Shea Something Smart

More than a week has gone by since Kevin Payne made comments critical of some MLS teams which earned him a fine from the league office. Since then, Paul Gardner has weighed in, just as have so many Internet pundits. I have taken some time to think about the situation and can only come to one conclusion.


Kevin Payne is full of crap.


First of all, I watched a lot of DC United this year and think leaving them out of any conversation which addresses unwatchable soccer is a crime. Never mind that some of the teams Payne whined about had much more attacking...

Over the past week or so, we have had the good fortune to receive a decent amount of real data regarding soccer on TV in the U.S.

We know what the EPL does on ESPN2. We heard how MLS fared on ESPN2. Then we got the big picture for a number of leagues on Fox Soccer Channel.

I have already seen a little chatter about these ratings. Sadly, some of what I have seen has tried to focus on excuses for the EPL trailing MLS on ESPN2. people can talk about time slots and promotion all they want, but I remember a bunch of posturing by EPL fans when the news broke that games would...

I love the underdog. Pluck really draws my attention, especially with sports.

The problem is, sometimes you can take your pluck a little too far when you realize people might be on your side.

Case it point: the whole kerfuffle involving the United Soccer Leagues and the Team Owners Association. The TOA is asking the US Soccer Federation to sanction their new league.

That's pluck I can get behind. I don't think splitting the second division will spell doom for soccer in this country. A little healthy competition might push owners in both leagues to find new...

On two recent weeknights, I totally shot my sleep schedule to hell. Both times I headed down to Washington, D.C., to watch United play in the CONCACAF Champion's League.

You see, I live about two hours from D.C. The matches kicked off at 8 p.m. I didn't get home until close to midnight and needed about 30 minutes to wind down before falling asleep. I get up generally around 5:30 a.m.

I'm not bitching. I had a great time seeing friends and watching United actually play some good soccer. I managed to get through the next day and make up sleep over the weekend.
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Two weeks ago, a new era in American sports gambling started. Delaware began taking bets on NFL games.

The state's hope to have a wide variety of betting options on all kinds of sports bit the dust in late August, thanks to a federal appeals court. But they could still take parlay bets on NFL games because they had operated a similar scheme in 1976.

So what does any of this have to do with MLS? Follow me on this long walk.

First off, the suit filed to stop the planned sports betting operation did not include MLS. The NCAA joined pro baseball, basketball,...

I love how more and more media outlets now pay attention to soccer in general and MLS in particular. Over the past few months, the Sports Business Journal has done a wonderful job looking at the league critically without seeming like your average message board poster without his happy pills.

But every once in a while, they report something like they did today.

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We have heard the insults toward MLS. Apparently, if you enjoy watching our nation's first division, you are a soccer novice according to some voices on this message board.

Just wait, the "experts" would trumpet. Just wait until "real" soccer is shown on television here. No one will ever watch MLS again. They will be mesmerized by the greatness of European soccer (as if people watching MLS are idiots and have never seen European soccer before) and shun this "Mickey Mouse" league (yeah, I'm going for a record of quoting things that I make up) once and for all.

The ratings...

After plowing through The Beckham Experiment in a few days just like so many other people on here, I have come to one conclusion.

If such a thing as reincarnation exists, I want to come back as the next version of Terry Byrne.

That sticks in my head most after reading Grant Wahl's book. How freaking lucky is a guy to go from a small member of the medical staff at a soccer club to basically making all the rules for anyone who wants to have anything to do with David Beckham just because he was nice to David one day?

While we learn a lot about how much Alexi...

Like everyone else who follows MLS, I have been intrigued by the situation revolving around David Beckham's return to the league and Grant Wahl's book (which I still have not read, but intend to soon) The Beckham Experiment.

As a result of all this activity, a lot of people have weighed in on the matter. I have seen a lot of stories the declare the Beckham experiment was a failure. These stories and columns lead me to one question.

Was anyone else told it was time for exams?

I'm not here to gloss over the problems that have come with Beckham's time in MLS...

On Saturday night, I went to a small theater in suburban Baltimore and saw the Old 97s play for more than three hours. Cost: $20.

I had a chance tonight to go hear an author talk, get a book signed and enjoy a reception for an encyclopedia covering the Baltimore Orioles. I could also get a ticket to see the O's play the Red Sox. Cost: $20.

D.C. United hosts the Ocean City Barons tonight in a small suburban Washington stadium in an Open Cup match. Cost: $25.

What is wrong with this picture. I'm an Open Cup geek. I live for this kind of stuff, but when you...