Liverpool and Arsenal Struggle in Premier League Openers

West Bromwich Albion midfielder Zoltan Gera celebrates his goal with teammate Shane Long. (Darren Staples)

Yesterday, the Premier League saw its new season begin. While most results came as expected, a couple of perennial contenders struggled in their first game. These two clubs are Liverpool and Arsenal. My blog post will briefly recap the action in both matches and look at went wrong for the two favored clubs.

West Bromwich Albion 3 Liverpool 0
Both teams had numerous opportunities to score, but came up short in their effort. Liverpool striker Luis Suaraz could have likely had a hat trick in the first half, but could not find the back of the net. West Bromwich finally broke through in the 43rd minute. Zoltan Gera buried a powerful strike to put his side up 1-0 just before the half. The Liverpool defense that had struggled all day suffered a big blow when defender Daniel Agger was sent off with a red card. They then gave up two penalty kicks in the stretch of four minutes. Shane Long missed the first one, but Peter Odemwingie scored the second one to increase the West Bromwich Albion lead to 2-0. In the 77th minute, West Brom substitute Romelu Lukaku put the icing on the cake. Liverpool struggled with the lack of being able to score on their golden opportunities. Their poor self-control and discipline defensively helped cost them the game as well.

Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0
Arsenal probably had a feeling that they would miss Robin van Persie and his knack for scoring goals. Now, they know it without a doubt. Despite firing away 23 shots throughout the match, Arsenal only managed to get three on goal. That is an embarrassing statistic when one considers that this is Premier League football. While Arsenal did out possess and frankly out play Sunderland, their inability to score was their clear downfall. Call me crazy, but it seems obvious to me that you have to score to win. Arsenal must find their offensive identity quickly if they are going to have any shot at competing with the best.

Patriots Sign Olympic Sprinter Jeff Demps to Contract

Former Florida Gator running back and Olympic silver medalist Jeff Demps has agreed to a contract with the Patriots. (John Raoux)

During the Bill Belichick era, the New England Patriots have had some game-changing kickoff and punt returners. Whether it was Bethel Johnson, Ellis Hobbs, or Brandon Tate, the Patriots always seemed to have someone who could come up with the big play when the team needed it. That changed midway through the 2010 season when Tate's game began to go downhill. Ever since then, the Patriots have struggled to find a dynamic returner. Their current one entering this summer's training camp was Danny Woodhead. Woodhead is no doubt a quality running back, but is better suited to be the team's third-down back.

At least one person in the Patriots organization must have been watching the Olympics. In the much anticipated men's 4x100 relay, the Americans tied the prior Olympic record, but had to settle for silver after finishing behind the speedy Jamaicans. One of those American sprinters was Jeff Demps. Unlike many Olympic track athletes, Demps has had experience playing football. He was a running back and returner for the Florida Gators. Demps went undrafted in the NFL Draft primarily because he told teams that he wanted to focus on running track.

Now that the Olympics are over and Demps has his silver medal, many NFL teams became interested in acquiring his speed and talent. Demps decided he wanted to sign with the Patriots. The fit appears to be excellent for both sides. Demps should get an opportunity to play right away. The Patriots will first and foremost look to capitalize on his lightning speed in the return game. Demps might even pick up some additional carries out of the backfield with an apparent injury slowing down tailback Stevan Ridley. I wouldn't even rule out the possibility of getting him into the wildcat formation. This signing is a prototypical move by Belichick. Those moves tend to work out quite well. It will be interesting to see if that happens with Jeff Demps as well.

Ugandan Youths to Play in Little League World Series

The Little League team from Lugazi, Uganda will become the first African team ever to play in the Little League World Series. (AP Photo) 

Children from Africa don't often get to come to the United States of America, especially not to play baseball. That will change Friday when a team from Lugazi, Uganda will play their first round game against Panama in the Little League World Series held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The road to this grand honor has been long and difficult, but so rewarding in the end. The two coaches of the Lugazi, Uganda team were happy to tell the amazing history of baseball in Uganda, which they both were a crucial part of from the beginning.

Henry Odong is one of the pioneer players in Uganda. As a teenager, he was taught the game by Christians missionaries, who he was very close with. Odong, nicknamed the Bouncer because of his size, is always eager to show people his tattered photo album of Ugandan baseball history and wants to thank everyone involved in making his dream a reality. The other coach is Richard Stanley, who is a 69-year-old chemical engineer. Known as the game's primary benefactor in Uganda, he built a baseball complex and village near Mpigi, a town west of the capital city of Kampala. Stanley also fully funded the travel expenses to send the nation's delegated team to Kutno, Poland to play in the Mideast and Africa Regional tournament. He had done this each of the past three years, costing him about $30,000 per trip.

The Ugandans first had to endure some heartache in their journey to America. In 2010, the boys from the Kampala ghetto of Nsambya thought they had earned a spot in the championship game, only to find out they missed out based on a complex tiebreaker. Last year, the same team knocked off the perennial favorites from Daharan, Saudi Arabia in the title game to earn what appeared to be Africa's first spot in the Little League World Series. However, they were denied visas from the State Department based on several inaccurate birth certificates that were possibly forged. Organizers were concerned that several of the children were older than 13 years old, which is the maximum age allowed to play in the tournament. Therefore, the team was sadly disqualified from the competition.

The disqualification turned out to be a blessing in disguise. News quickly spread through the media about the disqualification of the Ugandan team. People from around the world sent money and supplies to support the growth of baseball in Uganda. More than $130,000 and piles of bats, balls, gloves, shoes, and helmets poured into the country. In January, a group of Major League Baseball stars traveled to Uganda to support the cause of building baseball in the country.

Now, the boys from Lugazi, Uganda have arrived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It doesn't matter that their last real game was a month ago, they only have 11 players, and they have never played in front of a crowd before. You see because regardless of how they play, they have already won by making it this far. They've become the first Little League from Africa ever to play in the Little League World Series. That is inspiring not only to the people of Uganda, but to many African children around the continent. With hard work, people who care about you, and the grace of God, the impossible soon becomes possible. Who knows, maybe we aren't too many years away from our first African player in Major League Baseball.

King Felix Earns Perfect Coronation

Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez celebrates the final out of his perfect game, the 23rd one thrown in baseball history. (Ted S. Warren)

Felix Hernandez is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. His pitching prowess has earned him the nickname of King Felix. Despite being an excellent pitcher, the only outstanding accomplishment Hernandez had received was the 2010 AL Cy Young Award. Pitching for the Mariners doesn't help your odds of winning a World Series ring. That meant the biggest accomplishment out their for King Felix to go after was pitching a perfect game. Hernandez has long admitted his desire to pitch perfection, but try after try had come up short.

Hernandez took the mound this afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rays leadoff hitter Sam Fuld got a hold of pitch, but Mariners right fielder Eric Thames tracked it down on the warning track in right center field. In the fifth inning, Rays stud third baseman Evan Longoria hit a line drive, but it was directly at Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley. Other than those two instances, Hernandez had little difficulty staying perfect through five innings.

King Felix struck out the side in the sixth inning. With two outs in the seventh inning, Rays manager Joe Maddon came out to argue an arbitrary strike one call to try and mess up Hernandez's rhythm. After Maddon's ejection, King Felix got Rays right fielder Matt Joyce to hit an inning-ending groundout on a full count. After a long delay, Hernandez showed no signs of wavering in the eighth inning when he struck out the side for the second time in three innings.

In the ninth inning, King Felix first faced two pinch hitters in outfielder Desmond Jennings and utility man Jeff Keppinger. Jennings struck out on a fastball low in the zone, and Keppinger grounded out to short for the second out. It seemed as though every member of the Safeco Field home crowd rose to their feet, if they weren't already. Their man was on the brink of perfection. Rays third baseman Sean Rodriguez got ahead in the count 2-0. Hernandez took a stroll off the mound to collect himself before returning to pitch. The next two pitches were breaking balls for strikes. King Felix completed perfection with a called third strike on his 113th pitch of the game.

Hernandez pitched the 23rd perfect game in baseball history and amazingly the third this season, joining Philip Humber and Matt Cain. On June 8, six Mariners pitchers combined for a no-hitter of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mariners became the first team to have a combined no-hitter and a perfect game pitched in the same season. Hernandez, the Venezuelan-born hero, became just the second pitcher born outside of the United States to pitch a perfect game (Nicaraguan Dennis Martinez became the first in 1991). He has worked hard to deserve this distinction. King Felix has finally earned one of the crowning jewels that every pitcher so badly desires. I wish to offer him congratulations on this deserved accomplishment.

McIlroy Dominates Field to Win PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy smiles as he holds the trophy declaring him the winner of the 2012 PGA Championship. (Andrew Redington)

When Rory McIlroy cruised to a record-setting U.S. Open win, many thought the youngster’s career would take off from there. A year full of ups, downs, triumphs, and struggles left many wondering if McIlroy was ready to be golf’s best in the world. Many began to question whether or not his dominance in his first major win was merely a fluke chance of luck. After a poor finish to the British Open, McIlroy came into the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island somewhat under the radar.

McIlroy played well the first two rounds, but something seemed to click Sunday morning. Due to a storm-delayed third round, he finished off that round with back-to-back birdies to finish the round with a 67 and a three-shot lead. From that point on, no one got closer to McIlroy than two shots. He played bogey-free gold over the final 23 holes dominating the course from start to finish. McIlroy sunk a 25-foot birdie on the 18th hole to complete his 6-under round of 66. He ended up winning by an incredible eight shots, which broke the PGA Championship record for margin of victory set by Jack Nicklaus in 1980.

McIlroy isn’t the only one who had a great tournament. David Lynn came into the PGA Championship as a relative unknown. The 38-year-old from England was playing in his first major and in the United States for the very first time. Lynn finished the tournament shooting a 68 in the last two rounds to finish as runner-up to McIlroy. Not bad for a guy playing in his first major. The finish also earned Lynn a place in the Masters next year.

Another player who deserves his due is Seung-Yul Noh. The 21-year-old had the lowest round of the day Sunday with a seven-under 65. Noh’s impressive final round moved him up 37 spots on the leaderboard to earn him a Top 25 finish in the PGA Championship. It was an excellent showing by the youngster, who is two years younger than McIlroy.

When it is all said and done though, Rory McIlroy was the star of the PGA Championship. His performance was dominating in every way. McIlroy had 13 birdies compared to only two bogeys over the weekend en-route to his eight-shot win. He became the youngest player since Steve Ballesteros to win two majors. The win also returns McIlroy to #1 in the worrld. The question becomes whether or not he will be able to use this performance as a launching pad for future success. Rory McIlroy  undoubtedly has the talent to be the best in the world. Now we just have to see if he can find the consistency to perform at that top level all of the time.