Sports Desk Podcast Episode 15

After taking the Christmas Holiday off, Greg and I return to talk a lot of NFL football. Who makes the NFC playoffs? Which coaches get fired? Calvin Johnson is awesome, but the Lions clearly are not.

Sports Desk 15

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 14

Bowlapalooza!

Sports Desk 14

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 13

The Heisman Trophy gets awarded Saturday, so the Notre Dame fan goes giddy for Manti Te'o. The Lions also blew another game, the winter meetings were rather boring, and the NHL continues to screw up.

Sports Desk 13

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 12

Notre Dame is in the BCS Title game, which is pretty cool, but more on that next week. For now, Greg and I argue about who belongs in the Hall of Fame because of steroids, talk some Tigers rumors, and lament about the Thanksgiving debacle between the Lions and Texans.

Sports Desk 12

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 11

Notre Dame is #1! What more needs to be said?

Sports Desk 11

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 10

The theme is insanity. The Marlins make an insane trade, the BCS is insane all the time, and the Lions are driving us insane.

Sports Desk 10

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 9

Greg says Notre Dame is for real! We also talk the rest of the BCS, the Tigers offseason, and Mike drops in to preview the NBA.

Sports Desk 9

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 8

A.J. stops by for more beer swilling NASCAR talk for some reason. After our position by position World Series breakdown, we decide to be nice and let A.J. stay for some baseball talk and make his picks.

Sports Desk 8

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 7

The Tigers are in the World Series! Enough said.

Sports Desk 7

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 6

I make fun of Greg for being a NASCAR fan. What more do you need to know? Oh, we also talked about the NHL, football, and baseball playoffs.

Sports Desk 6

The Sports Desk Baseball Playoff Preview

Greg and I supplement this week's show with a quick preview of the MLB Wild Card games and Divisional Series.

Sports Desk Baseball Playoff Preview

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 5

Greg is back and we celebrate the Tigers winning the AL Central and get mad about the Lions... among other things.

Sports Desk 5

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 4

Greg was AWOL last night so our NBA Expert Mike Thomas stopped by to take his place. We talked about the Monday Night Football replacement ref mess, more Tigers, Lions, and our picks.

Sports Desk 4

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 3

Greg and I talk about the silliness of the NHL lockout, who should be the AL MVP, scream about the replacement refs in the NFL, and, of course, make out week three picks.

Sports Desk 3

Sports Desk Podcast Episode 2

Greg stops by to yell about the Tigers, insult Notre Dame, and pray that the Lions win on Sunday. Click below to listen.

Sports Desk 2

Sports Desk Podcast: Episode 1

My good friend Greg drops by for us to talk some baseball, preview the NFL season, and make our week one picks on the very first Sports Desk Podcast.

Sports Desk Podcast: Episode 1

You're Still My Champ, Lance

Lance Armstrong was stripped of his record breaking and truly inspirational run of seven consecutive Tour de France victories by the fascists of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. This happened despite the fact that Lance has never failed a drug test, whether it by urine sample, drawn blood, or any other method of searching for cheaters. It happened because of an overly persistent and fool idealistic crusade by once agency to bring down a hero.

I am just here to say that, Mr. Armstrong, you won those seven championships whether the USADA says you did or not. You overcame life threatening cancer to win on of sports' most challenging competitions seven times. You are an inspiration for many people. Whether they are suffering from cancer, a cancer survivor, or simply another lump on a couch waiting for life to get started. You made me think that, if this guy can survive cancer and win seven major cycling races, what can I accomplish? 

I don't blame you for growing tired of what you call "an unconstitutional witch hunt." That crap can grow tiring after thirteen years worth of accusations.

The head of the USADA Gestapo, Travis Tygart, claims to have "overwhelming evidence" that proves Armstrong's guilt. Why won't he say what that is?  If he knows what will make us all believe that one of our greatest athletic heroes is a fraud why won't he spill the beans? Instead, he chooses to vilify himself and his organization under the guise of vigilante justice.

Despite overwhelming evidence against his cheating, you still claim he did. And you expect us to believe your claims? Show me the proof.

It's no secret that the cycling's performance enhancing drug cartel makes Major League Baseball's problems look like a high school pot dealer. Many, many riders, champions and schmucks alike, have tested positive for various types of PEDs. The sport clearly needs to be cleaned up. There are many very simple battles out there to win. But, Tygart continues to go after a high profile cyclist who has never tested positive for anything. They are armed with nothing but stories and accusations that may or may not have been forced out by the USADA itself.

Lance's statement really is the best way to describe how evil the USADA, and the WADA, can be. He claims that they break their own rules, ignores the pleas of a sport's governing body, and overall acts like the high and mighty judge in matters they really have no say in. It's no wonder that major American sports want nothing to do with these guys.

The fight is not over yet, the UCI (cycling's governing body) and the Tour de France still recognize Armstrong as the winner of those races. The USADA has to submit their case as to why they should wipe Armstrong's name from the record books. I presume that then all of Tygart's evidence will be made public and we can pass a little more informed judgement on the matter.

But, regardless, Lance Armstrong is a man who overcame impossible odds to accomplish one of the greatest feats in the history of sport. Reardless of what one annoying, self righteous bully says, you are still my champ, Lance.

How I Saw It: Everton-Manchester United

Manchester United was denied the title last season by some 11th hour heroics from intra-city rivals Mancehster City. They were hoping to start the season with a vengeance against Everton at Goodison Park. They have gotten plenty less than what they were hoping for. Everton took the match 1-0 with a clearly superior performance. It was Everton's fourth win against United at home in 21 matches.

In a truly exciting match, Everton's Marouane Felaini stole the show. The 6'4" Belgian was nothing short of dominant in the air for the Toffees. His height was way too much for United's battered defense, as he netted a header off a corner in the 57th minute. He was, by far, the man of the match.

Everton held the advantage for most of the match before the goal. They were twice robbed by the woodwork. Once when Felaini waltzed in on goal for a seemingly harmless chance. The other came early in the second half when Leon Osman drilled a shot off the cross bar, clearly beating the stunned David de Gea in Manchester's goal.

United was not without their own chances. After Everton opened the scoring, they were able to maintain possession and even come within inches of a goal themselves. Had it not been for an outstretched left foot of Phil Jagielka, the Red Devils would have managed to scrape a point out of this match.

Jagielka certainly deserves to be the secondary man of the match because of his strong defensive effort. In addition to his game saving left foot, he made a habit of being in the right place at the right time. Whether he was beating Wayne Rooney to a through ball or being steadfast on the goal line, Jagielka played a major role for Everton today.

Robin van Persie, fresh off a more than 30 million pound transfer from Arsenal, came on as a substitute as United tried to find a goal to level the game. He never played a large role in the outcome. It was more or less weird seeing him in a uniform other than Arsenal's. I don't doubt that last years golden boot winner will have an impact on Manchester United's season, but tonight he was rather unimpressive in his substitute's role.

In his defense, by the time he came on, Everton's defense was firmly parked with nine players behind the ball at all times. That gave him very little room to show off his wares.

The win is exactly the start Everton dreamed of. After a seventh place finish last year, Liverpool's other team has high hopes for a top six, if not better, finish after this year. This game was also a perfect finish to an exciting opening weekend of the Barclay's Premier League that saw the defending champions Manchester City have to fight for three points against newly promoted Southampton, Fulham net five goals without their star, and West Ham United announce their return to the top flight with a 1-0 win against Aston Villa.

The Penn State Scandal and Why the Death Penalty is Too Much

With no actualy sports being played, today has been a day dominated by the release of the Freeh Report, the government issued investigation on the Penn State scandal and supposed coverup. I have not, and probably will not, read the entire report, but I have enjoyed listening to radio host's and fans' reactions to the entire incident and how Penn State should be punished, if they should be punished, by the NCAA.

There have been people wanting as little as nothing and as much as 47 years of no football, equal to Jerry Sandusky's prison sentence. Those were merely outliers and most of the reaction was a little more sensible. The term that still came up more often than it should have was "death penalty."

The NCAA's version of the death penalty is completely banning a school from a sport for a given time period. This has only happened once. Southern Methodist University had their 1987 and 1988 football seasons cancelled when it was found that they had been generously paying their players for about a decade. The loss of those two seasons nearly destroyed the football program altogether and they never played in another bowl game until 2009.

This punishment may be exactly would the brass at Penn State deserve for failing to do their civic duty by turning Sandusky in 13 years ago, but how would that be fair to the current Penn State team, who had absolutely nothing to do with the crimes committed or the subsequent coverup? They would lose an entire football season or be forced to transfer to another school. Both could potentially derail any future in football for those players. Players who had no involvement in the scandal.

Then you have to think of the fans. Penn State has an extremely loyal fan base, over 100,000 of which pack Beaver Stadium every football Saturday. How is is fair to them to take away something they love for a scandal that they had no involvement in? College football fans are addicts to their teams, taking away their addiction cold turkey can really throw a cog in their autumn lifestyle.

Then there is the Big Ten to consider. How much money would the conference and each member school lose from not having Penn State for a couple years? Probably more than they want to admit. Again, there are eleven institutions that played no part in any of this.

So, clearly, the death penalty drags in a bunch of innocent souls, making that not an option. If the NCAA were to levy any penalty on Penn State, I suggest two things. The first would be a fairly standard NCAA punishment, the loss of available scholarships. This wouldn't affect the current roster. It would damage the program, but not beyond the point of repair.

The second would be stiff fines in the form of a donation to some kind of children's charity. And I am not talking some feel good few thousand dollar gratuity, but millions of dollars in tribute to the very group of people the university allowed to be hurt by their inaction. Football is a sport responsible for bringing in large sums of money to any college, so why not essentially disable the primary benefit of football without actually axing the entire program? The players get to keep playing, the fans get to keep watching, and the type of people who were most damaged by the entire scandal get a monetary benefit.

We also must not forget that Penn State, while clearly breaking all kinds of federal law, has not actually violated any NCAA regulations. Nobody will object to the NCAA stepping in and throwing their sanctions on, but we also have to remember that the long arm of federal law can still come down on the university and the individuals involved too. 

There is no doubt that Penn State has been the shame of college football lately and they surely deserve to take the blame and fall for everything they have done (or, rather, not done). The death penalty is too harsh on the current roster and the fans, but if you take a large chunk of Penn State's pocket book away, it might get the point across to other schools that this sort of thing is taken seriously and nobody is too important to be punished.

How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The All-Star Game

Every July, Major League Baseball likes to take it's best and/or most popular players, throw them on the same field, and play a baseball game. Much is always made about the selection process of the teams and the fact that an exhibition game counts for something very real. Surely, there is no shortage of these types of blog posts and collumns throughout the internet every year. No doubt, sportswriters and fans alike love to complain about anything, even a game that is supposed to be for fun.

The first thing that people love to take off and run with their complaints is how the fans select each team's starting lineups, and how these aren't always the best players in each league. Defeating this argument is pretty simple. The All-Star Game is an event for the fans, so why not allow the fans to pick who they want to see play? Sure, it turns into a popularity contest and half the team is filled with Yankees and Red Sox players, but those are the guys that the fans want to see. So put them on the field.

Besides, more often than not, the game isn't decided while the starters are in the game (last night's 8-0 laugher is really the exception). The game gets decided in the late innings, when it's either players that got in based on the merits of their season, or because they were the only player on their team worthy of being considered an all-star. The starters are long since gone, the popular players have been replaced for those more deserving to determine who has home field advantage in the World Series.

Now, of course I feel that it is silly to decide who has a slight advantage in the World Series based on the results of an exhibition game featuring many, many players who will never factor into who ends up winning, or even playing for, the title. It should be based on which team had the better record, or at least the alternating between the leagues thing that used to happen. But, how have I learned to accept this as truth and not let it bother me on a random Tuesday night in July?

Simple, I've come to accept Bud Selig and his awful and gimicky decision making process. Nothing he has done has truly improved the game for me, yet nothing he has done has caused me to turn a blind eye to baseball. The All-Star Game counting for something is simply another piece of Bud Selig's goofy narrative, which is entertaining enough for me.

I've given up on complaining about how out of touch Bud is with present day baseball. Every time he flaps his jaw about the state of the game, whether it's expaning the playoffs, instant replay, or the use of the DH in National League parks for interleague play, he is trying to improve baseball, but utterly failing at doing so. And I, personally, find it rather hilarious.

Nothing Bud says or does, short of something absurd like making baseball a full contact sport, can drive me away from the game. Negative popular opinion isn't going to force me to stop celebrating Opening Day like Easter, or the seven games of the World Series like Hanukkah's eight crazy nights. Watching the commish stumble over himself as he tries to market baseball to non-baseball people is simply a sideshow to what really means something to me, which is baseball.

Not to mention that I doubt that having home field advantage has ever truly decided a World Series. Last year might be the only year you can make that argument, but I still think St. Louis would have won the series had four games been played in Arlington. So why should I get all worked up about something I don't feel matters all that much?

So, every year I watch the All-Star Game because it is another baseball game, just one with the best and/or most popular players. I don't look at the big picture of what the game means, I don't care that only one player from my favored Red Sox made it on the American League roster or that my enemy Derek Jeter has been a fixture at shortstop for nearly two decades. It's a baseball game, you're going to watch it anyway if you love baseball as much as I do.

Euro 2012 Review: Spain Wins It All Again

Spain made history yesterday when they became the first nation to win consecutive European Championships, and the first nation to win three major tournaments in a row. This Spanish side is really something special, and later in the post I will examine where they rank among the greatest international runs of all time. First, let's take a look at my predictions from before the tournament.

Group A
Group A, the minor league group of death, was pretty much upside down from how I called it. I expected Russia and the Polish hosts to qualify for the quaters, but Poland failed to win a game and Russia flamed out in somewhat impressive fashion. The Czech Republic were the unexpected group winners, and Greece managed to get in. Both sides lost their quarterfinal matches, as expected.

Group B
I was in total shock when the Netherlands failed to even gain one point during the group stage. It really makes you wonder if their appearance in the World Cup Final two years ago was a fluke. Germany's success (and subsequent semi-final disapointment) was really no shocker. They are one of the best sides in the game, but continue to struggle as the pressure increases. Ronaldo did well to lead the Portuguese to the semis, but it was a questionable decision to have him anchor the penalty shootout, and thus never getting a chance to keep Portugal alive against Spain.

Group C
The undisputed best team in the world surprised nobody, but more on them later. This group finished exactly as I called it.

Group D
England and France stayed true to character by doing well enough to pass the group stage but flame out on the quaters. England even took it to the next level of consistency by losing in penalties when not one, but two, of their better penalty takers (Ashley Young and Ashley Cole) failed from the spot. While not as tragic as the Euro 1996 semi-final, this still ranks up there as another disappointment for English football.

Now, on to Spain. This team is really the cream of the crop in world football. Their "tiki-taka" passing style is fast paced and enjoyable to watch. They may not have the greatest player in the world, but they have a lot of great players who play well as a team.

For a team that was praised for their attacking ability, their defense is really something to behold as well. Despite losing star defender Carlos Puyol early in the tournament, they only conceded one goal. It was in their opener against Italy. This was a first for a European Champion.

Let's compare Spain to some of world football's greatest teams, shall we?

We begin with the little mentioned Hungarian teams of the 1950s. That 1953 team was the first ever to beat England at home, in front of 105,000 at Wembley no less. Although they never won a World Cup, they revolutionized the game in terms of tactical style much like today's Spain is doing. Although the Dutch teams of the 1970s take the credit, it was the Magnificent Magyars that laid the foundations of their Total Football scheme. The 1954 World Cup side took out several of the major powers at the time, including Uruguay and Brazil, before falling in exciting fashion to West Germany in the final.

Often mentioned as one of the best teams ever was the Brazil sides of the 1960s. Rarely has their been a collection of stars on one team. Surely a side with Pele, Carlos Alberto Torres, Jairzinho, Tostão, Gérson, and Rivelino would be considered the best ever and is probably Spain's toughest competition. From 1958-1970, Brazil won three of the four World Cup tournaments, a feat that has never been repeated.

Another revolutionary team that never won a World Cup was the Dutch teams of the 1970s. Feeding off Hungary's primitive Total Football style, the Dutch teams of the 1970s perfected it and made it their own. Their beautiful passing style and allowance for any position to play any role served as the foundations for the so called "tiki-taka" style of play that Spain, FC Barcelona, and, to a lesser extent, Arsenal employ today. They never won the World Cup, but they twice lost to the host in the World Cup Final, and won the 1976 European Championship.

It's no doubt that Spain's major tournament victories take them above the 1950s Hungary teams and the 1970s Dutch squads. I think they still have a bit to go to catch the legendary Brazillians. They have already accomplished something that no other country has done with three consecutive major tournament wins, but Brazil has the long term consistency that Spain simply hasn't had the time to catch yet. An impressive showing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will go a long way towards catching the great Pele and company. A championship in 2014 will not only make them better, but serve as a sort of poetic triumph over the one nation that could be considered better.

Euro 2012 Preview: Group D

In the last of my four posts on the Euro 2012 Group Stage, we have England, France, Ukraine, and Sweden in Group D. England and France have always been known for disappointment at the international stage, Ukraine has a home crowd to impress, and Sweden carries plenty of momentum into the finals.

We begin with grand old England. No nation's national team creates the headlines quite like England does. From the sacking of Fabio Capello over the winter, to the search for and eventual appointment of Roy Hodgson as boss for Euro, John Terry's loss of the captaincy, and all the way to Wayne Rooney's two game ban to open the tournament, English football has been sort of a soap opera of late.

Without Rooney, the burden to score falls mainly on his Manchester United teammate Ashley Young and his skill down the wing will be important to set up Andy Carrol. After the many follies with goalkeeping during the last World Cup, there should be a huge spotlight on goalkeeper Joe Hart. Youth could end up playing a role for the Three Lions, as young Arsenal starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain figures could see some time after starting against the French.

Speaking of the French, they have a lot to prove after being non-existent at the World Cup two years ago and in Euro 2008 before that. France is a nation with all the talent in the world, but literally nothing to show for it. They changed managers during qualifying for this year's European finals, and hope that can wend some of the dissent within the squad.

Their leading striker is Karim Benzema. The Real Madrid front man has improved greatly while playing for the Spanish champions. He is supported on the outside by Chelsea's Florent Malouda and the technically gifted Samir Nasri of Manchester City. Patrice Evra and Phillipe Mexes provide stability in back. France really has no excuse for not qualifying for the quarterfinals this year, what with their draw this year.

Ukraine faces a much more uphill battle than their Polish co-hosts. They got an opening round win against the Swedes, but still have to face the likes of England and France. They qualified for their first Euro solely because they were hosts. No way they make it without that virtue.

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk of Bayern Munich is the team's leader and standout player. Look for him to do the bulk of the work in the middle of the pitch. Former AC Milan legend Andriy Shevchenko, now with Dynamo Kiev, will receive Tymoshchuck's feeds in striker position. The experienced forward is Ukraine's biggest offensive threat. Overall, Poland's chances with the home crowd are better.

The Swedes were downed in stunning fashion in the opening game against Ukraine, which will likely be a major setback in any attempt at advancement. I would have picked them to finish third before the defeat. Sweden still have the potential to knock off England or France in a shocker.

Despite doing better in qualifying without him, AC Milan attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Sweden's top player. Kim Kallstrom will be the leader in the midfield, he has a larger responsibility in transition with Sweden abandoning the 4-4-2 formation. The loss to Ukraine really hurts Sweden's chances of advancement, but and upset of one of the big guys will still put them through.

This group, while still fairly predictable, holds the possibility for an upset. Ukraine's win sets up a couple crucial matches with England and France. The draw between the two large sides puts pressure on them to win out the group, if they can.

Predicted order of finish:
England
France
Sweden
Ukraine

Euro 2012 Preview: Group C

Groups C and D feature more predictable finishes than their A and B counterparts. While those groups left plenty of room for debate, it isn't too hard to pick out a pair of teams to advance from the other two divisions, even despite a couple team's reputations.

Group C features defending champions Spain, continental power Italy, and the lower likes of Croatia and Ireland.

Spain might have the second most powerful side in the tournament. Only Germany has more pure talent. When you have a player like Cesc Fabregas coming off the bench, you know your team must be good. Spain is no stranger to international success as of late. They hoisted the 2010 World Cup and won the last European Championship.

Spain have always played a very attractive style of football. They favor a quick passing game and have plenty of skill to dissect any defense. Barcelona's Andres Iniesta might be the most skilled of them all. Chelsea's Fernando Torres could play a big part in the squad's success. Not only has he been accused of racism and other attitude issues, but he fills the shoes of David Villa, who is still out after suffering a gruesome knee injury midway through the La Liga season.

The 2006 World Cup winners, Italy brings another strong side into the Euro and have a plenty favorable draw that should see them into the quarterfinals. They are not really title contenders, but they are more than capable of upsetting another team's hopes past the group stage.

They will rely heavily on the captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. He has the experience and talent to lead anyone along. He is one of the best keepers the world has right now, and he should make life difficult for opposing strikers. Mario Ballotelli, Manchester City's controversial and outgoing striker, is the main man up front. Italy's team is sort of in a state of flux. Success can doi well for their manager, Caesare Prandelli, but a disappointing early exit can lead to major changes to a once formidable side.

Croatia could be the team that creates havoc in the plan's of Italy or Spain. A win against Ireland in the opening game already puts the pressure on the favorites. While they aren't the same side that finished third in the 1998 World Cup, they could make for an interesting Group C wrecking ball.

They are lead by a couple of Premier League attacking players, beginning with Tottenham's Luka Modric. He aims to bring his success with London's third best team into the major international stage. Everton's Nikica Jelavic provides their main scoring threat. The biggest problem that the Croatians will face is the inability to score. While they netted three against Ireland, a high profile keeper like Buffon or Spain's stronger back line could keep them off the score sheet.

Finally, we have Ireland, one of the weaker sides of the tournament. Indeed, an escape from Group C would be nearly miraculous. This is their first appearance at the European Championship since 1988, where they failed to get out of the group stage.

Ireland will have to play very defensively in order to win. Goalkeeper Shay Given is their most experienced player, and he is good at what he does. Irish captain, and LA Galaxy standout, Robbie Keane brings a strong attacking presence as well as a name familiar to American soccer fans. He led the side with seven goals in qualifying.

I said Group C looked quite predictable, and I still believe that Italy and Spain will take care of the group. The interesting storyline will be if Croatia, coming off an opening win against Ireland, can poach some points from the favorites.

Predicted order of finish:
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Ireland

Euro 2012 Preview: Group B

Group B is, by far, Euro 2012's group of death. The four nations in this group all have the potential to win the whole thing should they escape this most difficult of opening challenges.

Germany, Denmark, Portugal, and the Netherlands all feature plenty of star power. Even a casual American soccer fan will recognize a handful of names on these four rosters.

If yesterday's Group A was a batch of sides looking to prove their worth, today's slate of matches features teams looking to maintain their status as Europe's near elite.

We begin with the much heralded Germans. Rarely has there been a side with as much rightly deserved praise that has failed to win a major tournament in recent years. Indeed, they have been bounced in back to back World Cup semi-finals and have not tasted European glory since 1996 in England.

A strong team with much to prove, Germany is led by a generous mix of youth and experience. Thomas Muller and Mesut Ozil are the prime young firepower while the experienced Bastian Schweinsteiger is the senior man in the midfield. And we certainly cannot dismiss new Arsenal signee Lukas Podolski up front. It's a shame that a player of Mario Gotze's caliber will have to settle on being a substitue on Europe's top ranked squad. If there is a weakness, it lies in Germany's back four. Something that figures to be a common theme in this group.

If there is a team to feel sorry for in thoa tournament it has to be Denmark. They are such a young, energetic side with plenty of upside, but they seem to have gotten hosed in terms of their draw.

The ever confident Nicklas Bendtner has enjoyed a great deal of international success, despite being limited throughout his club career. He figures to be Denmark's main scoring threat. Behind him and lost in the highlights of Gotze, and other young Central European stars, is Christian Eriksen, Denmark's prized youngster and Ajax star. Had the Danes drew into the weaker Group A, I would more than fancy their chances of cruising to the quarterfinals, however, this side might have to fight their way to even one win in this mammoth division.

When you think of Portuguese football, you think of the ever showy Cristiano Ronaldo. He is, indeed, the undisputed superstar of the team. He more than stood out during Real Madrid's La Liga winning season and now Portugal's hopes in Poland and Ukraine rest firmly on him.

Not that he will be working alone, mind you. Mamchester United youngster Nani has a lot to prove on the European stage. Ronaldo's Real Madrid teammates Pepe and Fabio Coentrao bring plenty of chemistry with the Portuguese superstar. While these supporting players will help, should something happen to their main man, Portugal will undoubtedly be sunk.

Finally, the World Cup runners up, the Netherlands. The Dutch would love nothing more than to carry over their success from South Africa into this year's European Championships. They face a difficult road to glory, however, as one mistake can be enough to keep them out of the quarters.

This should be a fun, high scoring group to watch. Every team boasts a wealth of attacking talent, leaving weak points in back. My prediction for the group phase is that Group B will have the most goals scored. While no clear front runners exist, I expect Germany to handle the field and move on with the Dutch clocking in as a close second. Not much has to go wrong for those two to see Portugal or Denmark sqieal into a second place finish and a spot in the quarterfinals, though.

Predicted order of finish:
Germany
Netherlands
Portugal
Denmark

EURO 2012 Preview: Group A

Group B (Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark) is the true group of death in this tournament, but Group A's Poland, Greece, Russia, and the Czech Republic can be called the same thing, only with much lower caliber teams. It's the only other group that, when you look at the competitors, you can't pick out two obvious qualifiers to the quarterfinals.

Greece was the only team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and they only won one match and failed to escape the group stage. The shocking winners of the 2004 tournament don't expect to see such a shocking showing, but I do fancy their chances of making the quarterfinals. They have shown a lot of fight against Poland so far in the opener, scoring with ten men, and drawing a penalty and red card on Polish keeper Wojciech Szcezeny.

Greek captain Giorgos Karagounis has played with some of Europe's highest profile clubs, and the 35 year old brings a wealth of experience to the Greek side.

Speaking of Poland, they started off strong in the opener, but have really collapsed in the second half in front of the home crowd. They have lost their star goalkeeper, Szcezeny, for the remainder of this one and for Tuesday's match against the Russians. While only qualifying by virtue of being co-hosts, they have the lowest FIFA ranking of the group and have never won a match at the EURO. Home support can go a long way, however, in getting Poland past the group stages and into the quarterfinals.

Striker Robert Lewandowski brigns much European league success after helping Borussia Dortmun win the Bundesliga in back-to-back seasons. Captain Jakub Blaszczykowski has also done well in the German domestic league.

The Russians probably have the strongest side of the group. Despite my dislike for their captain, Andrey Arshavin, he is still a skilled attacking midfielder outside of the Premier League. Igor Akinfeev is one of the world's best, and under appreciated, goalkeepers. The 2008 semi-finalists will be on the road for redemption following their failure to qualify for the World Cup in 2010.

Finally, the Czech Republic barely managed to qualify for the tournament. They had to get past Montenegro on a playoff to make it in. They are led by troubled managed Michal Bilek, who has been nothing short of vilified by the Czech faithful. Despite cries for his departure, he leads the Czechs into another EURO campaign. They were semi-finalists in 2004, but have fallen far from that.

Captain Tomas Rocisky enjoyed a breakout campaign at Arsenal this winter, and "The Little Mozart" hopes to carry that success over into the summer. Petr Cech made a name for himself at the Champions League Final by leading Chelsea to victory in penalties. Michael Kadlac provides a rare scoring threat on set pieces from the back four.

Overall, this group figures to be the most interesting of the four. Sure, Group B has all the firepower, but this one has a plethora of nations looking to prove themselves after past failures. I like the skill of Russia to win the group, and I figure Poland will use the home crowd support to squeak past the Greeks into the quarterfinals. The Czechs will be left out in the cold, unfortunately.

Predicted order of finish:
Russia
Poland
Greece
Czech Republic