USA Defeats Italy 1-0 in International Friendly.

The US soccer team traveled to Italy to take on the Italians in an International friendly. The US had never beaten Italy in 82 years and 10 tries. Italy had outscored the US 32-3 in that time.

Dempsey got the only goal of the game from a nice set up up Jozy Altidore.

The defense played good, making the key plays when they had to. At the end of the game, defenders had a flurry of blocked shots, including a handful by Jonathon Spector. The back line were the beneficiaries of many offsides calls, some of them wrong, and that's something they have to be careful with in the future.

Possession wise, I thought the US was pretty strong. Italy had most of it but that's to be expected when playing Italy, but when the US had possession, they did a good job getting it deep and generate some solid chances.

It's only a friendly, but this is a pretty big moral boost for the squad and it's great to see the boys play like that on the road against one of the big boys.

Klinsmann continues to take this team in the right direction, and this team may be a serious player in the next World Cup.

One can hope and dream, right?

Clint Dempsey's goal.

NHL Trade Deadline 2012: All Hype, No Excitement

The NHL trade deadline has come on gone, and this year it was a giant bore. I usually do a winners and losers, but there were really no winners and all losers... Okay that's not true, I'm just angry and bummed...

Real quick like. My winners are:

Nashville Predators: Reuniting the Kostitsyn brothers and adding a big guy like Gaustad will help them make a push in the playoffs. But did they give up too much for Gaustad? Absolutely.

Colorado Avalanche: Adding Steve Downie last week has already made an impact and now they get a young, tough forward in Jamie McGinn.

Chicago Blackhawks: Gave up a couple of picks, but the Blackhawks get what they need in Johnny Oduya. He'll sure up that blue line and add some much needed defensive depth.

And my losers...

Calgary Flames: They didn't buy, they didn't sell. They just sat there with an aging roster and will remain in the middle of the pack at best.

Philadelphia Flyers: Rumors of them moving JVR didn't amount to anything, but they did need to make a move to sure up the blue line and they did nothing.

And my assessment of the Detroit Red Wings... Kindasorta Losers.

They needed a forward. They shipped Commadore for a bag of hockey pucks and a 7th round pick. Opening a roster space for a trade, right? If only... Now I don't ever dare question Ken Holland because when has he ever really failed us? But the Wings needed to add forward depth, especially with Pavel out.

James Van Riemsdyk, Dereck Roy, Steve Ott, David Moss (cc price) were all guys rumored to be available. Now I trust Mr. Holland, and I bet the price tag was too damn high (insert meme here) but I really felt the Wings needed another forward to take them over the top.

Only time shall tell...

BalLIN!

My how the Knicks teams have changed over the last few years. Going from Marbury, Francis, and Edy Curry, to Zach Randolph, Quetin Richardson, Tracy Mcgrady, and David Lee, to Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallanari, to now, with Jeremy Lin, Landry Fields, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudamire, and Tyson Chandler. The Knicks have always had one of the most talented starting line-ups, on paper. It's a different story how they all play together.

With Jeremy Lin having considerably the story of the NBA season so far, the Knicks are still only a .500 team. Who's to blame for this? Is it Carmelo hogging the ball? Is Amare past his prime? Is Dantoni a misfit? Is Tyson Chandler over-paid? Well all of these things are true, but there's not one person to point out. I believe Amare is getting to the age where he is just not that explosive foward he once was. He is still a solid post-man, but not the superstar he once was. Carmelo needs to take the amount of shots he does, after all he is still in the top 10 in the league. Yes, the Knicks should have spent their money wiser in the off-season, by not giving Tyson Chandler for $58 million contract over 4 years. Lastly, coach Dantoni has failed so far to make this team play together. It is not all his fault however, this team has went through more transactions in the past year, than most teams have in 4-5 years. The only player that is still in the starting lineup from last year is SG Landry Fields.

The Knicks organization have always had perosnal issues off the court. From the Isiaih Thomas scandals, to the Stephon Marbury/Larry Brown fight, which lead to the termination of Larry Brown, to Donnie Walsh rebuilding the team, to trading for Carmelo. This team is always in the press, which turns into lots of off-court drama and makes a big problem on the court. We all wonder why when a certain player that goes to the Knicks, gets progressively worse. It's one of the hardest environments in all of sports to be a part of and to suceed.

We all need to understand this team needs time to figure out their teammates. They need a leadership role from Carmelo as well, he is responsible for making sure his teammates get enough shots, giving their team a chance to win even if the team has a bad night, and he is expected to be there when his team needs a clutch basket in the end to win. This team doesn't need to make a dramatic move to improve their team, they need time to play together. The best has yet to come for the Knicks bright future.

The Magic need some magic!

A big name in NBA trade talks this season has been Dwight Howard. This has been the story of the season, topping the Chris Paul debate. Where will Dwight land? Can the Magic make a run in the playoffs with Dwight on the roster? The Magic have almost the same roster when they were in the finals, why aren't they playing like they once did? After analyzing the entire team, these questions are easily answered.

After C Dwight Howard lead the Magic to the championship in the 2008-2009 season, it looks like the team is slowly trending downhill. F Hedo Turkuglo's best days are way behind him. PG Jameer Nelson has been in-and-out of the lineup with injuries, and F Rashard Lewis is no longer with the squad, now a member of the Wizards playing with the young star, John Wall. So that leaves the Magic with Dwight Howard. Somehow the Magic still have a 20-12 record so far, and most of the credit must go to Dwight averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds a game.

What most people don't see though is the improving production from F Ryan Anderson, averaging 16.3 ppg, along with 7.3 rpg. Many people still think the Magic are one of the elite teams in the NBA still. When I talk about the teams that could win the finals this year, such as Miami, Chicago, Oklahoma City, and possibly even the San Antonio Spurs(yes people the spurs are the hottest team in the league right now), they ask me what about Orlando? I ask them if they are joking, because there is no way in my mind this team has a shot to even get past the second round in the playoffs.

Look at their lineup: PG Nelson/Duhon, SG Jason Richardson, SF Hedo Turkuglo, PF Ryan Anderson, C Dwight Howard. Not too bad on paper right? What happens when you put a team like this up against the heat, with Lebron and D-Wade? Who on that lineup can defend either one of those guys. The correct answer would be nobody. The same would go for the Bulls PG Derrick Rose, SF Luol Deng, and OKC's F Kevin Durant, and PG Russell Westbrook.

Don't get me wrong Dwight Howard is one of the best player in the NBA right now (my favorite player actually.) We all know Dwight wants a championship ring more than anything, just like Lebron does, and as we all remember, Lebron lead his below average Cleveland squad to the finalswithout much help. Can Dwight do the same? The answer is no, he doesn't control the ball and take all of the shots for his team, after all he is a center.

This leads to the question everybody asks; so does Dwight Howard want out of Orlando, and if so where would he go? At the beginning of the NBA season, he made it clear he wanted out and wanted to go to either Dallas, either LA team, New Jersey, or Chicago. So which one will he go to? I say none of the above. I think he will be in a Magic uniform through the rest of the season, and will re-access the situation come next off-season. If I had to guess where he will land next year, I would bet he will be in a Magic uniform again next season. I believe all of the trade talk involving Dwight is over-dramatic, and over-hyped.

- New NBA Writer E.J.

Detroit Acquires Kyle Quincey from Tampa Bay

Chris Chelios (left) with Kyle Quincey

The Detroit Red Wings have acquired defenseman Kyle Quincey today from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Quincey was traded from Colorado to Tampa for forward Steve Downie. Tampa then sent Quincey to Detroit for a 2012 1st round pick and minor leaguer Steve Piche.

Just learned the specifics, we have Steve Yzerman to thank for this. Colorado did not like what we offered them directly. Then in stepped Yzerman to make a deal with Colorado after prearranging what Detroit would give Tampa. Brilliant.

Quincey used to be a Red Wing until he was claimed off Waivers in 2008 by the Los Angelas Kings.

I like this trade. I don't love it, but I don't see anything wrong with it. A 1st round pick sounds like a hefty price, but the Red Wings are known for finding talent with later picks, and it's not like this pick is a top 10 pick.

Quincey is a solid, young defender that's gritty and does what's necessary to get the job done. I don't know of his contract situation, but it may be a guy the Wings plan on extending because of his age, and he may be a cheaper solution to if Brad Stuart's price tag gets too high.

I don't know what this means for Commadore or Kindl, but the Wings wanted to solidify that 6th defensive spot. Commadore's been banged up frequently this season and Kindl isn't quite there yet. He needs to get tougher and grittier, especially approaching the grind of the season.

Overal I like the trade, never hurts to improve your team without having to lose a core player.

UPDATE:

I’ve noticed quite a handful of people are upset with the deal. I don’t think a lot of you understand that this trade is also an insurance policy for the very real possibility of losing Brad Stuart. His price tag may be out of the Wings price range.

Plus Quincey is a solid player. When he was here he wasn’t good enough to crack the lineup. He went somewhere else and he blossomed. Now he’s good, young, and back

Michigan Gets Signature Win Over Rival OSU

Photo Credit: NBCsports.com

Michigan and that school from Ohio squared off Saturday in a huge game with Big Ten Title hopes on the line. Entering the game OSU was tied with MSU a top the standings and Michigan was third.

It was a big game for both teams, and adding to it College Gameday was in Ann Arbor for the clash between two rivals, both ranked in the top 20.

Michigan needed a win to stay in the hunt for a Big Ten title, and this win would go a long way in proving that they are a team to be taken seriously.

And right from the opening tip, you could tell that Michigan was determined to win this game, and that's exactly what they did. Michigan beats OSU 56-51 (or 53 I've seen both, not quite sure which it is...)

It was easily Michigan's best defensive performance all season. They limited OSU's second chance opportunities and rebounded very well (which was what killed them in Columbus,) they shut down Sullinger for most of the game, Bufford was a non factor, and they forced turnovers and converted them into points. (Five of those turnovers were Wolverines taking a charge.)

Michigan led the entire game. Built the lead up to 10, but didn't get discouraged when it was cut down to one. They made the plays when they had to. Jordan Morgan recorded his first double double, Stu Douglas shut down Bufford, Hardaway's jump shot was money, and Trey Burke had the poise to make two tough buckets at the rim late in the game to seal Michigan's win.

Yes, players had good individual performances, but they played even better as a team. It was the best display of team defense I've seen from the Wolverines all season. They are a dangerous team when they play like this.

It feels great beating that team... Savor the flavor...

Hockey Day in America; Great Day in HockeyTown

It's Hockey Day in America, so where better to spend the day than in HockeyTown? And it was a great day of hockey for everyone except for San Jose Shark fans... So everyone because we all know there aren't any real Shark fans, just the obnoxious fake ones that pretend like they know hockey.

But anywho, The Sharks came to HockeyTown with the hopes of ending the Red Wings 22 game home winning streak, and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was at least a little worried that they'd beat us. San Jose had won the previous five regular season meetings against Detroit.

Something had to give, and it wasn't Detroit. Detroit did what it needed to do by jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first period on a Zetterberg backhander. Drew Miller would add to the lead in the second period.

Sharks would "answer" and cut the lead in half. By answer I mean they scored an absolute fluke of a goal, typical Sharks fashion.

But the Red Wings bounced back when Darren Helm found the back of the net in the third period, to give the Wings back that two goal cushion; a cushion they needed as Marleau netted the second Shark goal later in the third.

But this win would not have happened if it weren't for the play of Joey MacDonald. He has been amazing filling for the injured Howard and incapable Conklin. Without his play, the streak doesn't even get to 20. As good as he's been during the streak, today was his best effort. He made a plethora of key saves, especially in that second period when the Wings got out shot 19-8. Without his efforts, it would have been an easy loss.

Recap and Highlights of the Wings 3-2.

Blackjack! Red Wings Hit 21 Straight Wins at Home

21... 21 straight games. Think about it. The Red Wings have just set an NHL record by winning 21 straight games at home.

The Red Wings flat out dominated Dallas, right from the get go. There was nothing going to keep them from getting the record for consecutive home wins.

It's been an incredible streak, winning 21 games in a row at home in today's NHL is an amazing accomplishment. The talent is very evenly spread out in the league and anyone can beat anyone. Some of these wins even went to shoot out, and those are a crap shoot.

They've also been doing it with their third string goalie in Joey MacDonald, who's playing the best hockey of his career and deserved a shutout in tonights game, but it just wasn't in the Stars... Pun completely intended.

Wings will take on Nashville on Friday then Sunday will play San Jose, two very tough opponents. Can they get the streak to 23? You better believe it.