Monday Water Cooler – June 21st, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
As if the drama of the World Cup wasn’t enough, we have plenty of other sports news to discuss, including the U.S. Open and…Steven Seagal? Lady Gaga too?
World Cup soccer news: FIFA cuts referee; France returns to training; Swiss set shutout record
The ongoing controversy regarding the 2010 World Cup’s refereeing – which is more about making phantom calls than missing calls – finally bubbled over Monday when FIFA dropped referee from the next docket of matches.
There have been multiple controversial moments in this tournament but the call that cost Team USA a victory on Friday has to take the cake. Maurice Edu had a tap-in goal in the 86th minute that Coulibaly disallowed. When asked what the call was for, he refused to say.
Team France has returned to training in hopes of keeping its nightmarish World Cup alive. The players had boycotted any type of practice after the team expelled striker Nicolas Anelka following his heated argument with coach Raymond Domenech last week. The two exchanged words at halftime during France’s 2-0 loss to Mexico.
But hey – the news ain’t all bad. Switzerland may have lost its second group-stage match to Chile but it made a history in the process. The Swiss set a new all-time World Cup record for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. Chile’s tally at the 75th minute capped the new record at 559 minutes – nine better than the previous record held by Italy (1986-1990).
PGA news: Graeme McDowell captures U.S. Open after Johnson’s legendary collapse
On a day in which it was less about winning and more about struggling less than the other guys – every guy in the top five was over par on Sunday – Graeme McDowell gutted out a U.S. Open victory. No one struggled worse than 54-hole leader Dustin Johnson, who opened the day with a three-shot lead over McDowell but shot an 82.
Johnson’s score was the worst for a 54-hole leader since 1911.
MMA news: Steven Seagal training Anderson Silva?
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva pissed lots of fight fans off with his bizarre performance against Demian Maia last April but he could be out to win their hearts back. His secret weapon: Steven Seagal, who is reportedly mentoring him. The 58-year-old Seagal is a seventh degree black belt in aikido and reportedly a good friend of Silva’s. Scary to think that the Spider may actually improve with the Seagal Power added to his game.
MLB news: Lady Gaga shows up in Yankees clubhouse, infuriates Hal Steinbrenner
Apparently Lady Gaga is a lifelong Yankees fan. The shock-pop star visited Yankee Stadium on Friday night decked out in a bikini, fishnet stockings and a jersey – you know, the typical fan getup – and made an unsolicited visit to the clubhouse. The players reportedly didn’t mind having her around but Hal Steinbrenner was apparently livid because Gaga showed up after a loss. Early reports suggested she’s been banned but the Yankees have since softened their position.
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