Is Sammy Sosa… Count Chocula?

Former Chicago Cubs slugger/steroid user Sammy Sosa recently bleached his skin. The article says something about ‘rejuvenation’ but I don’t think anyone is buying that line.

It’s all over the web.

See a web article with a stunning side-by-side here. It’s new and old, Sammy style.

I’m disturbed by what I’ve seen. I can’t really fathom what would possess Sosa to undergo a procedure such as this.

Is he trying to fool a team into signing a light-skinned Dominican with tons of power?

Or he he angling to be the new Spanish-language spokesperson for Count Chocula cereal?

Either way, it seems as if his job prospects are looking *cough* good.

SuperClasico finally super, classic

There are derbies in England — soccer matches that pit two teams from the same city. Derbies are between Manchester United and Manchester City, for instance.

Then there’s the Honda SuperClasico, or El Clasico Angelino, the derby between Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. The superclasico is derivative of name of the derby between Mexican League teams America and Chivas Guadalajara — El Superclasico.

Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy share the same soccer facility, the Home Depot Center in Carson, Ca., for home matches, hence the derby. It is also the only derby in MLS and began with Chivas USA’s entry into MLS in 2004. The Hondo SuperClasico was created in 2008 when the auto-maker agreed to sponsor the series.

The Galaxy hold the all-time advantage, 12-3-6, but for the most part the matches have been uneventful. That is, until this year’s postseason.

The two clubs, meeting for the time ever in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs, played to a 2-2 draw on Nov. 1, 2009, in the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal. Sunday’s match would thus determine the seasons for both – one would be moving on in the playoffs, the other would not.

Never before had that been a part of the SuperClasico equation. Never before had one match meant the entire season. Finally, the two sides had everything to play for.

On Sunday, both sides played freely, creating offensive chances and thunderous shots on goal. It seemed as though both goalkeepers would be up to task until the 73rd minute when the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan slammed a confident penalty shot into the netting past Chivas USA’s Zach Thornton.

The Galaxy’s retooled defense — featuring rookies Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DelaGarza and keeper Donovan Ricketts — kept Chivas out of the back of the net over the final 18-plus minutes and the match ended with a 1-0 result for the Galaxy.

Finally, North America had been treated to its first derby. It’s first SuperClasico.

Prep Impressions: Week 9

I covered the Riverside Arlington-Riverside La Sierra varsity football game for the Riverside Press-Enterprise on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 and came away thinking La Sierra coach Scott Booth must be humbled by his experiences this season.

Watch a video of game here.

When Booth took over at La Sierra after former coach Craig Cieslik resigned less than a week before the start of this season, he entered a shit storm without an umbrella.

There’s speculation in some circles about the conditions that led to Cieslik’s resignation as well as the Cieslik-La Sierra dynamic. Some say he’s threatening litigation over discrimination (Cieslik stutters) while others contend he finally found an administration dumb enough to take the bait so he can land a big payday. There’s a message board on sectionsports.com that is all about this topic and, to a lesser extent, La Sierra football.

I even get blasted on there — for not forcing the publication of Cieslik’s comments following La Sierra’s 2008 finale. As if any newspaper would print what he told me that night.

Anywho… Booth answered some tough questions about his playoff chances, his season and the rumor that he provided alcohol to minor(s), i.e. under-aged coaches.

FOMB: Do you still feel that a victory next week over Moreno Valley means a playoff berth?

Booth: “Oh yes. Absolutely. Absolutely. We’ve got to get ready for Moreno Valley and it’s going to take absolutely everything we have. And they know it. We know it.”

FOMB: How difficult has this season been for you, taking into account Cieslik’s resignation?

Booth: (5-second pause) “Taking over, at the time I did, was difficult but the kids made it very easy.”

FOMB: How so?

Booth: “They took me in. They opened their arms and all they really wanted was some support. And that’s what we gave them. As coaches we just gave them support. We had what we had at the beginning and we’re making the best of what we have.”

FOMB: There is a rumor that you provided alcohol to a minor. Is there any truth to this rumor?

Booth: “No.”

I cut the interview there without a follow-up because I didn’t want to get punched in the face. Booth became weary of me following my last question so I thought, for the sake of making deadline, I’d stop there. I had to ask, though, if only for his response.

Booth looks, to me, like middle-aged indie rocker Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices fame. That is, sad eyes and hair in a muss.

He seemed deflated following Friday’s 49-6 loss to Arlington, at least physically. Not that I blame him – I’d be exhausted trying to coach just 12 players into 22 varsity positions. That’s right, just 12 varsity players. I’ve seen higher numbers for a parochial school of 125 students, let alone La Sierra’s 1,000-plus. It’s an embarrassment, really.

The Eagles (5-4 overall, 3-3 Inland Valley) were practically blown up at the line of scrimmage by Arlington. They were held to minus-14 yards rushing. That’s a stat so bad I hid it from publishing. Minus-14 yards rushing! Ugh.

Senior RB Johnnie Walker (5-10, 170) was punished from pillar to post. He had just four yards on nine carries. Senior Ukpono Udi (5-9, 153) didn’t play in the game. I didn’t find out why. Junior QB David Gonzalez (5-8, 143) was erratic until the fourth quarter when he completed four consecutive passes to end his night.

The Lions (8-1, 5-1) were led by a eye-popping performance from Superiorr Reid. Dude ran for more than 200 yards and four TDs – three in the second half – albeit against an overmatched opponent.

COACH AND PLAYER QUOTES:

Arlington coach Pat McCarthy:
“I think we played well tonight. Defensively we played well. Obviously depth was a factor. They have everybody going two ways, we’ve have some guys going two ways. This game was for second place (in the Inland Valley League) this is a big game. They’re one game behind us, very important. With their style of offense it creates some problems so you definitely have to prepare a little differently for La Sierra than you do for others. Everybody’s packed in, misdirection, no-huddle so you really have to get your shoulder pads down and read your keys. Overall, I’m proud of how we played tonight.”

Arlington’s Superiorr Reid:
“We blocked, we ran hard, our defense umm, we just played Arlington football. Made them play our game.”