Odds and Sods

Arsenal beat Bolton 3-2 at the Reebok, keeping mathematical title hopes alive. The Gunners, with 10 men on the pitch, scored three goals to reverse a 2-0 deficit. Diaby deserved his red card for raised studs. Poor fortune averaged itself through an unmarked corner, a penalty and a deflection.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in the world right now. He scored one, set up three and could have had two more as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4-0 to retain a five point clearance. Rooney should have had four goals, only managed a brace. Had Maloney made use of his attempts, it could have been closer, but Villa got played off the pitch.

Newcastle are charging toward the top half, with a 4-1 defeat of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Both teams forsook caution with 4-3-3 formations, but it was Newcastle that capitalized on their chances. Obafemi Martins looked light and rejuvenated.

It was another muck of Merseyside Derby, as a fortunate Torres gift gave Liverpool the 1-0 victory over Everton. The Champions League six pointer pushed Liverpool ahead by five points.

No tan from standing

in the English rain, many

bald spots exposed though

According to the News of the World, Max Mosley, 67, president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has been videotaped having a sado-masochistic Nazi-themed orgy with prostitutes.

The News of the World posted snippets of the reported five-hour orgy online.  Mosley allegedly reenacted concentration camp scenes, submitting himself to a humiliating lice examination and beating the women with a whip while speaking German.  He treated the girls with 2,500 GBP and a glass of wine for their trouble.

Mosley is the son of Oswald Mosley, founder of the Blackshirts, a British Fascist movement prior to World War II.  Oswald invited Adolf Hitler to his wedding.

Despite calls to resign from Jewish groups and most sane human beings, Mosley has pledged to keep his post.

Prospective new owner John Batchelor plans to change the name of Mansfield Town to “Harchester United”– the name of the fictitious club in the British television series Dream Team – as part of a plan to attract publicity.

The change, not unexpectedly, has been unpopular among Mansfield Denizens.  Mansfield mayor and non-executive chairman Tony Egginton was dismissive.  “To think about changing the name of the club is absolutely bizarre to say the least,” he told the Telegraph.  “I think it is a PR stunt for Mr. Batchelor.”

Batchelor was the brainchild behind the plan to rename York City “York City Soccer Club” to attract American investment.  He subsequently ran the club into administration.

He had the following response to criticism in the local Mansfield Paper. “I don’t mind if the fans don’t like it or call me mad. I have been called worse and I am not in this to be popular to everyone - I tried that at York and it did not work.”

In a related move, Odds and Sods will be refashioning itself as “Future ESPN Scribe Blog” to get the World-Wide Leader interested in my services.

Sophomore sensation Stephen Curry, son of former NBA player Dell Curry, led #10 seed Davidson to within a basket of the Final Four, with the underdogs going out to #1 seed Kansas on Sunday 59-57.

Curry, largely unrecruited out of high school because of his size, scored 30 or more points in each of the first four games of the tournament. In the fifth, he poured in a paltry 25. He will almost certainly be named the most outstanding player of the tournament.

The only thing more shocking? He’s going back to school. Curry announced after the game that he would return to school for his junior season.

Traditionalists will applaud this reasoned move, so rare among young black men in this day and age etc. etc.

However, if he does not jump to the NBA immediately it would not be stupid – it would be phenomenally stupid.

Curry’s draft stock will never be as high as it is this moment. He single-handedly dominated the NCAA Tournament. He made fools of the finest players in the land. He would be drafted in the middle of the first round.

That would undoubtedly give him a guaranteed contract and a place on an NBA roster for a minimum of 3-4 seasons. Even the most modest of that money would endow him with enough to live comfortably without working a day the rest of his life.

A college degree is nice. But it’s not multi-millions in the bank nice.

Staying in school another year can only hurt him. It gives draft “gurus” like Chad Ford another year to dissect his wingspan and anatomize his motor. They can only find flaws.

Not to mention the possibility of an inopportune knee injury.

Stephen Curry has hit his collegiate peak. If he leaves Davidson now, he leaves a God. His degree will be waiting for him upon his return.

Staying in school would be a colossal mistake.