The Sports Nutt Blog

Beautiful.  It is the word eternally connected with the sport of football, especially the Brazilian style of the game.

The Jogo Bonito, or Beautiful Game, is what is always expected from the men in yellow, blue, and white. Lately, however, the grace has been fading. The game has become all about effectiveness, speed, and power.

Even Brazilian coach Dunga has turned his back on those great Brazilian teams of 1970, 1982, 1994, and 2002 by turning his squad into a counter-attacking, speed-oriented machine.  

But then there is Kaka. His game, like his appearance, is different from that of other great Brazilians who have come and gone.  His footwork is not as flashy, his attitude is more calm, and his lifestyle is not that of a famous superstar. All these reasons and some other are why Kaka, and only Kaka, can bring back the Jogo Bonito.

As the 2008 baseball postseason begins, I find myself once again wondering what surprises and curses October is ready to throw at all fans this year. This season seems different.  New things could happen and the baseball world could end up being shaken to its very core when it's all over.  It could end up being something baseball fans, especially ones from Chicago, will see once in their lifetimes.

What would be the perfect ending for baseball? The Devil Rays rising up from oblivion, where they have been since they were formed? The Cubs finally killing off that billy-goat and never having to be called "lovable losers" again? or the Red Sox repeating and becoming the new dynasty of the decade?

I've been watching Formula One since I can remember.  I am 22 years old and I can still remember May 1st, 1994.  I was eight years old and I don't think I have ever cried so hard in my life.  That was the day I never thought would come, the day my immortal hero was gone, the day Ayrton Senna left this world.

With Senna's death, the F1 world seem to have a black hole that couldn't be filled. Michael Schumacher burst into the scene that same year and took the next two championships, but then came an era of non-spectacular, non-charismatic champions like Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, and Mika Hakkinen.  Finally, in 2000, we saw Schumi back on top and in 2001 came a driver who looked like he could have some legendary battles with the German, Juan Pablo Montoya.

Although the Davis Cup is still almost three months away, Argentina is already facing a dilemma; where do you play the final?  The South Americans will host Spain in December, and could choose clay, grass, or hard courts.

So what surface should they choose? The answer might be surprising.

It is undeniable that Argentina has a very talented team with David Nalbandian, a perennial top ten, and Juan Martin del Potro, whom nobody could stop for large part of the summer.

They will probably complete their squad with Agustin Calleri and Jose Acasuso, who have made a solid doubles team.  Another undeniable fact is that Argentines are known to be at their best on clay, and their time to shine is usually during Roland Garros and the clay court season.

It has been speculated and talked about since Thierry Henry arrived at the Nou Camp, and now he has made it public; he is simply not happy in Barcelona and will leave if things don´t change.  Henry made the comments to French magazine L'equipe in an interview, where he left no doubt about his situation.  The only question is, why hasn't he left already?

Since his arrival, Henry has not been even a shadow of what he was with Arsenal.  True, he has had injuries and he's a bit older.  However, the overwhelming reason is he simply hasn't been given the chance of playing the center forward position he perfected with Arsene Wenger.  So how can you ask him to shine on the left side or outside the box where he never made noise?

With all the hype about the biggest football transaction of the year that never materialized, and United's Champion's League title, many people have put Lionel Messi on a second level and Cristiano Ronaldo on the throne by himself.

True, Ronaldo won both the European Cup and the Premier League title convincingly while Barcelona ended the year with only disappointment, but that doesn't change the fact that Messi is just a better player than Ronaldo.

In an era of men's tennis where we have gotten used to seeing the same name on top week after week, and changes are as rare as a Rafael Nadal loss on clay, the women's top spot is as volatile as Andy Roddick's game ever since Federer got in his head.  With the retirement of Justine Henin in May, the women's tour has seen four different number ones, and the longest stay at the spot of honor has been 9 weeks.  Why is this happening? Who is going to take over? answers are ahead.

Let's rewind five years.  Andy Roddick ends 2003 as the number one player in the world and loses the spot to Roger Federer on february 1st, enough said.  But if we take a closer look at 2003, from April to November, we see four different number ones, and absolutely no stability or domination in the men's game.  The reason? greatness only comes once in a while.  2003 was a transition year for the men after a two year monopoly by Leyton Hewitt, and a complete domination by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the 90's.