A lot of life hasn’t broken Fred Schuman’s way. As a nine year old in the Bronx, a stray bat in a stickball game destroyed his right eye. The injury relegated him to the sidelines in the schoolyard and for World War II when he was declared 4F,unsuited for military service. Freddy’s first marriage was a disaster. He started a jewelry business that went bust, followed by a bicycle business that went bust. He lost contact with his only son. He lost the building that his family owned in the Bronx. As Freddy will be the first to tell you, he was the quintessential loser, a failure at everything he tried. At his lowest point he was out on the street.

And yet in a highly improbable turn of events, Fred Schulman has become a highly recognizable symbol of the winningest franchise in American sports, the New York Yankees. Since 1988, Freddy has been a fixture at Yankee stadium during home games, inciting fans to cheer using decidedly old school, even weird school tools: hand lettered signs (’FREDDY SEZ: YANKEES CAN IMPROVE!”), an old frying pan and a metal spoon.

That the Yankees answer to the San Diego chicken would turn out be a once homeless, one-eyed octagenarian stretches the limits of credulity, but Freddy’s association with the most recent Yankee dynasty (1996 , 2000) has conferred on him certified good luck charm status. Mayor Giuliani famously flew him to Phoenix for Game 7 of the 2001 World Series,a mission that was unsuccessful but only solidified Freddy’s celebrity.

I talked to Freddy a week before 2008 opening day as he prepared himself for another season in the Bronx, the last before the Yankees demolish the House That Ruth Built and set up shop in a billion dollar reinterpretation next door.

CI: What was the first reaction to you at the Stadium, when you started going in 1988.

FS: In the very beginning I couldn’t use the language of how they told me to, ‘Get the f–…Get lost”. They were interested in the ball game. Here is this guy coming up with a sign, with a spoon. And he wants me to hit the spoon and everything. It was pretty much, ‘Get lost.” Well fight, I can’t fight. I’m not a fighter. I’m a blind guy I don’t know karate, black belt and so forth. If I knew that I would probably have taken them on. Read the rest of this entry »

Soccer, fútbol, football, call it what you will, in England the game is much more than sport. It’s English society’s central cultural touchstone. It’s more important that the weather, more tabloid than the Royal Family, and dare I say it, bigger than beer. Yes, even the merits of real ale pales in comparison to which WAG has the most prominent lingerie endorsement deal.

Upon arriving at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday morning I was greeted at passport control by a large sign with a hint of Orwellian menace that read: ‘UK BORDER.” It should say: LAND OF FOOTBALL.” Having stopped for a cuppa at a local breakfast café, a quick glance at the telly told me that I was not in Kansas anymore. There was Sir Alex Ferguson putting his men through their paces on the training ground ahead of the return leg of Manchester United’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash with Roma. The scroll at the bottom of the screen told me that Liverpool had thumped Arsenal the night before to advance to their usual Champions League semifinal berth, (or as the headline in one of the tab rags put it: ‘Red and Buried.”)

But these days in dear old Blighty, footie is not confined to the pitch and the sports pages. It’s the coin of the realm. You simply can’t escape it.

Sky television is promoting its upcoming programming as ‘The Heroes Season.” Brad Pitt in full Babel break down dissolves to Oscar winner Dame Judy Dench, who in turn becomes Sir Winston Churchill. And just as I was thinking that ranking Churchill third to Angelina Jolie’s partner was a bad sign of the times, up popped Wayne Rooney. Now as every baby does looks like Churchill, perhaps finding one of the few adults to resemble the wartime Prime Minister was a clever ploy. But does that merit hero status alongside Hollywood heartthrobs, West End legends, and the man who urged the nation to fight Hitler on the beaches? Granted, Rooney will have more time to spend on the beach this summer than originally anticipated, but again the Churchill connection is tenuous at best. If only England’s footballers were as good as the ever-present PR machine that hypes up the volume on them to eleven.

The last true English world-class goal scorer is at The Masters this week. Gary Lineker is hosting BBC coverage of the first golf major of the year. I’ve no idea about his putting, but if any golfers need tips on coming through in the clutch, they should interview him. I’ve always thought that the Beeb’s man in Augusta has not received the credit his outstanding career deserves. I would have him starting in my all-time England XI ahead of Jimmy Greaves, Alan Shearer and Stan Mortensen. Sure he’s had plenty of plaudits over the years, but he was the leading scorer at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and scored England’s two most clutch penalty kicks in history against Cameroon at Italia’90. (There have been plenty of other clutch penalty kicks for England, but players who didn’t have Lineker’s bottle muffed the moment and waited for their agents to get them pizza commercials.) Lets face it, if Trevor Brooking and Geoff Hurst have knighthoods, then Lineker should be Lord Leicester by now. Perhaps like the late, great Paul Scofield, Lineker doesn’t want HRH to dub her sword on his shoulders. I wouldn’t know. But he seemed pretty happy on Friday, trying not to clash with Ian Poulter’s hot pink trousers.

Talking of Knights errant. One man in his element in the ancient isle at the moment is former Tottenham Hotspur honcho, Sir Alan Sugar. In the British version of ‘The Apprentice,” he plays Donald Trump. And if the ratings are anything to go by, he’s not about to be fired, as the show is one of the most popular in the country and not even contemplating a celebrity ‘jump the shark” edition.

It’s been a sour time for Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed of late though. After sounding off recently in yet another Princess Diana death inquest, the Harrod’s owner gave a vote of confidence to Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson this week. The always-jingoistic British press seems incapable of giving the grief stricken father a mulligan, and greeted the Harrod’s owners statement with the headline: ‘Fulham On The Brink.”

In the Land of Football someone is always on the brink of something. Manchester United on winning the EPL, Chelsea on signing Gareth Barry, and WAG lingerie model Abbey Clancy on marrying Peter Crouch. Which happy event will receive the most prominence in the British press? Do you really need to ask?

There’s been a bit of a lull for fight fans since the amazing trifecta of FOY candidates in March (Vazquez/Marquez III, Pacquiao/Marquez II and Casamayor/Katsidis) but that all ends tomorrow night with FOUR title fights. All of these fights have interesting consequences for future bouts, making it a banner night for fistic enthusiasts everywhere, and quite an appetizer indeed for the Calzaghe/Hopkins mega-fight next week. So, ah, let’s get right into it:

Miguel Cotto v. Alfonso Gomez
It is what it is. You know when Vegas has a stoppage at about -200 that you are looking at a one sorryass mismatch, and that’s what you have here. The odds on Cotto by stoppage is 5/11, and even that seems a bit conservative to me. Yes, Gomez beat Arturo Gatti, but come on – Gatti is a shadow of his former shadow (if Gatti shadowboxed with his shadow from 1997, his shadow would knock him out in 5). This is still the same Alfons Gomez who boasts a loss to Peter Manfredo on his record, and a draw to Jesse Feliciano, the same Jesse Feliciano that Kermit Cintron stopped in November. So, you know, by the commutative property, what do you think Cotto does to Cintron right now. I say he knocks his ass out in under 8. Cotto is suffering through some Money May-like drama with his uncle/trainer Evangelista Cotto, but he’s just not the kind of dude to let that get in his head. In that Cotto is a 15-1 favorite right now, about the only way to make money on this thing is to bet the under on rounds at 9 1/2 at -150. Seems like a very safe bet to me unless Cotto breaks a hand or something.

Antonio Margarito v. Kermit Cintron
I watched the first fight between these guys a few days ago, and I was again struck by what a sorry showing it was for Cintron. If you’ve never seen it, the video of the conclusion is below, a 5th-round stoppage in which Cintron effectively gave up. The hardest thing for him to swallow afterwards must have been realizing how in the fight he was when he started to lose his cool around the third round. Margarito frequently has assessed this fight by saying that as soon as Cintron caught him a few times with his right hand and saw that they didn’t faze Tony at all, it was over. And on a second viewing, that’s pretty much how it looks to me. Cintron suffers a nasty cut in the fourth, but even before the cut he looks like he’s out of it, like he’s given up.

Many questioned Kermit’s mettle after this fight, but I think he answered that doubt with his heroic throwdown with David Estrada in 2006. Myself, I’ve always liked Cintron and I think he’s a very talented guy who found himself psychologically defeated by Margarito in their first go-round. But now Cintron knows that he’s not going to knock Margarito out with his straight rights, no matter how flush he connects (Margarito is a Carlos Baldomir-level of hardhead who has never been KO’ed) and he’s also working with Manny Steward, who no doubt is preparing Cintron to win this thing by decision. And I think he has what it takes to do that. He has a speed edge and he’s an accurate puncher. Margarito starts slowly and I could see this going very similarly to his bout with Paul Williams – where Tony comes on late and just runs out of time to make up for a points-deficit. On that score, it may all come down to Cintron’s conditioning, because Margarito is definitely an insistent fighter who won’t go anywhere over the course of a 12-rounder. But I like Cintron to hang on in this one. He’d got the skills and more importantly he’s got the experience to know what it takes to beat Margarito. On the whole I think he’s the superior athlete, and if he sticks to what I imagine should be his gameplan, I see him getting a close decision.

Clinton Woods v. Antonio Tarver
The ante was upped considerably on this bout earlier in the week with the news that much-anticipated Clinton Woods/Joe Calzaghe bout is in the works, provided of course that Woods beats Tarver and Calzaghe beat Bernard Hopkins next week. I like both of their chances, but honestly, I’m feeling better about Woods than Calzaghe, though I base that more on Tarver’s condition rather than Woods’ prowess. I simply think that Tarver is shot, pasychologically and physically. I certainly don’t see him having enough pop left to knock Woods out. I mean, Clinton Woods is one rugged son of a bitch. Anybody out there remember the beating he took from Roy Jones in 2002? Let me take you back…

Yes, Roy tarred and feathered him, but that was pre-Ruiz Roy at 175. He tarred and feathered everyone back then. The point to me is that after a full round of Roy’s punishing razzle-dazzle, on that last haymaker that he lands on Woods before Woods’ cornermen throw in the towel, Clinton points to his chin in true Jake LaMotta fashion. “Do it again, mate, go on…” And yes, yes, that was six years ago, but the fact remains – given what we’ve seen of Tarver lately, there is just no way he’s going to knock out Clinton Woods (who has never been stopped by anyone but Jones). I honestly think it’s more likely that Woods stops Tarver. Maybe there’s some magic left in the Magic Man, but I’d be very surprised to see him pull a winner out of his hat. I see Antonio gettting the better of the action early but without hurting his man. Then I see him wearing down quickly, and barely making it to the finish. With a huge all-British megafight with Calzaghe in the offing, I think Tarver would have to kill Clinton Woods to win this one, and he just doesn’t have the ammo anymore.

Chad Dawson v. Glen Johnson
2008 already has seen a fair share of older fighters schooling highly touted younger ones – Carlos Quintana over Paul Williams, Nate Cambpell over Juan Diaz, Joel Casamayor over Michael Katsidis. So the question is, does Glen Johnson have enough left in the tank to add his name to that list? Is Chad Dawson as good as we think he is? It’s not that I think that Dawson is over-rated necessarily, but I will say this – his record doesn’t look as solid to me as Juan Diaz’s did at lightweight. But is Glen Johnson capable of going all Nate Campbell in there? Doubtful, admittedly. But look, with the way this year is going, anything seems possible, and at +275, Johnson is definitely an interesting longshot.

(For more Largination, check out my weekly boxing notes over at the new and improved Sporting Blog. I give some more thoughts on tomorrow night and discuss the demise of The Contender on ESPN.)

I realize that with the way I’ve been neglecting my No Masian duties of late that I may be barking up the wrong tree here, but I’m going to give it a shot anyway and alert you all to the fact that I have a new piece up at Slate today. It’s about Ian O’Connor’s new book Arnie and Jack and the way in which the legendary Palmer/Nicklaus rivalry informs the way we see Tiger Woods today.

Tiger vs. Nobody (slate.com)

As I’m sure most dedicated No Masians have noticed, I’m struggling to maintain the blog these days because I’m buried with writing work (oh look Liverpool scored, lovely goal innit) that makes it very tough for me to file my regular posts here on the Mas. I apologize, and I ask you to bear with me, because it’s doesn’t look like it’s going to get much better in the next few weeks. The wife and I are moving, and you know how that is. We’re traveling into the land of the one and only Electric Zarko, with whom I recently caught a Warriors game. (Yes, I admit it, the Warriors are severely challenging my Sixers loyalty, although to be fair, we all know where the Warriors are really from.)

I do plan to get my customary fight previews up this week, especially now that the tourney is mercifully over and some marquee fighters are stepping back into the ring. I’ll leave you with that promise and with one observation on last night’s NCAA Final – what the HELL is Roy Williams doing on the halftime show in a Kansas Jayhawks sweater? Yeah, yeah, I know, fifteen years, whatever. You think if Texas Tech got stomped by Indiana that Bob Knight shows up at the final sporting some Indiana gear? No fucking way.

Also let me add here some links to a few of my pieces over at The Sporting Blog and a little tidbit from my weekly boxing notes post which didn’t run over there due to the glut of college basketball nonsense clogging up the airwaves:

Another No-Go Fo’ Lorenzo?
The title of the most-ducked fighter in boxing has become something of an unofficial honor in the sport, and not one that is particularly sought after either, much like the BPNTHWM (Best Player Never to Have Won a Major) award in golf (speaking of which, who is that now? Sergio?). In the past few months, Dominican middleweight Giovanni Lorenzo has made quite a name for himself by not being able to get a big-name opponent for himself, despite the fact that he is currently both the IBF and the WBC mandatory opponent for both the belt-holders. First it was the WBC champ, Kelly Pavlik, who after floating the idea of fighting Lorenzo decided on a decidedly softer touch, Welshman Gary Lockett. Now it’s IBF titlist Arthur Abraham, who appeared to be a lock to fight Lorenzo this summer but who now is evidently talking to Edison Miranda about a June rematch of their 2006 classic. All I can say to that is, if you’re looking to duck a fight with someone by TAKING a fight with Edison Miranda, well, that someone you’re ducking must be some kind of someone. Although one imagines that dead presidents enter into the equation somewhere as well, as they are wont to do.

Heston Did It All (The Sporting Blog)

Worst. Final Four. Ever. (The Sporting Blog)

Second legs of the quarter finals Tuesday and Wednesday to see if the Premiership sends three contenders to the semis. Some of last week’s game were real shockers and some were more boring than any we’ve seen in recent memory. Some managers, and not just Benitez or Grant, will have to save their seats tonight by winning no matter what.

LIVERPOOL – ARSENAL

Let’s call this Episode III. After two matches at Arsenal’s stomping ground of the Emirates Stadium both ending in a 1-1 draw, Anfield will offer a nice epilogue to this whole affair. After last week’s spectacular game tainted by partisan refereeing in Liverpool’s favor (even though we were in London), Arsenal will have to come out with guns blazing since they conceded the home goal that could cost them the qualification. Liverpool are unsurprisingly favorites after going through the same situation in 2005 against Chelsea. Rafael Benitez will need all of Anfield to be with him on this one as The gunners have no other choice but to win and are not really efficient at defending anyway. The only differences with this weekend’s game is that Steven Gerrard will surely be starting alongside Fernando Torres. As for El Niño’s right partner, Benitez can always choose between Dirk Kuyt who scored the equalizer last week or Peter Crouch who did the same this weekend.

My bill is still on Arsenal but Liverpool have been monstruous at this stage of the compettion in the last five years. A match to watch for sure.

CHELSEA – FENERBAHCE

The Award for Newcomer of the Year sure goes to Fenerbahçe. Ok Schalke could deserve it but the Turkish side has been unbeatable at home and lived up to their expectations away. Counting Roberto Carlos, Mateja Kezman and London-born Turkish international Kazim Kazim who singlehandedly put Chelsea on their knees during last week’s bout’s second-half. Zico’s boys don’t fear anyone and don’t have any reason to.
Chelsea is still miles above them on paper but Avram Grant’s players know well that this could be their last game in the competition. They were lucky enough to have scored an away goal but that’s it. They were far from their normal level and underestimated their teammates. Add that to the fact that Petr Cech is still not recovered and this is smelling like one of those surprises that is supposed to happen every year. If Fenerbahçe go through, after having eliminated Sevilla and Chelsea, we couldn’t call them an underdog anymore.

Tommorow, Manchester United and Barcelona, two teams that have won away games will be welcoming teams that could take them out as well. None of those superpowers (well truthfully Barcelona seems more safe than Manchester, even after their game against Getafe this Sunday) can afford to play with a B team tomorrow.

(Baggiesboy, ever the exotic bon vivant of football, files his post today from that metropolis of modern soccer… East Rutherford, New Jersey. -L)

A room with a view is the hotel guest’s common request. But there are views and then there are views. For every ocean vista, klieg-light-lit landmark, and alpine pasture bathed in moonlight, there is the airport hotel panorama. From my current 15th floor perch I have a view of Giants Stadium, along with clogged transportation arteries, both on the ground and in the air.

Opening Day is in the air here as well. After a rain delay on Monday, ‘Play Ball” echoed around Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. Mr. Met emerges from his winter hibernation next week. (Here’s a little known fact: when Mr. Met sees his shadow at the Shea home opener, the Mets make the playoffs.) And this Saturday, the most exciting prospect in the history of Major League Soccer takes to the field across the street from my temporary aerie in the season opener for the Red Bulls. Yes, Jozy Altidore is that good.

My criteria for assessing a players’ skill is simple: would I buy a ticket to watch him or her play? In the case of Altidore, the answer is a resounding yes. He’s big, fast, intimidating and has the happy knack of scoring goals from all angles. He also has an infectious joy for the game. This kid loves soccer, and it shows.

In another age, when ‘a fine lady upon a white horse” was the only person who had music wherever she went, Pelé was spreading love in these parts. But those halcyon days are long gone. During the MetroStars/Red Bulls 13-year run in Sopranos country there has not been much joy in ‘Swampville.” American soccer renegade Clint Mathis scored the 2001 MLS Goal of the Season, Senegal’s vowel laden striker Mamadou Diallo produced a four-goal game, and the inspirational Tim Howard regularly displayed reflexes worthy of his then Meadowlands Sports Complex NHL counterpart Martin Brodeur before moving to the Premiership.

Granted there was Bulgaria’s Jordan Letchkov scoring a late goal to knock Germany out of the 1994 World Cup. A moment of bliss that should have served as a hint to Lothar Matthaus that perhaps East Rutherford was not the place for him (then again, perhaps he was getting mixed signals having scored Germany’s lone goal in that game.) Of course, Matthaus isn’t the only World Cup winner to grace the cavernous Giants Stadium locker rooms with his presence. Frenchman Youri Djorkaeff swapped the charms of Bolton, Lancashire for the Soccer Eden of the Garden State. He didn’t come close to leading either the MetroStars or the Red Bulls to MLS Cup nirvana. Of course, every MetroBull artist from Joe Addo to Craig Ziadie shares that distinction as well.

But perhaps this year it will be different. With a new coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, on the bench (the franchise’s 11th head coach, which although it might match the number of players on the field seems excessive when considering that Joe Girardi is only the second Yankees manager in the same period), the Red Bulls have the best strike tandem in MLS. Juan Pablo Angel scored 19 goals in 24 games last season and seems motivated to meet that standard again.

And then there’s Altidore, the face of the franchise. He is featured on a series of billboards around Manhattan, as well as the cover of the North American version of EA Sports FIFA08. Throw in his Adidas commercial, and it’s clear that the teenager is well on the road to sharing a priceless advertising moment with the aforementioned Pelé. Of course, Altidore’s prospective U.S. Olympic teammate Freddy Adu already has pitched with Pelé, but he doesn’t have anywhere near Altidore’s game. Yes, he has plenty of moves but no pace, no acceleration and even less sense of teamwork. His success had been limited to age-restricted tournaments. Altidore has already made his mark among the big boys.

In 2006, his arrival sparked the Red Bulls to a late playoffs surge. Last year, he scored 9 MLS goals and soaked up information from a professional goal scorer in Angel. A quick payoff for that season’s long tutorial came in February with his first goal for the U.S. national team: a classic power header, scored against arch-rival Mexico. Only the top strikers put those away.

Needless to say, rumors of his imminent departure are rife, which would be a huge mistake for MLS, the Red Bulls and the player himself. If the team’s eponymous Austrian owners can invest in Oscar Echeverry then they can energize American soccer by signing the country’s best young player through the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

From where I’m sitting you can’t see a Red Bull sign (or any sign that Saturday is the team’s season kickoff), but a new stadium is on the way. The Red Bulls have been flying under the radar in the Newark flight path for too long. But this season, starting on Saturday against Columbus, Altidore can give the Red Bulls wings.

Manchester United played like they were the Italian side yesterday, not dominating the game but being realistic to a fault, and scoring two away goals that may be two too many for Roma to come back at Old Trafford next week. The Romans should be mad at themselves – they could have, and should have, scored. We’ll see if Totti’s returning or not next week. If not, Manchester can send in their B team. As for Barcelona, how the mighty have fallen! Sure they won at Schalke but without Jermaine Jones and with the many missed chances by Kuranyi, Schalke could very well create a surprise at Camp Nou. I haven’t seen Barcelona look so mortal in a long while. Now for tonight’s games.

ARSENAL-LIVERPOOL

These two Premiership sides will face each other three times in the next week in a series of matches that will decide if their seasons are successes or failures. For Rafaël Benitez, it goes even deeper – the Reds boss could lose his job if he doesn’t bring back a trophy to Anfield. As for arsenal, they seem to have gotten some of their values back after this weekend’s game against Bolton. They were one man down but still managed to make up a two goal difference and win the game. The two English teams had to go and take their tickets in the same stadium, Giuzzeppe Meazza/San Siro against Inter and AC Milan. Their destines seem to be tied this season.

Folks, I’m sorry I’ve been away from my post for the past few days, but what with the mini boxing vacation and some work piling up on my end, I had to shut down operations for a few days.

But the No Mas train is rolling once again today, as you’ll see below with one of Madsear’s patented Champions League previews. Also, I’m hoping that you’ll check out something that I was working on diligently in my No Masian absence, my debut article over at Slate.com, a long piece about Money May’s WWE debacle and the way he’s been going about his business in the past year or so.

Grappling with History (slate.com)

(All hail the return of Madsear! I’m telling you with Baggiesboy and Mr. Mad up front, we have a terrible twosome of strikers on the No Mas side. That’s right, mates, I’m the manager of this squad and I play the 4-4-2. Madsear and the Bag, lemme tell you something, they may not be the quickest front pair you’ve ever seen, but they’re both linebacker-size and mean as all hell. If I were you? I’d just let them score. Now on with the CL… – L)

Here they are, the quarterfinals. And just like last year, we have the four English (let’s say the four Premiership) powerhouses facing some continental sides. Let’s start with tomorrow night’s matches, the first one between AS Roma and Manchester United and the second between Schalke and Barcelona.

AS ROMA – MANCHESTER UNITED (2.30Pm @ ESPN2)

This looks like a classic. These two teams have met four times in the last year (who could forget the 7-1 humiliation sustained by the Romans at Old Trafford last year). After having eliminated Real Madrid in what may have been the match of the year, Luciano Spaletti’s team are hoping to pull the same prank on Sir Alex’s boys on April Fools Day. A few hours ago, during the press conference, Spaletti hailed Manchester as “the best team in the world, certainly the best team I have seen in the last decade.” Okay Luciano, stop the buttlicking right now – your team is nothing to sneeze at. Sure, the big surprise would be to see ManYoo not win the Champions League this year, given how they’ve already dominated their opponents during the group stages. Manchester is the favorite and deservedly so. But AS Roma is special. They are the only team in Europe playing like one. They have stars, many of them. Some people, yours truly included, believe Francesco Totti to be, on a good day, the best player in the World (I’ve said the same about Zlatan Ibrahimovic and it’s still true). Roma plays the most beautiful game second only to… well, Manchester. Which is why tomorrow night’s battle is sure to be interesting. On one of the largest pitches in Europe, two of the faster teams going at it. Something nobody should miss.

Manchester should win because their ace, Cristiano Ronaldo, is playing the best football of his life (and that’s saying something), scoring his 35th goal of the season last Saturday. Add that to the fact that the “Cappo di tutti Cappi”, Francesco Totti has been injured in Cagliari and may not be playing the home bout and you could bet safely on the Red Devils. I’m still thinking, however, that a draw is possible for Roma, if not more.

SCHALKE 04 – BARCELONA

It is now official! The Fantastic 4 experiment at Barcelona is a failure. They only played two games together and they’re done – Leo Messi is injured, Thierry Henry is saving his back for this summer’s Euros, Ronaldinho may be sold somewhere in the Premiership, while Samuel Eto’o is the only player looking like his old self lately. Juan Laporta took a chance and failed miserably. The only way for Frank Rijkaard to keep his job during the summer and prevent “The Special One” from coming back to Bernabeu would be to win the Champions League. Only problem is, it’s not looking too good these days on the Barcelona side. Losing to lowly Real Betis is not exactly the best way to prepare for such a rendez-vous, especially if you lose Samuel Eto’o in the process.

The good news for Barça is that Rafael Marquez (really? he’s playing? shit I would have thought he’d still be resting – L) and Gabi Milito are reporting for duty. Given how bad their defense has been lately that’s more than good news. The other good news is that their opponent is just Schalke 04.

The German side has never been this high in the competition and are already giving The Humble Speech. Slomka is smart enough not to put any pressure on his boys but he knows full well that if they want to beat Barcelona, this is it. They can surprise some people with their midfield. If Rakitic and Jones are playing, they can be as good if not better than the Toure/Iniesta pairing that has not been working perfectly these days, with Yaya Touré working overtime to cover for Xavi and/or Andres.

Schalke are not well known and it’s a shame, but Barcelona very well could meet with another surprise if they’re not focused and play like they did this Saturday past.