Thursday in Oxnard

Since nothing in the world of sports is that compelling this morning, I do want to make sure you know the Real News Story of the day …

Terrorists were in the final stages of planning to blow up planes heading to the United States, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday.
The plans involving flights from the United Kingdom were "suggestive of an al Qaeda plot," he said.

British police said they had arrested 21 suspects in the plot to blow up passenger jets flying between the United Kingdom and the United States.

The effects of the plot rippled across the globe Thursday.

• The U.S. raised the terror threat level to "severe" for all flights leaving Britain for the United States. Britain raised its alert level to "critical."

• The plot involved hiding liquid explosives in carry-on luggage, U.S. officials said and all passengers are now being banned from taking any liquids onto planes.

• U.S. and British officials said some suspects could still be on the loose and their investigations were continuing.

We went to the Dodgers game last night, and brought our BaD Radio curse with us; thus ending the 11 game win streak …

A second half of the season characterized by wild momentum swings had not swerved as quickly — or as cruelly — as it did for the Dodgers in the late innings Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers went from a bases-loaded, one-out situation with the potential go-ahead run at third base in the bottom of the eighth inning to a two-run deficit in the top of the ninth during an eventual 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies that ended their 11-game winning streak.

Best Story of the day: How is the NFL sliding by on the steriod issue? ….

But the NFL, with more muscled marvels than any other league in the world, is clean.

It makes little sense, but isn't that the perception? That the players who need size and strength the most, who have even more financial incentive to cheat because of their non-guaranteed contracts, aren't using performance-enhancing drugs?

The NFL and its players will tell you it's because the league's steroid policy is so tough. Dr. Charles Yesalis, a retired Penn State University professor and an expert on performance-enhancing drugs, scoffs at the notion.

Yesalis was there when NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was all but honored by congressmen supposedly scrutinizing steroids in his sport, while baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was berated and publicly shamed.

Yesalis suspects NFL players are at least as dirty as athletes in baseball, track and cycling, if not more. So why don't more people believe it?

"You are not going to like the answer," Yesalis said. "Inept journalists."

In today’s T.O. News, I think he is healthy and ready to get back to practice today. Otherwise, He cannot sell his house in Philadelphia because they say it is overpriced by over 1.5 million dollars…

IT WAS EXACTLY a year ago when Eagles coach Andy Reid jettisoned Terrell Owens from training camp for his inability to behave. TV vans and legions of reporters followed the wide receiver back to his Moorestown, N.J., estate, where later that day an unapologetic T.O. did situps and shot hoops in one of the more absurd episodes in the annals of local sports. With the appearance that evening of his irritating agent, Drew Rosenhaus, the only thing missing from the whole scene was a high-wire act.

But things are awfully quiet these days at 40 Landing Court. Owens is off with the archrival Cowboys, and his house is still up for sale. T.O. has been trying to unload it since Oct. 24, at which point it was explained that it had less to do with his intention to leave Philadelphia than with his desire to downsize. Overlooking the Rancocas Creek on 2.3 acres, the house is a sprawling 7,917 square feet with five bedrooms, 7 ½ baths, a three-car garage and a variety of extras. The place is so immense that previous owner Dawn Cline said it has 10 furnaces.

No buyers have stepped forward so far with an acceptable offer for the place.

According to Erica Lacey, of Blue Chip Reality - which had the property until its listing expired July 27 - the house had "a fair amount of showings." She says there have been some offers, but none that have been acceptable to her client. Asked if she was surprised the house has been on the market for so long, Lacey says she had expected a "property of this magnitude... would take some time." Owens has lowered his asking price from $4.399 million to $4.199 million; Lacey could not say if Owens planned to lower the price even more. Lacey says, "That is up to Mr. Owens."

In Seahawks news, The Curse is on the radar …

The fear is - and I hesitate to even bring it up, given the unquestioned, prodigious intelligence of today's media - that the so-called "Super Bowl runner-up curse" is swaying otherwise clear-thinking members of the press.

You've heard of the trend. Since 1999, the Super Bowl loser has turned into polenta - or at least fell short of expectations.

The 1999 Falcons started the following season 0-4 and lost Jamal Anderson and didn't make the playoffs. The 2000 Titans were 13-3, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Ravens. The 2001 Giants finished 7-9, as did the 2002 Rams. The 2003 Raiders slumped to 4-12. The Panthers started 2004 at 1-7 before rallying to 7-9.

The 2005 Eagles, after four straight division titles and a loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, finished 6-10.

The Dreaded Injury Plague always is the wild card in all this, of course, but the bet here is that the Seahawks will break the trend. They're doing and saying all the right things. They know they're going to be a target every week.

And all indications are that last season is in the rearview mirror.

The Rangers win yesterday, but the DeRosa issue is sneaking up …

This season complicates matters...and if Mark DeRosa were just arbitration-eligible, it wouldn't matter. The Rangers could go to arbitration with him, get him on a one year deal for relatively cheap, and move forward. If 2006 is a fluke, DeRosa goes back into a utility role. If not, you can use him as a Chone Figgins-type, playing every day but in different positions, or make him the team's starting right fielder.

But DeRosa is a free agent after the season. He can play all the infield positions, meaning that he's a potential option for a number of other clubs in free agency.

And as a guy who, over the course of his career, hasn't made a whole lot of money by baseball standards (about $3 million, total, including 2006), he's probably going to be looking to cash in on a big payday. Given his age, he's likely to only get one shot at a big multi-year deal...if he signs a three-year deal after this season, that will take him thru his age 34 season.

So the question is, what do you do about DeRosa this offseason, if you are the Rangers?

FC Dallas snags their keeper finally …

Shaka Hislop landed in Dallas-Fort Worth late Monday – along with his wife, four young children and the family dog – and began meeting his new FC Dallas teammates Tuesday morning.

Hislop was signed in late June but had to wait until FIFA's August international transfer window opened to officially sign with the MLS club and gain his work permit.

Hislop, 37, was a last-minute replacement in goal for Trinidad and Tobago during a World Cup first-round match against heavily favored Sweden.

He became one of the captivating stories of the first round when he turned away countless chances as the Caribbean underdogs survived, prolonging their hunt for a second-round spot with a 0-0 draw that day.

The connector in the deal was FC Dallas goalkeeper coach Alan Knight, who was Hislop's position coach at Portsmouth in England.

They maintained a close relationship after Hislop went to West Ham United and Knight took the goalkeeper coach's position in Dallas.

Barcelona score 3 times in 5 minutes to catch Club America in Houston …

In the end, the 70,550 fans who packed Reliant Stadium on Wednesday night — and kept the place buzzing with loud boos and olés and even louder cheers — came away the only winners.

As expected, it was Ronaldinho who spiced things up and kept fans off their seats.
And to add a twist to the story, it was a relative unknown to those unfamiliar with Mexican soccer who nearly stole the show.

Nelson Cuevas scored three times in the first half for Club América, but the Aguilas had to settle for a 4-4 tie after a furious comeback by Barcelona led by Ronaldinho, the Brazilian many consider the best player in the world.

The match, part of a doubleheader that saw the Dynamo fall 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy earlier in the evening, was the hottest ticket in Houston this week, selling out hours before kickoff.

Real Madrid in front of full house in Seattle …

It was a well-played game in front of a crowd that was hungry to watch it.

"This sport in America can and is working at the moment," said Adu. "We are making it work. I think it's up to the players. We're all trying to play a part in this. We're all trying to make this sport work in America."

Give Americans quality and they will come.

D.C. United is averaging more than 20,000 per home game.

Two games on Wednesday night, one in Houston with F.C. Barcelona and this one with Real Madrid, drew some 140,000 people on a midweek night in the middle of summer.

Today’s Youtube:

Osama picks games.



Dude aspires to be T.O.



Just 2 Days to Go! And then I can rejoin my Tivo at home. And my family. Just kidding.