From the Bleachers

Such wonderful news! has been handed the third highest contract in the NFL by the Philadelphia Eagles! Put down that stethoscope, history book, police man’s baton or accountancy ledger. This news needs, no, demands to be celebrated. Us commoners should be leaving our menial tasks, running into the streets, embracing, holding each other, basically basking in the heartening news that Vick will be earning $100 million over the next six years. Yes! He! Can! Call someone you love, tell them the news!

According to ESPN, who appear to be attempting to rewrite the Michael Vick story along the same terms as the North Korean Government publicity department reports on Kim Jong Il;

Legal problems? Are you fudging serious? This disgusting ingrate stood and watched as animals that he and his moronic, brainless friends bred, ripped each other to shreds, literally clawing and biting their bodies to pieces. Legal problems? Not paying a parking fine is a legal problem. Breeding, killing and gambling on animals getting killed is not a legal problem, it is sociopathic behavior.

Let’s get one thing sorted before we carry on, because there are undoubtedly countless Eagles, Vick and other fans ready to pounce on the comments section below without considering what this column is actually trying to say. This a random attack on the Eagles. This isn’t a written slate against Vick, who this column couldn’t care less about either way. It is in reaction to the completely unbelievable about face being shown currently by the US sporting media to the whole Vick affair.

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What a wonderful night for League of Ireland soccer, and Irish soccer in general. Not to mention those handful of hardy supporters who bravely ventured to the Balkans, and hopefully came back in one piece. In case you missed it, last night Irish club side Shamrock Rovers made history as a 2-1 Europa League win at Partizan Belgrade made them the first Irish side ever to reach the group stage of a European competition.

To put this incredible achievement in perspective, Shamrock Rovers squad was put together with €600,000. Manchester City spend that much on a team breakfast. That's basically three weeks of Gareth Barry's wages. The Rovers exploits last night were nothing short of heroic.

Sitting here taking it all in this morning, this column remembers such great results as Cork 1 Bayern 0 and Everton 0 UCD 0, however this goes far and away towards being the greatest result ever for an Irish club side. We welcome suggested corrections, but take a look at this absolute peach of a goal before you go charging into the comments section.

Here we are again, that time of year. Time to watch Rex Ryan inch closer to his almost inevitable heart attack, and for Ray Lewis to absolutely crush the all time record for , across the entire globe prices are dropping as companies and services react to this morbid global recession by, you know, giving us all a break. Not the NFL!

Last season the NFL charged an already exorbitant $239 for access to NFL Game Pass, an internet streaming service allowing you to watch any NFL game, as long as you were outside the United States. This season? After a spring break where the NFL edged close to not being played at all, the suits in the corner offices of the NFL upper echelons deemed it pertinent to charge Joe Punter NFL fan to watch their product this season.

As you pick your jaw from the floor, perhaps it is best to consider, we should not be shocked or dismayed by this greedy display from a sport whose players and owners recently threatened to cancel the entire season because they couldn't agree how to chop up their share of $9 billion dollars extra cash. Yes, as you tried to decide if you could afford the twelve inch Subway meatball marinara, or if you should frugally stick to the six inch, the millionaires boys club known as the NFL was arguing how to split $9 billion amongst themselves. And now they want to charge you close to $300 to watch their games on your computer. Whilst this column is not entirely sure what all the above means, in terms of life lessons, it is pretty sure this is all part of the forthcoming apocalypse, and also part and parcel of the Fundamentalist terrorist manual,

Robbie, Robbie, Robbie. What are you getting yourself into. So, as you may or may not know, legendary Irish striker has been sold by Tottenham to the LA Galaxy, who ply their trade within the heady heights of Major League Soccer. You won’t catch this column bashing MLS in any shape or form, we support their brave attempt to forge a living under the weight of the ‘Big three’ (NFL, MLB and NBA), and the LA Galaxy have every right to buy up as many thirty something players as they full well please. However, for Keane, it is nothing short of the first step towards retirement.

Put it this way, if Kevin Doyle and Shane Long aren’t the Irish strike force from here on out, we will know good old Gio Trappa has completely lost the plot. Certain players thrive as they head into their autumnal years. They do so by remaining committed to the conditioning aspect of their game, and playing amongst the best players in the world. With all due respect to the LA Galaxy, those afore mentioned best players in the world do not play in LA. Or anywhere else in the MLS.

Wakefield! Furbush! How can we not keep an in running diary? With the Sox keeping a short nose ahead of the Yankees, Red Sox stalwart and all round good guy Timmy Wakefield goes for his 200th win in a Red Sox uniform. Enough with the chit chat. Let's see what happens.

Previous 'In running diaries'.

Red Sox 0 Seattle 0

So, last time out, the hilariously named Furbush gave up the 7 runs. Furbush was pitching for Detroit earlier this season, at least now in Seattle he gets to start every week. Until those 7 run outings pile up, that is. Furbush starts the game with a ball inside. All things considered, what's the over/under for innings pitched for Mr Furry Bush today? 3.5? 4? I'm going under 4.

You know, one thing you can certainly not accuse good old A-Rod of is being boring. He is approaching that hallowed celebrity ground where literally any story you hear about him could be possible. ‘’A-Rod had a sex change? I guess that could happen!’’

So what now, A-Rod? It would appear the Bronx Bomber might be in more trouble than usual, even by his lofty standards.

Cue the latest, sensational, A-Rod related news headlines. Major League Baseball is telling all and sundry that they are taking allegations that A-Rod played in an illegal, underground, high stakes poker game, which subsequently turned violent when one of the big losers refused to pay up.