he was in place to hold of the great Rio Ferdinand and make himself a fantastic opportunity to send the ball smashing past experienced Man U keeper van der Saar.

The Group E opener of the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup saw the US Men’s National Team fall to Spain in a 2-1 defeat, despite a promising first half with the US team taking the advantage and Jack McInerney scoring in under four minutes of the opening. Spain played an aggressive second half though, showing their seven time European champion level class, and despite some great movement up and down the pitch from the US team a goal from Borja evened the score in the 22nd minute, followed up by a stunning goal from the Spanish striker Sarabia. The US Head Coach was pleased with the opening match despite the defeat though, stating his team played a good game, with a great opener and some tactical possession of the ball which held down the experience Spanish players for much of the match, but admitted the side did not enough use of the opportunities given to them throughout the game.

England coach Fabio Capello has never been backwards in coming forwards with his opinions, and Monday saw him angering fellow Italians during a sports seminar in the country, by stating that hardcore fans were ruining Serie A football. Capello accused that ‘ultra’ fans of inciting tension and aggression in the stadium stating that they ‘insult everyone’ and that this was making the Italian stadiums a less family friendly environment compared to Spain and England. Italian Olympic Committee chief Gianni Petrucci was one of the first to criticise these negative comments, defending the fans and stating that Capello’s accusations were simply ‘not true’, and many other Italian sports officials were also keen to assure the sporting world that Italian football stadiums were just as family friendly as anywhere else in the world. Capello also went on to sympathise with Italy coach Marcello Lippi, who has been heavily criticised recently in his judgement regarding Antonio Cassano, who was overlooked despite being in top form this season.

The former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan has just been announced as the new manager for Championship team Middlesbrough, following the departure of Gareth Southgate who was sacked last week after a distinctly average start to the season. All eyes have been on this former player after he stood down at Celtic Park at the end of last year, and speculation has linked him as taking over several sides in the Championship so far. This formidable football boss has an impressive CV, having taken the Glasgow giants to the three consecutive Premier League titles, and only narrowing missing out on last years win after losing out to rivals the Rangers.

Some fans were shocked by the sudden dismissal of Southgate, as this club does not have a habit of firing managers so early in the season, but after the former England defender ended last years season seeing his side fall out of the Premier League it was clear the club has some serious concerns about Boro’s ability to bounce back, and a change in the line up was called for.

Fantasy football is a game that hundreds of thousands of football fans play every season. In Fantasy football a number of players arrange their own league. The person running the Fantasy league invites the participants who get to each make up their own dream team.

The fantasy football players keep watching players stats/updates on various soccer news and pick real life players to star in their dream team. Each time a real life player does well who is in the fantasy team, the fantasy team gains points with points being awarded for a number of things such as Playing in a match (or playing at least part of a match for instance playing for 45 minutes of 15 minutes.), Scoring a hat-trick, Scoring a goal, Making an assist (this is when a player makes a pass or a touch that ends up leading to a goal).

Quite a few sites and papers run fantasy league competitions with the teams that do the best winning up to ten thousand dollars – isn’t an alternative to football betting. The first league was originally created in 1991 by Fantasy League Ltd gaining momentum and popularity in 1993.

Anabolic steroids are chemically very similar to the male type sex hormones (androgens such as testosterone) that the body naturally produces to stimulate growth and development of the muscular tissues and the effect of taking these steroids in conjunction with physical exercises is to boost muscle growth.  For sportsmen, weightlifters and athletes this can improve strength and performance significantly, and this is one of the reasons why anabolic steroids are banned in most professional sports and competitors are rigorously tested for these drugs.

The Olympics has for centuries been an event that celebrates the very best in human athleticism and performance, and anabolic steroids are seen in a very negative light by the International Olympic Committee, as they can give one athlete an unfair advantage over the other.

Therefore the International Olympic Committee imposes some of the strictest regulations against the use of steroids, and if an athlete tests positive either before or after their event they could face some serious consequence including having their past medals and World/Olympic records stripped, a life time ban and a fine of up to $1 million.  In other sports steroid abuse is also tested for, and in Major League baseball the penalties for testing positive for steroids include a 50 game suspension for the first failed test, a 100 game suspension for a second failed test and a lifetime suspension for the third.

There are many different types of anabolic steroids available, and these are so effective at boosting strength and performance they have permeated society at all levels, from professional sports down to the school locker rooms.  The majority of steroids are now only available on prescription, but some steroidal supplements such as those that contain dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) can still be purchased over the counter.  Before you buy steroids in any form, it is important that you consider the potential side effects.

Strong steroids such as Clenbuterol and Anadrol are very effective at increasing strength and performance and reducing fat, but they also have a powerful effect on the rest of the body as well and if they are misused they can cause some serious side effects such as infertility, insomnia, mood swings (depression, anxiety and aggression) and high blood pressure which can increase the risks of heart problems and strokes even in younger people.  Some steroids can even increase the risks of developing certain types of cancer, and the minor side effects can also make you feel very unwell with dizzy spells, achy joints, nausea and feelings of anxiety and paranoia.

Results Sunday: Women’s Canada Cup At Vancouver Bronze Medal Finland 1 Sweden 0 Gold Medal U.S. 2 Canada 1 OHL Exhibition Barrie 5 Owen Sound 3 Erie 4 Niagara 4 Gatineau (QMJHL…

Continued here:
Sunday’s hockey results