It is a sad day for those who don't enjoy real football

To all those who are going to miss the heavy hitting fast action of the NFL... please pick one of the following other events which are currently happening in the world over the next nine months to watch... you won't be disappointed.

Sports and Science: technology in jerseys

Via The Daily Mail: Why Portsmouth's stars run longer and shoot harder
JOHN EDWARDS



Portsmouth are the only English club to latch on to a trend that was the talk of the rugby World Cup — ionized shirts, or 'wearable steroids' as the marketing bods soon dubbed them. South Africa were one of the rugby countries to use them and they won it.

Developed by New Zealand kit firm Canterbury, the 'IonX' shirts are made from a fabric that contains a negatively charged electromagnetic field. This means the process of ionisation, which produces electrically charged atoms long understood by former Eastern Bloc scientists to improve sporting performance, can occur in the body during training and even competitive matches.

It is claimed to increase blood flow and oxygen levels, leading to improved performance. Portsmouth seem to think it has an effect. Paul Bell, the club's commercial director, said: 'It's something we believe is delivering a tangible, positive effect on our players.' Tests carried out at Loughborough University appear to back this up.

Professor Mike Caine, head of sports technology and innovation at Loughborough, compared the performance of athletes wearing IonX garments with those in normal gear and saw a difference. 'There seems to be a small but significant improvement to repeated power output during high intensity exercise,' he said.

Professor Caine found a 2.7 per cent improvement in 'mean power' — so, does this mean that Portsmouth's players can shoot 2.7 per cent harder wearing their new shirt? He wants to carry out more research before going that far (and has just started to do so) but says: 'If you ask me “could it make a performance benefit?” Yes, I believe it could.

'If you look at professional sport, certainly at international level and almost certainly at Premier League level, would a coach or a fitness and conditioning manager bite your hand off for a 2.7 per cent increase in strength , power, agility, flexibility, reaction time? Yes they would.'

While the shirts were being tested by the likes of South Africa , Australia and Scotland prior to the rugby World Cup, several other countries (believed to include England and France) sought clarification over the legality of IonX.

The International Rugby Board asked the World Anti-Doping Agency for a ruling. They replied that they were happy — for now. Spokesman Frederic Donze said: 'Since there is no scientific publication supporting claims that changes in the body ion charges or magnetic field distribution enhance performance, and since such technologies do not contain prohibited substances, these technologies should not be considered as a banned method to date.'

Portsmouth are so keen they have done a deal preventing other Premier League sides from using IonX for 'the immediate future' — thought to be several seasons. Bruce Vandenberg, the club's chief executive, said: 'It was very important to us that we were the only football club that could wear IonX so we sought to create an exclusive window.' It has taken football a long time to discover a science that has been known for centuries.

The Japanese long ago realised that standing next to a waterfall, where ionisation also occurs, makes people feel better and German scientists in the 1930s used ionisation chambers to train bomber pilots to stay awake longer and be more alert. That technology was then applied to athletes in the former East Germany and Soviet Union.

It took an American textile company, who made protective suits for the Chernobyl clean-up operation as well as Ian Thorpe's 'shark-skin' swimming outfit, to work out how to incorporate the technology into fabric. Canterbury have a 25-year agreement with that firm.

Joe Middleton , chief executive of Canterbury UK, said: 'With this kit elite athletes can recover more quickly between training sessions and probably train half a day earlier. That's the feedback we're getting from these guys. So, it's big.' Even Harry Redknapp is said to be a convert. Those negative ions must be a powerful force if they can win over a traditionalist like the Portsmouth manager.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his man-purse

2007 English FA "Footballer of the Year" Cristiano Ronaldo was seen making an appearance at a fashion show in Portugal. I don't think I know of a male athlete that loves himself as much as Ronaldo. Fellow Manchester United teammate, Patrice Evra, revealed an embarrassing secret about Ronaldo, claiming that the Portuguese winger suffers from narcissism: “Cristiano makes me laugh because he is the only one to have his personal mirror in the dressing room. He spends hours doing his hair and putting on his gel. He loves his body.”

TheBigLead.com's had this take:

The best soccer player the planet may have to offer frequently wears tiny
swimming trunks, seemingly always finds himself poolside and shirtless with a
bunch of dudes, and he may or may not have a personal mirror in the dressing room. And here, we find Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo wearing a mustard yellow leather jacket, studded with diamonds. There appears to be more hair gel than necessary.

I'll admit though, he is an incredible football player and is the sole reason why Man United won the Barclay's English Premier League.

Sources: thebiglead.com and soccerfriend.com

Henry to Barca???

First a French magazine reports this...

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has reached an agreement to transfer to Barcelona, the Web site of a French sports magazine reported Monday. Henry's agent and Barcelona's sports director agreed to a three-year contract, and it's now up to "convincing" the north London club, France Football reports in its edition to be published Tuesday. Details were not immediately available. The site only showed a photo of the magazine's cover page featuring a photo of Henry under the headline "Barca-Henry: Deal Reached." On a promotional trip to China last month, Henry did little to dampen speculation that he was about to leave Arsenal for Barcelona - weeks after Barcelona's president said he was completing a deal.

Then, According to Thierry Henry...

Thierry Henry's agent will "seek legal advice" after France Football magazine
claimed the Arsenal striker has agreed terms with Barcelona. Henry's future has been the subject of speculation again this summer despite him signing a four-year contract with the Gunners last year. But his agent Jerome Anderson was categoric in denying the magazine's claims. In a statement, he said: "No meetings have ever taken place between Jerome Anderson and Barcelona in France or anywhere else, and Jerome Anderson will be seeking legal advice against France Football."

So, what's the deal? Well, we don't know for now. If Henry gets transferred to any club, no matter where it is, it is going to be the biggest move of the transfer season without a doubt. AC Milan? Barca? Who knows? Henry says he is an Arsenal player for now, but he was devastated when a big part of the club left. This was the departure of vice-chairman David Dein, who left after a dispute with his fellow directors over the increased involvement of American businessman Stan Kroenke. Henry said, "I was devastated when Mr Dein left the club. I don't know what happened and I don't want to know but whatever went on, Mr Dein leaving was not a clever move."

Sources: www.ap.org and www.rivals.net

Chelsea FC kid disses Stevan Gerrard

This is a little old, but I just came across it and being that I am a Chelsea fan I have got to post it. In this video this little kid disses Stevan Gerrard, who is the Captain of the most decorated football club in England, Liverpool FC, by faking him out on a low-five. Most children would probably freak out if they ever came into contact with a superstar of Gerrard's stature, but not this guy... way to go little man. Very funny.


Video: Chelsea kid brushing off Steven Gerrard