Morten Gamst Pedersen, Jason Roberts and Brett Emerton were all on target for Paul Ince's side on an entertaining night in Portugal.

The Premier League side went a goal down on seven minutes when Jonathan Urretavizcaya pounced on a rebound.

But Rovers struck twice in the space of two minutes to turn the game around, with Pedersen dispatching an excellent free-kick and Roberts slotting home in the 35th minute.

Emerton extended Blackburn's advantage, connecting with Pedersen's cross, before Benfica netted a consolation via Ariza Makukula's effort.

[dailymotion id=x68wd9]

Via Sky

- In case you were wondering, the oldest team in the league last year was Portsmouth, with an average age of 29.29 years old, with Blackburn Rovers not far behind. Manchester City were the youngest team, aged just 25.37, though Arsenal, Sunderland and Tottenham all also had teams who less than 26 on average.
The oldest player out of these 320 players was Portsmouth's David James, who is a week or so shy of his 38th birthday and just a tad older than Edwin Van der Sar and Blackburn's long-serving midfielder Tugay. The youngest was the Gunners' Theo Walcott, who at 19 is just a few month older than Derby County's Giles Barnes.
Aston Villa's Martin Laursen is the youngest of the Oldest Players by club. He will turn 31 in two days time. Conversely, Fulham's Algerian forward Hameur Gouazza and out-of-favour Pompey striker David Nugent are the youngest players for their respective sides despite being almost 24 years of age.

- Supporters of the Negroazzurri should rejoice that they have signed young Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari rather than Frank Lampard. Muntari has impressed on an almost weekly basis since joining Portsmouth last year, and still has a great future ahead of him. Muntari should have little trouble adapting to Italian football, having played at Serie A side Udinese for five years before joining Pompey.

Via Sky Sports

Sorry, but there's simply no other way to phrase it. Acting under the assumption that the brain trust operating the Minnesota Twins aren't just plain stupid, it's blatantly obvious why they're keeping the exceptionally talented Francisco Liriano in Rochester. It's not exactly a secret that the Twins are all about money, and are satisfied with just maintaining respectability on the field. They do just enough to make sure they don't stink, but always manage to avoid spending the necessary dollars to win. The fact they're in contention again this year is more by accident than design.

I'll explain in just a little bit why the Twins are lying through their teeth about why they've still got Liriano pitching to AAA hitters. First, let's examine the case for Liriano being with the parent team. We already know that Liriano is a great pitcher. In 2006, he absolutely dominated at the highest level. 12-3, 2.16. A 1.00 WHIP. 144 K's in only 121 IP. He may very well have been the best pitcher in all of baseball for most of that season. So there's simply no doubting what he's capable of doing.

Unfortunately, Liriano also blew out his elbow along the way and ended up missing the 2007 season. He managed to get enough people out in this season's spring training to earn a spot on the parent team's roster coming out of camp. But virtually every spring training scouting report said that Liriano wasn't really ready and needed more rehab time. His fastball wasn't moving and he seemed to not want to throw his breaking pitches. Clearly, Liriano wasn't right, but the Twins threw him to the wolves and watched him get lit up. Thus, there were no complaints from anyone when Liriano got sent out for minor league work.

The assumption was that when and if Liriano got it back together he'd be quickly promoted and given back his spot in the Twins rotation. That time arrived a couple of weeks ago, but thus far the phone in Rochester hasn't rung. Liriano is now totally dominating the International League. His pitching line for his last four starts reads as follows: 28 IP, 17 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 32 K.

Numbers like those Liriano is posting would be enough to warrant a recall even if he'd never pitched a major league inning in his life. The fact that this was arguably the best pitcher in the game in 2006 makes the Twins refusal to call him back to the big club downright absurd...until we see how keeping him in Rochester might save skinflint Carl Pohlad a few bucks in arbitration money next season.

Right now, Francisco Liriano has two years and 45 days of major league service time. Most players need three full years to qualify for salary arbitration. But the top 17% of those players with between two and three years of service time qualify as what is known as "Super Twos." Once Liriano qualifies for arbitration, the Twins will have to pay him much more than he's making right now. Thus, the longer they keep him down on the farm, the less chance Liriano has of being one of those Super Twos, and the Twins get him for 2009 for next to nothing in terms of dollars.

Make no mistake, the 2009 bucks are the ONLY reason Francisco Liriano is not pitching in the major leagues right now. His agent knows this and is investigating the plausibility of filing a grievance against the Twins with the Players Association. My guess is that the Twins will recall Liriano within 24 hours of a grievance being filed and will then claim that they were just making sure he was ready. In other words, another lie.

Anyone who believes the Twins claim that they just don't need Liriano right now is either dumb or gullible. Liriano is a potential staff ace. He's good enough right now to start for any team in the major leagues. He's certainly good enough to be ahead of such notables as Nick Blackburn, Livan Hernandez and Glenn Perkins. He's also better than Kevin Slowey and at least on a par with Scott Baker. Those are the present Minnesota starters. The Twins claim otherwise, but the numbers don't lie. Check them for yourself. Blackburn is a good looking rookie, but the better offenses have hammered him. Hernandez is nothing more than an innings eater and his ratios, not to mention his ERA, are pretty horrendous. Perkins is benefiting from an unusually fortunate opposing BA on balls put into play. The manure coming out of the mouths of Twins management is laughable to anyone willing to do a minimal amount of research.

I really feel as though Liriano has a completely justifiable case against the Twins and I hope his agent follows through on the threat to file a grievance. Owners like Carl Pohlad are a blight on the game and anything that exposes his type is okay with me.

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I admit it: I voted against these shirts before I voted for them. When pics were leaked two weeks ago, the shirt just looked dingy and ugly to me.  Yes, I know that they're doing this in honor of the 1989 title win at Anfield.  I appreciate that.  But after my initial reservations I'll admit, it's not a bad looking kit.  You can pre-order one at the dot com but I wouldn't recommend getting "Hleb" or "Adebayor" or "God" put on the back.

I had to wear my team captain's Liverpool strip during yesterday's match and of course he had "God" on the back in honor of Robbie Fowler.  I got a lot of shiat for that by the other team, naturally.  Coincidentally, our team might actually be able to pick up Fowler as it seems like he's set for a two week trial at Blackburn.  Owch.  Just retire, old man.

Blackburn has also announced that Nigel Winterburn (no.32 on the Gunners' Greatest Players list) will be their defensive coach.  Maybe Blackburn will try to play football under Nigel's watchful eye?  It's too soon to tell.  What we do know is that Bentley is supposed to be going to Spuds for £17m: a portion of which will go to Arsenal.  HA!  That's justice, as if having a case of Bentleyism wasn't justice in itself.

In the "Not joining Arsenal" group this morning is a 16 year old midfielder named Tawick Jibril.  I never heard of him, but he does have a 10 minute YouTube video.  In which case it has to be seen as a huge loss for the Arsenal.

There are more stories about how Andrei Arshavin is wetting the bed he's so excited to join the Gunners... (wait for it)... but Zenit haven't received a bid from any EPL teams.  At £10m he's an attractive player, at £20m he's overpriced, out of shape, and at 27 years old you'll never get your money back on him.  DON'T BUY HIM ARSENE.

It's being reported that Hleb has joined Barcelona for £15m, now we'll wait and see who Arsene buys with that money.  Oh yeah, bye bye Hleb, I hope you find some peace in Barcelona.

It's also being reported that Barcelona are offering Eto'o plus cash for Adebayor.  No'o, please'e, thank you'u.  Eto'o would demand a huge salary, he's a whiner, and a dressing room malcontent.  The last thing Arsene needs is that headache.

And finally...  probably my all time favorite player (it's hard to choose) has found himself at #5 on the Gunners' Greatest Players list. Football fans the world over have to admit that Vieira was the only player who could ever stand up to (and on) Roy Keane.  If he wasn't stopping people in midfield, he was scoring brilliant goals or just providing the midfield engine of a team that would go unbeaten over 49 games.  He was an inspirational leader on the pitch and was still able to toss down some pizza after the match.  It's sad to see him play now, I prefer to just remember the Patrick Vieira who scored against Tottenham.  That was they guy that terrified midfields up and down the country.

'till tomorrow.

The winger joined Liverpool for £6.7 million from Birmingham- but hasn’t impressed since his arrival.

Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in signing Blackburn winger David Bentley, and therefore Pennant would be an ideal replacement for the Ewood Park club.

With Rafa Benitez low on transfer money, Pennant might be sold to fund the Gareth Barry deal and possibly Robbie Keane’s deal too.

I sorta liked Pennant. He played very well in some games, but i guess thats where the problem lies. He played very well in "SOME" games. If he does leave, i wish him all the best.

Aussie centre back Mark Milligan has revealed his forthcoming ambition is to play in the Premier League, after trials with Arsenal and Man City.

The 22-year-old versatile defender come midfielder was linked with the Gunners during early May, since then Milligan's been on loan to several Premier League clubs including Manchester City, Fulham and of course Arsenal.

He told the Herald:

"The wheels are in motion - I've just got to sit tight and wait, my agent will do the talking, and for now my focus is on the Olympics"

""My two main trials were with Man City and Arsenal, but in between I stayed at Adrian Leijer's house and trained with Fulham a few times, so it was a good month, and those conversations there are ongoing. People know what to expect from me. They've seen me play, they've seen me trial. I've always said I'm keen to try playing in England, or maybe Spain."

There is no debating the need for left back cover at Arsenal. While we have the best left back in the world in Gael Clichy, options as to who will replace him should he pick up an injury or suspension are limited.

Milligan is a utility defender, originally known as a Right-Back, but more recently playing in both Central Defence and Central Midfield.

A permanent move would be very strange indeed considering the recent rumours circulating around involving former Werder Bremen midfielder Amaury Bischoff and his imminent move to the club.

I was an avid Arsenal supporter. By supporter what I mean is that I travelled around the country watching them hack and slog their way to fourth placed mediocrity season in and season out. I did not stay at home, watch the game on cable and then eulogise about their performance utilising soundbites from the Mirror or the Sun. No; I was a real supporter.

I loved the terraces. I loved standing in strange towns and listening to strange accents all in the name of cheering on what I regarded as my team.

But those days are gone and will never return... I really miss them.

Still, I can look back and launch myself on nostalgia trips. To that end, I hope to be posting articles about my days as a gooner, as well as commenting on football - real football - between the aforementioned dates.

So today, I present to you: Hairstyles.

Just about everybody from my generation can recall Kevin Keegan's perm. It's bedspring like resilience was and is legendary. But he was not alone. A colleague at work pointed me in the direction of the Northern Ireland and Blackburn player Noel Brotherston.

I mean what can you say about that dual bush perched on his crown, looking not unlike a rural scene whereby a country path is fading into the distance between two hedgerows? Simply wonderful.

It would be remiss of me not to crowbar in an Arsenal player, in what I will readily admit is the most gratuitous fashion. Here is Charlie George:

Charlie is a legend amongst us Arsenal fans. He blasted in the winning goal against Liverpool in the 1971 FA Cup Final (this was when that trophy meant something and wasn't a testing ground for the premiership sides to field 'B' teams). His celebrations afterwards are etched in my mind, although to be honest I was barely two-years old at the time and wasn't lucky enough to see it live - still his antics have moved into Arsenal lore. Not least because about a week prior to the final, Arsenal had won the championship at... wait for it... White Hart Lane!!

Charlie was also born in Islington - the home of The Arse and was one of those rarities: a supporter of the club he played for. He joined the team as a youngster and despite periods in exile at far flung places such as Derby has gone full circle and can be found (so I am told) assisting with the running of the Arsenal museum. In fact, his skill, shooting and passing were of a standard that he should have been seen far more regularly in the England side. It's a bit of a mystery that he never quite made the grade.

It must have been his hair. Charlie was a bit of a rebel. His lank locks and temperamental personality must have given the impression of a loose cannon from the Manson Family making their way into the opposition box. Still wonderful hair for a wonderful player. More to follow...

Slowey is proof that you don't need to throw 94+ mph to be successful. With all the hype surrounding young arms like Buchholz, Chamberlain, Kershaw, etc, pitchers in the mold of Kevin Slowey often get overlooked. With an absurd K:BB ratio well over 6, Slowey is looking dominant, despite having an a fastball that averages just 89.7 mph.

The Twins can be very dangerous. With Slowey, Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings, and the promise of Nick Blackburn, the future is bright in Minnesota.

David Seaman has expressed his worry over continued speculation surrounding the future of Arsenal players, namely Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Arsenal goalkeeping legend believes there will not be a shortage of followers if the Togolese striker departs:

"There have been a couple of surprises in the people that have left and when you are looking at the squad, which is not the biggest in the world, it's worrying." He told the Mirror.

"Then, when you see the names bandied around that might leave it makes you worry more. Adebayor would be a massive loss. No-one knows who he is watching and then he just pulls one out of the hat and everyone says: 'Where did he come from?'."

Personally I am not worried about Adebayor as I believe he can be replaced. He scored 30 goals, works ever so hard but his attitude is in serious question. Roque Santa Cruz and Daniel Guiza have both been mentioned as possible replacements. So far its just mere speculation but I would rather Arsenal go all out for Santa Cruz as he has deceptive pace, a composed finisher, good in the air and most important of all is a proven premiership striker.

With the quality of Arsenal's service into the front men there is no doubt he would net more than the 19 Premier League goals than he did for Blackburn last season.

Article By Evo

Trying to determine the meaning of “positive” in positive psychology reminds me of Augustine.  At the beginning of his analysis of the concept of time, he wrote:  “What then is time?  If no one asks me, I know.  But if I want to explain it to someone, I don’t know” (Confessions, XI, xiv, my translation).  Similarly, I know what positive means, of course.  But the more I try to explain it, the more I realize I actually don’t know what it means.

So I must confess that I don’t actually know what positive psychology means by “positive.”  Furthermore, by the time you finish reading this, I hope you don’t either.  Why?  Because it is only in seeing this term as problematic that we can begin an inquiry that may yield fruitful results.  What does positive psychology mean by “positive”?  As I share with you some of my struggles with this question, my hope is that it will inspire similar struggles of your own.

“Positive” is a word with many different meanings.  In fact, it’s hard to use this word without saying more than you mean.  One definition that positive psychologists don’t mean is “marked by or indicating acceptance, approval, or affirmation” (Webster’s Dictionary).  The claim is not that positive psychology is the right way of doing psychology, and that all other ways are wrong.  The claim, rather, is that positive psychology emphasizes some important perspectives that have long been under-emphasized and neglected in psychology.

Fair enough.  But why did the woman I met last week immediately think of “negative” when I said “positive psychology”?  I don’t, after all, get the same kind of reaction when I talk about humanistic psychology.  People don’t laugh, and say, “As opposed to animalistic psychology?”  Nor do I get the same kind of response when I talk about cognitive psychology, or developmental psychology.  Why is this?

I got the reaction I did because “positive” and “negative” are polar concepts.  The philosopher Simon Blackburn defines polar concepts as “concepts that gain their identity in part through their contrast with one another” (The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy).  We often think of polar concepts as opposites.  Consider the following pairs of words: male/female, light/dark.  Male/female are binary opposites.  If you are one, you are not the other; and if you are not the one, you are definitely the other.  Light/dark are continuum opposites.  You can have both, to varying degrees.  But if you get more of one, you automatically have less of the other; and if you get less of one, you automatically have more of the other.  This is because one term actually means the absence of the other.  Dark means “devoid of light.”

The irony here is that, while we often think of “positive” and “negative” as polar opposites, the foundational claim of positive psychology is that they are not.  According to positive psychology, happiness is not the polar opposite of unhappiness.  In fact, I identify the Fundamental Principle of Positive Psychology as

Happiness ≠ Absence of Unhappiness

According to positive psychology, getting rid of unhappiness is not the same thing as achieving happiness.  Getting rid of anger, fear, and depression will not automatically fill you with peace, love, and joy.  Getting rid of weaknesses will not automatically maximize your strengths.  Getting rid of angst will not automatically fill your life with a sense of meaning and purpose.

According to positive psychology, happiness and unhappiness are not on the same continuum.  While it may be true that the processes by which we can minimize anger, fear, weakness, and angst are related to the processes by which we can maximize peace, joy, strength, and meaning, they are not identical.  Nor are they simply the reverse of each other.

To illustrate this point, think of Ed Diener’s subjective well-being construct.  For Diener, subjective well-being is a function of three different factors: high positive affect, low negative affect, and high life satisfaction.  For Diener, positive and negative affect are not just two ends of the same continuum; they are on different continua.

Think also of Barbara Fredrickson’s work on positive emotions.  Fredrickson argues that a key to emotional flourishing is having a high positive-to-negative emotion ratio.  We can improve our state, either by increasing positive emotions or by decreasing negative emotions (or both, of course), and these are different processes with different metrics.

So why does this matter?  Why should we care that “positive” and “negative” are not polar opposites?  One reason is so that positive psychologists don’t make the same mistakes that traditional psychologists have.  While many traditional psychologists seemed to think that taking away negatives would automatically create positives, positive psychologists need to avoid the trap of thinking that creating positives will automatically take away the negatives.  If it is true that the positive and the negative are on two separate (albeit related) continua, then it is crucial that we pay attention both to processes for cultivating the positive and to processes for mitigating the negative.

On this view, traditional interventions and positive interventions are both important.  Here are my definitions for these two terms.

            Traditional interventions – evidence-based, intentional acts meant to increase

                                                             well-being by diminishing that which impedes or destroys

                                                             human flourishing.

            Positive interventions – evidence-based, intentional acts meant to increase well-being

                                                        by augmenting that which causes or constitutes human

                                                        flourishing.

If positive psychology is a psychology for everyone, then it must allow room for the application of traditional interventions, even while studying and emphasizing the application of positive interventions.

One key question that remains to be answered has to do with the relation between the positive and the negative.  While I have argued that they are not polar opposites (like male/female and light/dark), it is clear that they are not completely separate.  Diminishing that which impedes or destroys human flourishing does have some effect on those things which cause or constitute it.  And augmenting that which causes or constitutes human flourishing does have some effect on those things which impede or destroy it.  How do these effects work?  And are they equally powerful?  Or is the effect in one direction more powerful?

I hope these reflections have helped shed a little light on what positive psychology means by “positive.”  While no one has yet sorted out all of what we mean—and don’t mean—by this term, getting clearer about this fundamental concept will help positive psychology develop a more solid theoretical foundation, which is necessary for the support and stimulation of continued empirical research and application.  Of that, I am positive!

Hello people, I’m Pat Noodle and I would like to start my blog by telling you about myself.

Unfortunately, when I was 16, my memory was wiped out by a freak accident which involved a beagle, trying to break the World record for dining out. My memory pretty much starts from waking up months later, balancing across the brow of a traffic wardens cap, in Wiltshire. I sorted myself out and moon walked back to Manchester to start my GCSE’s.

When I left school, I was told by my mother that I wasn't actually her son and that she had found me down the back of the sofa. She said that all I had with me was a tag that said 'Made in Taiwan' and an uncontrollable desire to become a house brick. So I popped myself on the local tramps back, gave him part of an old shoe and he whisked me away to Taiwan, which was not an easy task because of the friction between Taiwan and China. I had to be fired out of a bag pipe, across the Taiwan straight, recherché of a mongoose eating a chicken cesar salad from a Tesco Express on the Penghu Islands and into the Choshui River in Taiwan.

I spent days walking up river, deep into the mountains. Luckily enough, the first person I come across turned out to be my real farther. He was a very short man, probably because his body consisted of half a lollypop stick stuck into a turnip. He was a grand master of an ancient martial art called ‘香蕉男人非洲式的投擲人’. This loosely translates to ‘banana man afro flinger’. I studied the art for nearly 5 years, becoming one of the greatest pupils that had ever studied 蕉男人非洲式的投擲人. I packed it all in though for a job at Subway. I lasted less than a day there because, after putting on my plastic gloves, I used to then piss in the air singing the chorus to the Earth Song

After a few failed businesses that I tried to set up like, looking for the Lock Ness Monster in the singles ads and then exploting him in the porn inustry and then selling him on to the Chinese for meat and medicine, and also robbing blind the blind, I decided that I would go to Coney Island and learn something new.

I spent 3 years on Coney Island studying the art of Dance. I majored in Body Popping and Table Dancing. After graduating I decided that I wanted to see the World. I wanted to travel around one of the Continents but couldn't decide where to go. I got advice from a lot of people and come to the conclusion that most people travel round Australia, Europe and the the U.S. I don’t like going to the same places as everyone else so I decided to travel around Darwin and Blackburn for 2 Years. I couldn’t afford to get to Darwin in style, so I had to get there with Easy Jet. The journey took me 13 days because the cheapest route to Manchester Airport from John Lennon Airport in Ford Capri Land was across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Far East and U.S.A. Though most of the journey was done on planes, I also had to travel by pedlo, Motorbility scooter, Nissan Sunny and one of those train like things where you push the handle up and down to make it go. The best place was Thwaites brewery because they let you punch kids in the face for 50 pence. Disabled ones were a pound.

I got a job working in a sweat shop in Oswaldtwistle to fund my travels. I used to bottle up sweat from fat bastards backs, which was then labelled up as Dasani and sold on as water in many outlets. The operation shut down after a while, when the authorities started closing in. We said it was because of tap water and cancer.

When I returned from my travels, I joined a Freestyle Body Popping troop called Das-Booties. You can see us perform classic moves like the snake, the robot, the amputee and spinning on our heads outside Spars across the country. We also do underground popping (which is illegal) against our rival troop, The Third Reichael. These Body Pop-offs can get really nasty. For example, if someone is dissin your fly-girl through the means of dance and you don’t Pop a good reply then, you could get really hurt, on the inside.
Also, when I’m not dancing, I’m usually working on motorways. My job is to stand in the centre of the lane at night, pointing at which lane the vehicle should be in.

In the meantime, it's a bit of a slow news weekend all around, but some folks have managed to pick out some quality goodness:

-The Guvnor's Coming To Ewood Park (The Guardian): Paul Ince has become the first black manager in the Premier League after being appointed manager of the Blackburn Rovers.  That's right, he beat out Big Sam Allardyce for the jobby job, and here's hoping the former England captain and MK Dons manager will make it through his three year contract.

-Just let him bloody go!  If Cristiano Ronaldo wants to go to Real Madrid, then let him- if only so that writers can stop wasting column inches online and in the sports pages on this guy.  Yeah, he's a really good player, yeah, he's probably not a very nice chap- we know, we know.  I found this fantastic letter to Cristiano from a ManU fan, and well- it says it all. (Manchester Red)

-How many sports blogs are written by women?  Let me rephrase this: How many sports blogs are obviously  written by women? Do you care? As a woman footie blogger, and a fan of bloggery in general, I was stoked when Anna of This Is Extra Time sent over this link to an interview with Andrea from Ladiesdotdotdot about blogging whilst female.

Wheelie bin destroyed in blaze

According to the daily tube read Metro, we're interested in Swiss international midfielder Gökhan Inler. The full article can be found here. I've never heard of him, so I'm sure this is true. We won't be signing Makoun, and it's very unlikely that we'll sign Yaya Toure, so we'll sign a player nobody has heard of, and he'll become the best midfielder in the world after 2-3 years.

Not a Euro 2008 failure, but we're being linked to Lukas Podolski again, and surprisingly our little chavvy neighbours are also trying to sign him. I wonder if Wenger is really taking Tottenham on a wild goose chase and earmaking future stars, knowing full well Tottenham will spend big to sign them and they turn out to be complete turkeys. Zakora and Bent spring to mind. I guarantee Giovani Dos Santos will start the season amazingly, and after 6 games the complacency and eagerness kick in and we'll never hear from him again. Malouda and Aaron Lennon style.

Latest news irrelevant to Arsenal - Paul Ince is the favourite for the Blackburn job. And I fancy Italy for Euro 2008.

The Seattle Mariners have a Top 10 payroll that's well in excess of $100 million. They also have the worst record in all of baseball this season. Thus, it was no surprise yesterday when GM Bill Bavasi received the pink slip. This move had been widely speculated for quite some time, with rumors of impending doom for Bavasi circulating back in February immediately following the five for one swap with the Orioles that brought Erik Bedard to the Great Northwest. Bavasi was ripped by virtually every analyst for giving away the store to get Bedard in a deal that appeared to be done out of desperation. The team also overspent badly in the free agent market on the thoroughly mediocre Carlos Silva. Recently, Bavasi re-signed catcher Kenji Johjima to an expensive extension, a huge eyebrow raiser in that the team's best close to ready prospect is catcher Jeff Clement. I could actually go on for several paragraphs dissecting the litany of pathetic moves made by Bavasi, but why bother? Just take a look at the standings.

The Mariners posted just one winning season under Bavasi's watch, and most observers felt their +.500 2007 campaign was more fluke than reality. The 2008 M's have been a disaster from the outset, replete with reported chemistry issues in the clubhouse and a complete lack of cohesiveness on the field.

GM's and managers are often sacrificed when the players don't get the job done. This is not one of those cases. Bavasi made far too many poor decisions and the team he put on the field in Seattle just plain stinks. Sadly, it looks like Mariner fans are in for a very rough stretch in the next few seasons. The minor league system is mostly barren and they're going to have a tough time moving their high-priced and shopworn veterans. It's not like there's going to be a long line for guys like Richie Sexson.

BRONX BUMMER

Chien-Ming Wang is a helluva pitcher, but not much of a baserunner. The talented Yankee right-hander was getting in on the fun Saturday as the Yankees destroyed the Astros, 13-0. But he turned his foot while exploring mostly foreign territory as a baserunner (no DH as this was an Interleague game in an NL stadium) and the Monday test results were bad news for Wang and the Yanks. In addition to a sprained foot, Wang also tore a tendon. That means six weeks on crutches and he's out till at least September.

This is a huge blow to the team's playoff chances, but I would not expect GM Brian Cashman to pull a Bavasi and flip the entire farm system for a big name like C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia is a free agent at the end of the season and I do believe the Yanks will go after him hard at that point, but not right now. I'll rundown the more likely trade targets during today's baseball hour on the radio show. Listen to ESPNRadio1100 between 2-3PM Pacific for that info.

The Wang injury creates an opportunity for Dan Giese, and this is actually a pretty cool story. Giese has been knocking around the minors since 1999, save for a couple of cups of coffee. He got into eight games late last year with the Giants and actually did very well in a handful of relief innings recently with the Yankees.

What makes the forthcoming start for Giese against the Reds really interesting is that prior to this season, Giese had appeared in 382 games as a pro, and every single one was out of the bullpen. He was moved into the starting rotation several weeks ago down at AAA, and he's been very impressive. Thus, Giese gets first dibs on the rotation spot previously owned by Wang.

I'm a Red Sox lover, so naturally I can't stand the Yankees. That said, I hope Giese does well as I always pull for those guys who've gotten stuck with the career minor leaguer tag. From a fantasy standpoint, he's not worthless. Giese seems to have found something this year, and he's got a big time offense to rely on. He's also on target to draw Cincinnati's Homer Bailey as a mound opponent, which gives Giese a great chance to score a win right out of the starting gate.

LIRIANO LOOKS READY!

Francisco Liriano was about the hottest pitching commodity around in 2006 as he exploded upon the scene with the Twins. Liriano was nothing short of amazing as he simply overmatched hitters throughout the campaign. But what was first thought to be a tired arm turned into a significant elbow injury, and the electrifying southpaw had to sit out the entire 2007 season.

Nevertheless, Liriano was a hot target this spring in fantasy drafts, as his rehab appeared to be smooth sailing. He struggled some in spring training for the Twins, but opened the season with the big club. Unfortunately, it became very clear right away that the '08 Liriano didn't have much in common with the '06 Liriano and following a few really bad outings, he was sent to the minors to try and put the pieces back together. When he continued to struggle down on the farm, some major worries started to take hold, as there's a lengthy list of potential star pitchers who've never been the same after going under the knife.

Here's some great news on Liriano. It looks as though he's on the way back. Over his last four starts at Rochester, Liriano has allowed only 24 baserunners in 25.2 IP and he's racked up 26 K's. His last start was the best yet, as he didn't issue a single walk.

My guess is that the Twins would like Liriano to get a few more good starts in before he's recalled. But with Nick Blackburn hurt and Livan Hernandez simply horrendous, the timetable for Liriano's return may get moved up. Check the free agent pool in your league. If he's available, grab him now. There's still some gamble involved here, but the upside potential is massive.

Feedback and questions are always encouraged. Send yours to espnradio1100@gmail.com and I'll definitely try to respond!

-After an unfortunate 0-1 loss to Spain earlier this month, and the excruiatingly dull 2-0 loss to England I witnessed at Wembley, the United States men's national team got an exercise in ego boosting with an 8-0 trouncing of Barbados in a World Cup qualifying match on Sunday.  The scoreline looks pretty awesome, but the opponents were truly hopeless.  There are still some severe problems with fundamentals like ball handling and control, and even when given plenty of room by Barbados for improvisation and creativity, we played an extremely direct forward attacking style. 

-Roman Abramovich is coming to America!  It's old news, but it still brings a shiver to the spine, thinking he could buy up the Colorado Rapids club in the MLS and turn it into Chel$ki-Lite.  The Russian oil billionaire bought at 36 million dollar ranch near Aspen.  He already bought another property near Snowmass, CO back in February.  ...so just what is he planning to do in Colorado that requires so much land and two houses?  (Answer: Pick up hottie snow bunnies on the slopes, no shame in that)

-Waar de Engelsen zijn? Wo Englisch ist? где английские языки? Where are the English?  For the first few days of Euro2008, fans were singing it and saying it in different languages- and we have the answer... the English national team players are on beaches 'round the world, working diligently on their tans, apparently not even bothering with a bit of keepy uppy on the sand.  I mean, at least Steve McClaren is watching a bit of footy on the time off.

-The life of a football blogger is a bit well, different, during a major tournament.  With major news outlets analyzing every last morsel of each match, a blogger's reach for material (when not on site) is somewhat limited.  So they go with whatever Getty images has available for a cheap 'n' easy post: WAGS and hot girls in the stands.  Por ejemplo: The top posts on both Newsnow and Soccerblogs have had to do "sexy girls" and/or "body paint" for the past 5 days or so. 

Snippets:

• A cheat sheet for lazy newspaper headline writers. (The Offside)
• David Bentley is so over Blackburn. Seriously. He just can't wait to leave, because he's such an amazing player. (This is Extra Time)
• Racism in Poland: What you didn't see on the BBC- a Polish football fan's view of a documentary on racism in the sport in that country. (Pitch Invasion)
• Wayne Rooney and Coleen McCloughlin have officially tied the knot- and spent millions to show their love to the world. But what about the chavtastic family members they leave behind? (Sniffing the Touchline)
   

-The signing of Roque Santa Cruz could be a response to us selling Adebayor, if thats the case, then I don't see it happening anytime soon.

-AC Milan VP Adriano Galliani has said that AC Milan have agreed to terms on a contract with Adebayor, but that Arsenal will not respond to their inquiries about how much they want for him. Honestly this guy must be retarded. Why are they not answering? Because they don't want to sell him you fuckin cunt!

-Another possible replacement for Flamini has been announced. 31 year old Torsten Frings, a mildfielder from Werder Bremen who Arsenal could reportedly get for 4 million pounds,  Don't know much about him, but he is a little on the old side, still, he would bring some more experience to the team.

-Sporting’s Miguel Veloso has been quoted by saying that he wants to leave the club after the 2008 Euro.  Arsenal and Manchester United are sure to have interest in the 22 year old midfielder, along with Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and AC Milan.  Clearly he is wanted in the Premiership.

-According to Arsene Wegner, Arsenal will not be improving the defense anymore this off-season.  He said that Arsenal, although they have scouted him, will not go after Central Back Vincent Kompany from HSV and that although he is quality, Arsenal do not want him right now.

The Demagogue v. The Smoky Back Room Deal Maker:

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441782_yobat/Smokybackdoordealmaker.mp3]

On Tom Leatherwood's "Shockwave Theory" (Last week Mr. Leatherwood told us that if we elect him over Marsha it will send shockwaves through Washington so all the Republicans will get their act together).

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441788_ivjex/Shockwavetheory.mp]

On the Income Tax battle in the State Senate:

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441789_rclpy/INcometax.mp]

Why did you vote "No" on the farm bill, then vote "Yes" to override the President's Veto?

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441783_yjolf/Farmbillveto_why.mp]

Why have a farm bill?

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441787_bqvmb/John_Whyafarmbill.mp3]

On her recent FEC troubles and Tom Leatherwood's "attack ad" on this issue:

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441781_raage/PACmoneyattackad.mp3]

On Healthcare:

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441786_i407u/Healthcareandschip.mp3]

Is there a disconnect between our representatives in Washington and Charlie on the bypass regarding the price of gasoline:

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441790_kfkzg/onlamarandgastaxholiday.mp3]

On the price of gas, your colleagues in Washington, do they get it?

[audio=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1441785_jxtaw/Dotheygetit.mp3]