Radio Days, With Two Different Stars as Main Topic

Years ago, I used to work the graveyard shift at my college radio station. I was on from midnight to 8am, then I hurried to my dorm room to change for a 9am class. Most of what went out on the air at that time was pre-programmed, although I did a short traffic and weather report at the top of every hour. Basically, that job helped me realize radio is both a great and tough medium.

Even before I moved to the LA area, I used to listen to KPCC. When I got the call to come to my local NPR station as a soccer expert guest, I was excited. 

Have to say, I don't think my first time, discussing David Beckham, went all that well.  It probably wasn't advisable to disagree with the host of the radio show that invited me right off the bat. 

My most recent appearance was to talk about Giovani Dos Santos, who honestly, has the potential to be as big a signing in certain ways as Beckham ever was. No, Dos Santos won't have the same world-wide impact, but on a local marketing level, this could be huge. He's much younger, a massive star with the Mexican fans in LA, and more creative on the ball. Dos Santos will still have to play well to justify all the hype, but the potential is definitely there. 

Here is the individual show segment about Dos Santos. Who knows - if Dos Santos plays amazingly tonight in his debut as a Galaxy player, I may be asked back again. It's always the big stories that get media attention.

The Galaxy are also a more balanced team now to support the skills of Dos Santos. With Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Gyasi Zardes and Omar Gonzalez all on board to help carry the burden of garnering wins, Dos Santos shouldn't feel as isolated as Landon Donovan and Beckham seemed to be those difficult years when the Galaxy depended on that duo so much. 

David Beckham Retires

 I still remember that sunny day in Los Angeles, waiting for David Beckham to enter the stadium suite that had been reserved for the local Galaxy reporters. We were a pretty small bunch, about twelve total. Soon, due to the dying print media industry, there would be even less of us. Beckham was big news at that time, though.

 He entered wearing a silver Burberry suit, smiling nervously, yet also well aware of his power to charm with that smile. Beckham tended to smile more when deflecting a question, for example, like when I asked him about his injured ankle.

 I guess the things I remember first were all the ridiculous scenarios. The reporters from tabloids who would show up at press conferences after the game to ask Beckham questions about Tom Cruise. The media chasing Beckham after matches he'd spent on the bench. Cruise, Tony Parker and Kobe Bryant all hanging out in the Galaxy locker room. The glaring Becks would do when journalists asked if he was hurting the Galaxy to go during the season to Milan, London Olympics, Royal wedding, England friendly, etc.

But what I'll recall most are the little moments, maybe. I watched Beckham's kids do a fair share of growing up during the Galaxy years. I'll remember Brooklyn peeking out behind the press conference curtain, Romeo kicking a ball around on the grass with his brothers, Cruz making funny faces. I never saw Vicki without her sunglasses, and I never saw her wear flat shoes. I would always marvel at how she could walk so well in heels.

 I watched Becks in various stages of anger, denial, frustration, despair, resignation, determination, acceptance, leadership and joy with the Galaxy. It was a rollercoaster ride that finally ended at a nice place for him, with back-to-back MLS Championship wins.

He seemed to settle in at the Galaxy once some of the hype got killed off by the initial poor results. No more press conferences at every game, just locker room interviews post-game like the others. Beckham never became just another player, but he found his niche as the team learned to utilize his unique passing game. Beckham himself learned to love Laker basketball and convertible cars. His teammates also came to appreciate his work ethic, genuine eagerness and restrained English humor.  Beckham, with his soft voice and intrinsically shy personality, wasn't ever a guys' guy, not in the sports macho sense, but he was always a loyal teammate who took the idea of his role as a sports pioneer seriously.

Four titles in four countries. It's simply an impressive feat. 

Goodbye, David. Here's hoping you were also serious about owning a team in MLS one day. There are still worlds to conquer.

He remains an Englishman

I haven't had a chance to ask David Beckham of late about his future plans now that he's finally an MLS champion, but my guess is that he's leaving the Los Angeles Galaxy. 

I do think winning that title last night meant a lot to him. He's a competitive player. He wanted to win very badly. 

Yet there's something beyond club glory that has always mattered more to Becks. 

His country. 

For he himself has said it

And it's greatly to his credit,

That he is an Englishman!

Simply put, the Galaxy have always taken a backseat to Beckham's desire to serve his country. I'm not simply talking about playing for England, either, although it's pretty remarkable how far he's flown, or where he's taken loans to help make that happen. 

Whether it has been lobbying for the Olympics, the FIFA 2014 World Cup, attending the royal wedding or whatever, Becks has been pretty much at the beck and call of his homeland. It didn't matter that many in England derided his move to the Los Angeles as the ultimate sellout. Becks remained loyal to helping his country in whatever capacity possible. 

Of course, when Beckham played in Spain for Real Madrid, the club versus country conundrums were less obvious partly because Spain was an easy flight to England for any needed games.  MLS games also conflicted more often with international dates. Even for friendlies, Beckham would choose England.

For, in spite of all temptations

To belong to other nations

He remains an Englishman

Often, though, this loyalty to country was to the detriment of Beckham's MLS club. The two loan deals to AC Milan so Fabio Capello would know for certain Beckham could actually still hit a good cross cut out half of the Galaxy regular season. Plus, Beckham got injured during the crucial second loan right before the 2010 World Cup, so that time away from MLS to try to secure his spot in the England squad was all ultimately for naught. 

Other players might have sulked at home, but Becks went to the World Cup anyway, supporting England from the sidelines. Who knows if that helped, but either way, he was there. 

Ultimately, Beckham's internal compass always points to England. The prospect of playing in the Olympics could be what drives Beckham to Paris St. Germain. Of course, that's a team that would represent Great Britain, the UK as a whole, but that's close enough for Becks, especially with the Olympic games being hosted in London, his home city. 

Simply put, it's probably easier to make the Olympics from Paris, where the future UK coach could easily see that yes, Becks can still hit a cross. It's also probably better for the Galaxy not to lose Beckham for all that time in the summer, when the MLS season will be in full swing. Why should they put too much money competing against PSG for a player who wants to be away again to serve his country?

Of course Becks cares about the Galaxy. I saw that back in 2009, when he puffed desperately on his asthma inhaler to make it through the 2009 final. I saw it in his tears after the final 2011 whistle, when the championship was his at last. Yet if going to Paris helps his chances to make the Great Britain team, I'm betting he'll take that over returning to the Galaxy. 

He remains an Englishman.

Beckham's Absence: Yawn

David Beckham will be absent from the Galaxy's match against Houston. Nothing new, right? Beckham missing a Galaxy game. It's happened quite a bit since he joined the club in 2007.

This time around, though, the reason is different. He's gone not because of England duty, because he's on loan or because he's injured. Nope. This time, it's due to a testimonial match.

Gary Neville's testimonial match was enough to draw Beckham across the pond and force him to skip out on the Galaxy-Houston match.

When rumblings over this very matter began to surface, so too did the all-too-familiar criticism:

Beckham doesn't care! Beckham is not committed to MLS! He's only in it for himself!! How could the Galaxy let him leave? He's turning his back on the club!

Yawn.

Sure, Galaxy ticket holders have some right to be upset. Beckham is the Galaxy's biggest draw, and fans who splurged on this ticket for the chance to see Beckham play may very well be a little irritated.

But firing shots at Beckham or the LA Galaxy is ill-advised. You want to find someone to be upset over? How about Major League Soccer?

What exactly is Beckham missing? Well, he's missing a regular-season game. This is meaningful, right? This is what players get paid to do, to play in these games and to win these games, right?

Perhaps, but Beckham and the Galaxy are not minimizing the importance of this match, because MLS minimized the significance of it a long time ago.

This is a league that has played through each and every Gold Cup since the tournament switched to the current summer format in 2003. This summer's tournament is no different. When the U.S. play Panama on June 11, DC-San Jose and Houston-Chivas USA will be played directly opposite the match. Six matches will be played on June 25, the same day as the Gold Cup final.

This is a league that has scheduled league matches directly opposite World Cup qualifiers involving the U.S. national team.

MLS played right on through the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups before finally wising up and shutting down for two weeks in 2010, but only through the group stage. Then, with the world watching the World Cup knockout rounds, MLS went on with business as usual.

MLS regularly sets aside weekend summer dates for certain clubs for friendlies and crams midweek games throughout the season because of it. The regular season is a priority? Not in June, July and August.

MLS ignores international fixture dates, knowing full well that its product will be cheapened because of the absence of important players throughout the league. The league finally wised up on that - somewhat - as the league has open weekends in September and October of this season. But March 26-27 featured a full slate of games while the international calendar was rather busy as well.

MLS schedules its All-Star Game during the middle of the week, forcing its top stars to travel great distances to play in that match. Even last year, when the Galaxy had a quartet of players in the match, the league placed a greater significance on that game than anything. The Galaxy played a CONCACAF Champions League match the night before the 2010 All-Star Game, and even though Bruce Arena tried to get his four players from having to play consecutive nights in cities hundreds of miles apart form one another, the league said no and forced the Galaxy players to compete in the match.

And, perhaps most importantly, MLS consistently diminishes the meaning of said regular-season games by having a playoff system that rewards mediocrity, punishes successful teams and makes the regular season a moot point.

So Beckham decides to ask for and receives permission to attend a testimonial match and now he's the worst guy in the league, he's turning his back on his club, the team that pays his salary, because he's missing a regular-season game?

Please.

Beckham Resting... Or Not?

Is David Beckham injured? Is that why he missed the Galaxy's match at Philadelphia on Wednesday?

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said Beckham was left behind to rest up his aging body. Beckham of course just turned 36 years and has logged a lot of air miles this year already, what with having spent the first part of 2011 training with Tottenham and having participated in the Royal Wedding at the end of April.

It makes sense, right? Rest up your star midfielder, leave him at home for a ridiculously-scheduled midweek match clear across the country and save him for the home match coming up.

I can't really believe much of anything Bruce Arena says these days, however. When it comes to injuries or rest or anything of that nature, Arena has as much credibility as News of the World, although perhaps not quite as outlandish.

Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts was injured during a friendly on March 2. He did not train the week after (the final full week of the preseason) and when we asked Arena about Ricketts' possible availability for the season opener against Seattle, Arena was adamant that Ricketts' injury was "nothing."

Ricketts missed the first three games of the season.

On April 5 and 6, Landon Donovan did not practice with the club. When we asked Bruce Arena about Donovan's absence, he seemed a little agitated that we would even ask - I mean, why bother asking if the team's captain and possible MVP isn't around, right? But we asked and Arena, seemingly irritated, said "he doesn't need to be out here for this" - this meaning practice.

Queue Allen Iverson - We're talkin' 'bout practice, man.

Donovan, of course, was coming off having played two games with the U.S. national team and had played all 90 minutes in the Galaxy's 1-0 win over Philadelphia on April 2. I asked Arena if the decision to rest Donovan was made before the Philly match or if it was made as a result of the game. Arena said they had two choices - not play him against Philly or give him a couple days of rest, and he left it at that. That, to me, seems like it was a predetermined decision.

Turned out, Donovan was not only injured but was injured to the point that he missed three consecutive matches. Donovan picked up an injury during the Philadelphia match and had he not, he presumably would not have rested at all and would have made the Galaxy's three-game road swing.

So now Arena is talking about resting Beckham and I wonder if he's just selling us all a bill of goods once more.

Does it really make sense to rest Beckham? If anyone should be rested, it should be Donovan. He's going to have the Gold Cup to deal with in June and will be logging a lot of travel miles as a result of it. Maybe spare Donovan the six-hour flight from LA to Philly and take Beckham instead. Becks after all isn't having any participation with England this summer. Or maybe rest Angel; maybe a little rest can get him back to scoring goals and being an actual threat.

I'm in a wait-and-see mode on Beckham. Maybe he needed some extra time to recover from the match.

But Arena's even been dodgy about Beckham's fitness this season. He claimed that Beckham was fine with Tottenham, that he wasn't missing anything, that Beckham's fitness was ahead of where he would have been had he been with the Galaxy during the preseason but after the Galaxy's game against Philly on April 2, Arena said Beckham was finally getting to the place he needed to be fitness-wise.

Is Beckham injured? Is he merely resting?

I guess we'll all have to wait and see.

Becks back to Prem?

It's unlikely, of course, even for a loan. He did practice with Arsenal last year to get in shape. Obviously, Becks wants to stay in as high a form as possible to continue playing for England.

I don't think Beck's contract allows for a loan to another team. It would be the Galaxy's luck to have him badly injured again. Alexi Lalas used to insist that Becks practicing with another team was fine, playing was another matter. Of course, he said something similar to Amado Guevara way back in the MetroStars era, and Amado played games during the offseason anyway. I'm trying to think of the last player MLS loaned out to any team, and I'm drawing a blank. Was it Brian McBride with his Everton gig in 2002? I think there's a more recent example, but I can't remember it. Suffice it to say, though, MLS does not readily loan players.

I spy a win

My Beckham sidebar is on espn.com now.

Now, a few people might be thinking, "Hey! What about the guy that scored the hat trick?"

Not to worry. I've got a piece coming up on him, too.

But this one was about captain Becks, who seemed pretty business-like about the win. For that matter, so was his coach, Bruce Arena. Though they sat at the post-game presser together, Arena took questions first. He left the dais when he finished, patting Becks on the shoulder as he passed. "Monday," he told his player. Becks grinned. It was little "back to the grindstone" moment.

Star Wattage

The Galaxy have a crucial game at home today versus DC United. The team will apparently have a couple of famous fans on hand that I've seen at matches before, though never at the same one.

Tony Parker and Kobe Bryant will be rooting for their buddy David. Both basketball players have achieved with their separate teams what David still lacks - a U.S. championship.

On that note, let's play compare/contrast. I'll start off, and anyone who likes can continue in the comments.

All three speak a Latin language, but not a shared one. Tony speaks French, while Kobe speaks Italian and David speaks Spanish (a little).

All are in their thirties, but Kobe and David also have children.

All played soccer as kids. Obviously, only David does so professionally.

Here we go again

I'm not sure why the British tabloid press continues to insist that Los Angeles Galaxy fans are booing David Beckham.

I'm sure a few Galaxy fans were at the game, but a game in the MidWest is not going to bring in many LA fans. It's simply too far away.

So it's not Galaxy fans booing David Beckham - it's Kansas City fans. Which, I suppose, would not be much of a story to report. Why not just say "fans", then?

Becks Workout: enjoyable fatigue

I'm tired. I got back from the gym about a half hour ago and the workout is weighing on me. That and I'm about to get started on my Press-Enterprise story and just trying to prepare for that.

Anyway, I started the Beckham Workout with, of course, Week 1. And after Day 1 of Week 1, I came away with some mixed results.

In case you didn't read it or skipped over it, I came across the Beckham Workout in this month's Men's Health magazine, as he's on the cover... covers, actually. Both sides.

Anyway, here's the workout which is modified for the average guy.

For Becks: 5-minute run; Intensity: 85 percent Maximum Heart Rate (MHR); Rest: 4 minutes; Sets: 3
For Average Guy: 5-minute run; Intensity: 75 percent MHR; Rest: Until your heart rate is 60 percent of your MHR; Sets: As many as you can do in 30 minutes.

Now, I got a heart rate monitor a few months ago so I've come to know how hard I run at certain heart rates. For me, 75 percent of my MHR is about 142 beats per minute, and usually my cardio sessions typically stay above 160. So that's a bit less intense than what I am used to. However, I think that I could use a bit of a change of pace with my workouts and, who knows?, maybe I'm not working out properly. For me, working out isn't about losing weight but trying to improve my fitness. I've got it in the back of my mind to run a half-marathon next summer after I run a pair of 10Ks this fall.

Anyway, the workout itself was... well, I guess I should explain how I view my cardio sessions. I like to think of them as getting from Point A to Point B. I can get there with an intense workout or a lighter workout or a mix but as long as I get to Point B, I'm happy. Just depends on what I want out of them.

This particular Beckham Workout was a bit of a joyride. It was like cruising with my windows open, radio blaring, enjoying the scenery, like I wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. I did want to open it up a bit and take off but I didn't. It was enjoyable - the workout - but wasn't overly taxing.

Afterward, I ran two miles on the treadmill. I just needed to get that pent-up energy out of my system. And I did.

The Beckham workout stats: my average heart rate was 133 and my max was 155. For my two-mile run, my average hr was 171 and my max was 186. Still, the first part of the workout did have an affect on the run as I was pretty fatigued, especially during the last half mile.

The workout is good because it incorporates intervals which I love. I'm all about the intervals and mixing up speeds and such, and that's what benefits soccer players. I notice myself when I play a cascarita, or pickup game. I usually can find an extra gear even after having played for more than an hour and I attribute intervals to that.

It makes perfect sense then that all five weeks of the Beckham Workout is about mixing intense workouts with rest periods. It's not just "Run 5 miles" and that's it. You run hard, rest, run hard, rest, do that over and over again and you build up your fitness.

I'm thinking of trying the Week 1, Day 2 on Friday (the mag recommends performing each challenge twice a week) so I'll let you know how that goes. I'm guessing it'll be another enjoyable ride.

The Becks Workout

Each month, I look forward with anticipation to the arrival of my Men's Health magazine. It wasn't until about a year ago that I actually had any interest in reading a publication like that but once I picked up a copy of Men's Health and saw all the great fitness tips, recipes and articles, I was hooked. I finally subscribed about four months ago, hence my monthly anticipation.

When I got the latest edition, I wasn't expecting to see an MLS player on the cover. I wasn't expecting it but I wasn't exactly surprised. Actually, one of my first thoughts was "What took them this long to get David Beckham on the cover?"

The magazine is an intersting one. It's got two covers and both sides of the magazine open up to completely different stories. On the one side, Beckham is dressed in a black tank top and looks like he's ready to hit the gym... once he sheds his jeans. On the other, he's looking dapper in an $1,100 suit. The fitness side has, well, fitness tips among other things while the dressy side has style tips.

[On an aside, if you scoff at such style tips for men, then don't do the same to the guys who dress like that and the lovely ladies at their side. But I digress...]

On one of the Beckham profiles (he gets two, after all who can combine fitness and fashion like Beckham?) there is an accompanying Beckham Workout. It's a five-week workout that instructs the reader to "perform your challenge twice a week at an intensity tailored to your maximum heart rate (MHR)."

That caught my attention. Some of the other workouts have been a bit too challenging for me to even attempt, such as Jason Statham's workout, which is just ridiculously grueling.

Beckham's is challenging but it's got a bonus. It's been modified for the average guy becuase, as the magazine says, "Beckham is one of the fittest men on earth."

So I figured, I like to work out and all, push myself to the limit and try new things so why not? I've got about two months left until the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, which I signed up for, so this could add some fun to my workout regiment.

Starting Wednesday, I'm going to try the first part of the five-week workout and I'll report my findings here.

Here's the workout, both the Becks one and the one for the Avgerage Guy, or Mine:
Becks: 5-minute run, 85 percent MHR, 4-minute rest, 3 sets
Mine: 5-minute run, 75 percent MHR, rest until MHR is at 60 percent, as many sets as I can do in 30 minutes.

Some notes: You calculate your MHR by subtracting your age from 220, so mine is 220 minus 33, I mean uh... 27, and I get, um 187 (it's fuzzy math). So 75 percent of my MHR is 140. Wow. That is actually a bit low. I ran for an hour on a treadmill last Friday and my average HR was 176. Hmmm... maybe I need to modify my usual workouts.

Or maybe I'll try the Becks workout.

Anyway, check back sometime Wednesday after I've tried the first of the first week of the Becks workout and I'll report my findings.

Becks says his bit on Ruud

David's take on Ruud leaving was a bit different than Landon's.

New Becks spot

So, who likes this commercial better than the Sharpie one?




The "Practice Pop-In" is a tactic that's been done before for adidas and DSG with different athletes. Reggie Bush (Becks' buddy from an earlier commercial the two did together) featured in one.

Beau and Becks

Beau takes the temperature of Beckham fever these days. It's not scorching, but it's warm.
Let's personalize the phenomenon for Sideline Views folk. How has Beckham joining MLS affected you? Not at all? Some? Explain.

Becks' Kicks

David Beckham will wear limited edition adidas gold Predator soccer cleats this Thursday at the MLS All-Star game in Toronto.
adidas only made 2,000 pair and they are available exclusively at Eurosport (www.soccer.com) for $200 each.

Subjective Readings

Everyone has an opinion about Becks, it seems. Even those who know little about MLS. It amused me that the BBC would take in the NY/LA game, watch Juan Pablo Angel's goal, Van Den Bergh's cracker, Buddle's dribble and chip assist and come away with the description of "second-division football".
Ah well. It's all subjective, right? Anyway, here's that one.
Grahame Jones has his own take on Becks.
Blah, blah, more Becks.
And again.


Yeah, yeah, Markgraf still expects to win gold, that's great. It's the shot of her in action with her face mask that I love, though.

I'm not sure I buy that cutting baseball and softball is anti-American. Those sports require a lot more equipment than soccer, and are rather expensive to set up. Except for a couple of countries, the world popularity doesn't come close to soccer.

Preview of the teams for women's soccer in the Olympics.

Billy and Becks

Billy Witz takes a look at the Becks phenomena a year after arrival.

I'd have to agree that the reception in New York probably won't be as wild as before.

But I'd have to add that at least some of that is due to New York Red Bull. At this time last year, the team had the most exciting young player in the U.S., Jozy Altidore, on their roster. They also had Juan Pablo Angel as the exciting DP that was burning up the league with goals.

This year, the team is struggling with injuries and struggling in the league. Even when the team has pulled out results, their big names have often been on the sidelines, or traded away in the case of Jozy.

I don't know if the rumors about the team bringing in Thierry Henry are substantial, but I do know it's too much to expect Beckham to whip up excitement about MLS all by himself.

Mr. Big Stuff

Sometimes I forget, actually. I mean, the local soccer reporters see Becks at practice and after games, at conferences and what not, so after a while, it's almost mundane.
So I forget, at least now and again, that he is a big deal.

Becks on the U.S. game

I remember the day David Beckham shot this interview. I was waiting to get quotes from Landon Donovan when Beckham came out into the hallway from the locker room. My first thought was that I liked the color of his sweater. Turns out it shows up well on TV as David looks back on his first year with MLS.

Becks at practice

It's about a year now since David Beckham first joined MLS. Today at practice, he took questions from reporters about the move and I caught a couple of his answers.