Okay, first let me qualify this "blog" by saying that I am still a new fan to club soccer.  I am normally a fan of the NFL, but when the media just wouldn't shut up about Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens last year, I turned the channel and discovered something new...English League Soccer.  I was hooked instantly.  If you haven't seen it, the EPL is the fastest, most exciting league in all of soccer.  Now, I'm not putting down the Italian, French or German leagues, but the pace in the English league and the enthusiasm of the fans will keep me focused on the match more than any other league.  That being said, I quickly began searching for a team to support.  It was difficult at first because there was so much information to take in, but the standouts were obviously Chelsea, Manchester United (the only club team I had heard of when this all started for me), Arsenal and Liverpool.  That was easy because, at the time, you guessed it...they were the top four teams in the league (dad said to always pick a winner, so...sorry Black Cats).  When it was all said and done, I fell on the side of Arsenal.  The main reason is because of the "Human Highlight Reel," (no, not Dominique Wilkins NBA fans) French striker, Thierry Henry.  Imagine that, an American that admires a French athlete.  What is the world coming to these days?  Okay, so I guess that's the long way around to pointing out that I'm a Gunners fan.  Not just because they have a cool name, but because they have some world class players and are exciting to watch.

Right!  On to my point...Chelsea also has some world class players.  In fact, I think they have too many.  Okay, I've never even been to England, but what's so special about Stamford Bridge anyway?  I'm not bashing you Blues fans, but why are they getting every single top player on the market this off-season?  Andriy Shevchenko (is Crespo not good enough anymore?), and Michael Ballack on a free transfer...are you kidding me?  I have to admit that maybe I'm overreacting here, but these are names that even I recognize, and I'm new to this sport!  So how good are these guys?  And now the rumors continue that Chelsea could end up signing Ashley Cole.  It's not enough that they won the league two consecutive years, now they have to try and take away my team's best defender?!

Okay, if it sounds like I'm whining, it's because I am, I guess (at least I'm man enough to admit it).  But this highway thievery is tantamount to what the New York Yankees have done for ages.  Steinbrenner's system can't develop good players, so he just goes out and buys what he wants, when he wants, because he's lucky enough to own a team in the largest baseball market in the world...New York City.  Does the same apply to Chelsea?  I know the Gunners are hardly a poor team, so why don't they come out stronger in favor of Cole?  Since Campbell is going to France, I don't think they can afford to lose another quality defender like Cole.  At least, don't lose him to Chelsea!  They have what they need for a third consecutive title simply because they didn't lose anyone that would weaken the side.  Blues fans should be thrilled.  They have an excellent team and will no doubt be near the top of the table in the spring.  I would just rather they did it by keeping their mitts off my players.

Come on Gunners fans!  Should we sell Ashley Cole or do whatever it takes to keep him?  I know I'll be disappointed to see him go, but if they want to keep him, they need to take action.  The George Steinbrenners of the EPL are after him, and when they talk...players tend to listen.  Post a comment and let me know what you think.

The other day I was watching the movie "Eight Men Out."  It is the true story of eight Major League Baseball players, more commonly known as "The Black Sox," who were accused of fixing the World Series back in 1919.  The movie depicts the eight members of the Chicago White Sox as disgruntled employees who justify their actions by claiming to play for one of the greediest owners and biggest cheapskates in the game of baseball.  So some poor sap goes and bets on the White Sox to win the series.  He then loses his money, and after reading some of the comments written in national and local newspapers, he decides to press charges against the players.  While the players were found "not guilty" in trial court, the court of public opinion was too much for baseball to handle.  The newly appointed commissioner then handed down a decision to ban those players from the league for life.  That meant that the men considered at the time to be some of the best players in the game would never be placed in the Hall of Fame, and never get another chance to redeem themselves by playing the game they loved.  It was a controversial decision at the time, but a deserved one.

In the regular corporate world, similar tales of price-fixing or out-right fraud has caused multi-billion dollar corporations to go bust.  Enron, the most famous of this group, no longer exists, and its top members will most likely find themselves in a jail cell (except former CEO, Ken Lay, who was lucky enough to die before he went to prison).  Most of the employees of these companies had nothing to do with this controversy, but still found themselves "on the street" with finding a new job as their only remedy. 

While Juventus, the Italian Serie A champion for the last two consecutive years, received the biggest punishment in the wake of this scandal, it is not as severe as it may sound.  Stripped of their two league titles, ousted from the UEFA Champions' League, relegated to Serie B, and forced to begin the 2006/2007 season down 30 points, it sounds severe enough (not to mention that I'm sure they were fined, although I don't recall how much).  However, since most of their top-flight talent will turn their nose up at the idea of playing in Serie B, Juventus will be selling them off like hotcakes.  Talents like Fabio Cannavaro, who is already set to go to Real Madrid, Patrick Viera, and Pavel Nedved, not to mention a host of others, will not go cheaply.  This will give Juventus a chance to hire top-flight talent for the 2007/2008 season that could very well get them back into Serie A almost immediately.  I would be willing to bet that had such a scandal plauged the Dallas Cowboys, for instance, Jerry Jones would find himself in prison (okay, with his lawyer, probably some coushy work-release program), and his team auctioned off to the highest bidder with the league keeping the proceeds.  Football in America would never be the same.  Perhaps the same can be said of Italian futbol, but I'm new here, so who knows? 

What do you think of the punishments handed down?  Too severe?  Not severe enough?  Post a comment and let me know.