Charlies Davies off United States 2010 FIFA World Cup roster

The United States national team announced its 30-man preliminary roster for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and striker Charlie Davies has been left off the list.

Davies has been recovering from a car accident suffered on October 13, 2009 after the end of the Confederation’s Cup.  Davies was arguably the United States’ best player in that competition.

It was not a surprise to many, because Davies had not yet been cleared to play for his club, Sochaux in France.

But it comes as a huge blow to the World Cup hopes of the United States.  Davies was phenomenal paired with Jozy Altidore, a striker for Hull City, last summer in the Confederation’s Cup.

Seawolves head to NCAA tournament to take on Denver

The Seawolves celebrate their America East title on Saturday. (Photo: Sam Kilb)

Stony Brook University’s #7/6 men’s lacrosse team will face #12/12 Denver in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, it was announced today.

The Seawolves (12-3) are in the national championship tournament after winning the America East championship tournament by defeating Albany on Saturday.  The team was also all but guaranteed a spot thanks to its high ranking.

Racing 101

This past weekend I had the opportunity to race at the New York State Collegiate Championship Regatta. The team traveled up to Whitney Point, NY on Friday and we spent the weekend competing against top teams from New York. The team did well as a whole, but the experience made me think of how different and unusual a rowing competition is in comparison to other sports.

First off there is the preparation in getting ready to compete. Not only the conditioning kind of preparation, but making sure the equipment is ready, weather conditions are decent, getting to the starting line on time, etc. We’ll get to the regatta hours before our event to rig boats, register, and warm up.

Gardner Stepping Up At The Right Time

Ever since he was called up to the big leagues for the first time in 2008, I’ve been waiting for Brett Gardner to turn into an everyday player. As much as everyone loves signing a big free agent, nothing beats when your homegrown talent turns into a name that’s recognized by fans everywhere. Gardner’s incredible speed and above average defensive play has made him an exciting player to watch, but through his first two years in the majors he had been used primarily in a backup role due to his poor offensive performance. He’s well under six feet and not a home run hitter and hadn’t been able to get his on base percentage high enough to show what he can do on the base paths.

NHL 1st Round Recap- Eastern Conference

I often get into arguments with people about which is a better playoff: The NHL or the NBA. Obviously, everyone is biased with which sport they prefer, and sadly, most people don’t enjoy hockey. But after watching numerous great 1st-round series in the NHL, it is hard to argue.

Stony Brook University Soccer Club takes trip to New York Red Bulls game

Red Bull Arena, home of MLS's Red Bull New York. (Photo: Sam Kilb)

The home team won, 2-1, on a late penalty by New York Red Bulls captain Juan Pablo Angel.

But no one in the group of 18, parked in section 102 right next to the loudest supporters in the ground, would have much cared if the score was opposite, though they cheered long and hard as Angel’s kick slammed into the back of the net.

For them, the Stony Brook University Soccer Club, the game was about the experience.

For some, like Seongkon Kang, a 20-year-old student, the game was their first ever professional soccer game.  Some couldn’t name a single Red Bulls player.

Others, like James Peterson, a 22-year-old junior at Stony Brook, already owned a Red Bulls jersey and had been following the team for years.

Everyone was there to celebrate making it through another week by wasting a Saturday on the world’s favorite sport: soccer.

Yankees Flying High At 9-3, But 4-0 Is More Impressive

We’re just two weeks removed from opening day with a lot of baseball left to play. At this point, records and standings mean very little. Still, any Yankee fan will be the first to point out that their 9-3 start is good enough to have them atop the American League East, and while they wouldn’t be wrong to do so they’d also be missing out on the most impressive stat to emerge so far from the young 2010 season. The Yankees have won played in four series this year and they have won all four.

Any baseball fan worth their weight in gold will tell you that, over the long haul, it’s not about what your longest win streak was (although they help), but about how many series you win that determines your place in the standings. So far this year the Yankees have played Boston, Anaheim, Tampa Bay, and Texas, four of the top teams in the American League, and they have taken at least 2 out of 3 from each of them, except Texas (the Yankees swept them). Now, it is only April and through the course of the season teams will develop and new contenders may emerge, but twelve games into the season the Yankees show no signs of a World Series hangover.

NHL Playoffs: No Rangers? No Islanders? Five reasons to pull for the Buffalo Sabres…

I know, I know, Rangers nation.  Your beloved Blueshirts will be sitting it out for the first time since 2004.  And Isles fans…well…you’re probably just hoping they stay in New York.

The good news is that there is a team for you to cheer for in the NHL playoffs this year: the Buffalo Sabres.  Sure, you may never cheer for them during the regular season, but the playoffs are no fun without a darling, are they?

So here they are, five reasons to pull for the Blue and Gold as they pursue Lord Stanley’s Cup:

5. The lovable losers/Cinderella story. Buffalo has never won a…well they’ve never really won anything.  The Bills were denied a few times in a row in the early 90′s.  Brett Hull and the Dallas Stars robbed the Sabres in the Finals in 1999 (his skate was clearly–CLEARLY–in the crease. See the very

What’s Next for the New York Rangers?

For the first time since the lockout, the NHL playoffs will not feature the New York Rangers. They failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. That however, may bring more good than bad.

A Shootout to Determine a Playoff Birth- Something has to Change

There is a laundry list of things wrong with the NHL, with the shootout near the top of the list.

I know I’ve written about the New York Rangers all semester long, and their elimination yesterday at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout yesterday afternoon has nothing to do with post. I’ve felt that the shootout is bad for the game since its inception in 2005. There is no reason for a game that focuses so much on team play and non-individual talent, to end in a skills competition.