Via Pete Beatty (@nocoastoffense)
My brain is pretty much in the same place as whoever was responsible for that little mistake there, so links it is! Luckily there’s some good stuff you may have missed. Continue reading
The uproar two weeks ago about whether or not an adult has to give away a baseball that enters the stands to a child had me thinking about collecting memorabilia.
We have a (wo)man room - man room sounds better, but honestly, most of the stuff in there is mine…
We don’t have anything that we spent a lot of money on – I think we paid for maybe one signature in the bunch – but we do like to display some of the various things we’ve picked up at games. Aside from stadium giveaways, we have a few banners with logos on them, since I’m a major uni-nerd and we’ve framed programs and ticket stubs from some of the cooler games we’ve attended.
So this got me wondering about whether sports fans inherently become collectors of “stuff” or memorabilia merely by being fans who attend many games. Seems like every sports fan I know has at least one thing that they’re proud to own and show off.
So what are the coolest pieces that we Ladies… own?
Follow the jump to find out
Continue reading
Happy first night of Hanukkah, everyone! Following our now annual tradition of recognizing some of our favorite hunks in the sports world that will be lighting the first candle along with me tonight, I can personally promise that this year will be quite exceptional. Night 1′s hottie after the jump!
I found a pic this week that I wanted to share and I was afraid we’d already featured this hottie – but alas, we’ve failed you and never given you a post full of USMNT player Carlos Bocanegra.
I love sports cross-overs. Nothing finer than a hottie showing his prowess at more than one sport. This pic is from the All-Star Game, so I’m sorry I’m a few weeks late in getting it to you.
Even Boca knows you should always be high-socked!
Carlos seems skeptical here, noting how long the Ladies… had ignored him, but I assure him is was merely an administrative oversight.
Follow the jump for more Boca love
What with the liveblogging early this week, and an unexpected trip out of town this weekend, I’ve barely had time to catch my breath. Here’s a couple of quick, fun pictures before I get up and resume packing.
Boris Struebel/Getty Images
The US Women are in the World Cup final, and Abby Wambach has another beautiful header goal. The Final is Sunday right when I’ll be heading back from my trip, but I’ll be with them in spirit.
I started playing soccer at age four because my eight year old brother was playing and I didn’t want to be left out. I played in college and in a women’s league after graduation. I’d still be playing if a second torn MCL didn’t make me realize that walking in the future was more important than playing soccer now.
In my 14 or so years of youth soccer, I played on one girls team. When I was young, there was no such thing as girls soccer. Occasionally I’d play against another girl on a boys team, but really, I was pretty much on an island by myself.
The 1999 Women’s World Cup was a watershed moment for girls soccer and girls sports in general. Never before could I have imagined that 90,000+ people would fill the Rose Bowl to watch the USA defeat China for the World Cup Trophy. It was the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s sporting event. Some reports say that the number of girls enrolled in soccer across the USA quadrupled after that game.
Watching the retrospective on the 1999 team on ESPN today literally left me teary.
And when Abby Wambach tied the game and when Ali Krieger scored the final penalty today, I was in tears again. My Twitter feed was full of people, friends, journalists and celebrities alike, most of whom aren’t soccer fans, rapt with attention with what happened in Germany! For a women’s quarterfinal game. The game I loved, played by girls like me, mattered.
Before the improbable ending, I felt like this game was shaping up to be the kind of game that non-soccer fans would point as to what is wrong with the game and why they’ll never be fans. There were fake injuries, whining players and poor refereeing. If it hadn’t turned out so well for the US, it would have been a disaster for FIFA.
Instead, this game showed everything you’d want a young girl to learn from a sporting event. The USA didn’t quit. They didn’t give up. They didn’t get pushy or lippy with the ref as Brazil and Marta did as the game went on. They were down a man and actually played better with 10 then they were with 11. They never believed they were out of this game, so we as fans didn’t either.
Maybe I don’t really have a point here, but as a life-long soccer player, I couldn’t let today’s game go by without a note. From minute one to minute 122, this game had me from the highest highs to the lowest lows. I was biting my nails, screaming at the ref and sharing it with 40 people at a soccer bar. Normally, I have to do that in my house, by myself.
When everyone from LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers to Ellen DeGeneres and Tom Hanks are tweeting about the game, you know the women have reached elite status.
Maybe it’s just because Americans love a good story – especially when international patriotism is involved. Maybe it’s because we’re heading into one of the slowest sports weeks of the year. Maybe it’s the fact that Hope Solo is gorgeous, tough and not afraid to speak her mind. Whatever the reason, people are paying attention – to soccer. Played by Americans. Who are Women.
And dirty-kneed six-year old Nicole couldn’t be happier.
Hope Solo shall have none of your silly goal scoring nonsense. (Photo: Getty Images)
We hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend! I’m still unpacking and cleaning up gear from the Great Island Campout of 2011, in which I did not end up on Princess Kate Watch and did not get to celebrate Brad Richards signing with the Maple Leafs.
And tonight? It’s warm! Summer warm! Finally! Also building heat is Team USA, who defeated Columbia 3-0 yesterday in Women’s World Cup action in Germany. The win clinches them a spot in the quarter finals. They face Sweden tomorrow at 2:45 ET.
Back to hockey for a minute… Continue reading
Okay, so I cheated a little. Let’s just say that Buffalita was partying a little too hard on the last night of Hanukkah and didn’t get the post up in time. But I promise you this – I made it WELL worth your wait. Big finale – I give you the amazingly gorgeous Benny Feilhaber – center/midfielder for Aarhus Gymnastikforening (AGF).
Kickette.com featured this first picture of Theo yesterday and I decided this cutie needed more exposure. Those of you not into footy are missing out on this adorable young’un. He plays for Arsenal and the English National Team and has some gorgeous eyes. He’s adorable in that friend’s younger brother sort of way. And he rocks some serious ear bling. I stand by my theory that if he’s rocking good jewelry, he must hook up his lady friend with all kinds of ice.
Happy Friday, Ladies…
Follow the jump for Theo in a suit and some gorgeous legs.
ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue is on stands soon but this picture of US goalkeeper Tim Howard was leaked early and it is glorious. He’s basically nekky, so he’s after the jump and probably not so safe for work. Enjoy!
I just discovered the beautimousness that is Dirk Bikkembergs’ underwear campaign in which he featured 11 footballers (soccer players)
Here’s a video that includes the lubrication of abs and golden underwear.
Follow the jump for some NSFW pictures!
The Tour de France knows not of your "off day," silly Americans.
Yesterday was the “Off Day” in the All-Star Break, or as it is sometimes called, The Day So Devoid of Major Sporting Events* that ESPN Invented an Awards Show Just to Have Something To Air. Because this year’s Off Day also fell just after the close of the World Cup, things feel particularly quiet this year. But that didn’t mean there was no athletic competition to enjoy …you just might have to leave the contiguous United States for some of it.
*Except the Tour de France , which ESPN doesn’t count since Versus has the rights and Lance isn’t going to win. That’s current leader Andy Schleck above. He’s from Luxembourg.
This week’s post is a bit more of a Hit and Run, but I figured with all of the hype around the All Star break, mayyyybe we should mention the fact that SPAIN WON THE WORLD CUP!!! Congrats to España, and also to Big Papi, who somehow managed to be pitted against Hanley Ramwhinerez and beat him in the final round of this year’s Home Run Derby 11-5.
Lo, the Golden Boot.
Standings of the Ladies… World Cup Pick ‘Em Challenge going into the weekend’s 3rd place and Final matches:
1. Games Mistress, 37 pts
2. Wildfor9, 33 pts
3. Missmaegen, 32 pts
4.yosempai, 30 pts
5. Maggie/thistlewarrior, tied at 29 pts
As there are only two points left on the board, I guess I can claim victory. (Still, don’t let that stop you from making your final two picks — there’s a lot of potential movement left in the standings. Your pride is at stake!) Special mention should also go to Wildfor9, who was the only person to correctly guess both semifinal results, as well as Missmaegen, who beat everyone in the round of 16 by predicting 7 of the 8 results.
While we’re on the subject of soccer, individual awards, and scoring, let’s take a moment to review the current standings for the Golden Boot — the award given to the highest individual scorer at each World Cup. These standings are also quite close; it’s entirely likely that any one of these next four gentlemen could carry away that gold-plated Adidas up there.
Enjoy your government-given day off of work and celebrate one of the many, many reasons it’s great to be an American!
Ok, ok, we’re way behind on this and some of these boys are no longer playing for the cup, but this is the group that is home to all those Spanish hotties, so I couldn’t let it go un-posted.
Below, behold the Swiss, Chilean, Honduran and Spanish men to make you drool.
OK, it was a crazy sports news day yesterday. There was that tennis match (which may still be going on as you read this), a huge trade by the new Stanley Cup champions, Bobby Valentine may be returning to the NL East, and um, oh right THAT.
But we here at Ladies are bound and determined to finish examining all the World Cup teams for hotties if it kills us. We are nothing if not devoted.
Group G awaits! Let’s start with Brazil.
Luis Fabiano
It's the Soccer Super Friends!!! (No? Just me? OK.)
Important Announcement for Pick ‘Em Challenge Participants: Group play concludes on Friday! That means you have between the close of Friday’s 2:30 pm matches (usually around 5 pm ET) and the start of the first second round match at 10 AM Saturday morning to make your pick for that game. (If you oversleep, don’t worry — you can still pick all the remaining knockout round matches until the time the match starts. You just won’t get points for that first game.) Continue reading
I know, we haven’t gotten to group H yet, but I’m a little pressed for time and there’s been lots going on in the sports world this week. (Also, I tend to get really distracted while doing the research for World Cup preview posts. I can’t imagine why.) So consider these reaction shots of yesterday’s shocking Swiss upset of Spain a preview of what’s coming soon:
Carlos Bonet of the Paraguayan team welcomes you to a slightly NSFW Group F
Follow the jump for Carlos’ teammate as well as the Italians, New Zealanders and Slovakians!
As in, Group E. Oh, yes. It’s time for another installment of ‘Seriously, there’s a reason folks the world over love the World Cup, and it ain’t all about the footwork.’
But before we start with the glorious, glorious eye candy, we just have to ask, since this is going live before the (unholy early) 7 AM EST Korea Republic v. Greece match: Does anyone feel like, you know, winning a World Cup match? Just saying. Ties are like kissing your sister. Or, well, brother, in our case.
Anyway, the hotness.
The Netherlands own Robin Van Persie.
World Cup 2010 has officially kicked off! Did you catch the opening draw between host country South Africa and Mexico? Did you enter our Ladies… World Cup throwdown? Are you tired of that “Wavin’ Flag” song yet?
Better late than never, here are your Group D hotties beginning with Team Germany Continue reading
This being a North American-centric blog, there’s going to be a lot of focus on this group. But let’s start with the two lesser-known rosters first.
No, wait: first go sign up for the Ladies… World Cup Pick’Em Challenge over here. (The password is “ladies”.) Now, let’s talk soccer hotties.
Slovenia has a nice collection of hotties, particularly if you’re into rangy white Europeans:
Boran Jokic
We start with the men of Argentina. Follow the jump for all the lovlies:
Diego Pozo
Just look at those smiling faces! Beautiful Carlos Bocanegra and some beautiful young soccer fans. (AP Photo)
There is more of us to love: we now have our own Facebook page. Just hit that “Like” button for additional access to our daily drooling, swooning, snark and overall awesomeosity. And because we dig our readers, you’re welcome to show us some love on our Wall or chime in on the Discussion Boards. It’s a bit bare at the moment, but you will find Games Mistress’s note on The Ladies…World Cup Pick ‘Em Challenge (the password, as always, is “ladies”) Trust us – we’ll fill it up with fun stuff quickly.
If FB is not your thing, remember you can still follow us on Twitter.
The World Cup starts on Friday, so it’s time to freshen up your memory of the wonderful, toned, grass-kicking hotties the soccer world has to offer, Starting with Group A.
Here’s a teaser, but follow the jump for much, much more!
The fine, fine men of France (with, by far, the hottest team in this bracket):
Djibril Cisse
The rosters have been set. The teams have played their friendlies before making the trek to South Africa. Heck, we’ve even made it through Eurovision. (Congratulations, Germany.)
A week from now? It’s finally time. The group stage of the World Cup kicks off, and even America cares about soccer for at least five minutes. Me? I’ll be eating, sleeping and breathing international soccer until the very last second runs down.
Yes, I love soccer, but there’s just something about International play (and the World Cup in particular) that elevates the game. It turns the already rabid soccer fanbase into a bunch of flag-and-bunting-bedecked lunatics. I challenge anyone who doesn’t like or understand soccer to start watching the World Cup from the beginning. Trust me, you’ll come out at the other end swearing at the Abruzzi for being a bunch of diving whiners or being amazed at just how fast Portugal can move (Damn you, Ronaldo. Damn you to hell.) or harboring a secret love for the Orange.
And you know what else is great about the World Cup? International Eye candy. Above? Spain’s Fernando Torres.
More hotness after the jump.
As we are getting closer to the day of days, the temperature is dropping, some of us are snowed in.. It’s time to heat things up around here! I present in his half-naked glory… Fredrik Ljungberg!!! Continue reading
I resisted for three whole weeks, but the weather is cold and this hottie totally warms my night. Ladies… it’s Fernando Torres to make your spirits bright:
Follow the jump for as many “new” Nando shots as I could find tonight! Continue reading
You knew that we couldn’t get too far into the ACoH without me starting to find some soccer hotties to send your way. You should all appreciate that I didn’t post more gratuitous Fernando Torres pictures. It was hard, but I spend long hours scouring to find you knew and adorable soccer players.
This is Curtis Davies who plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League.
Not only does Mr. Davies have a charming smile, but he’s rocking some Louis Vuitton luggage. If he buys that for himself, imagine what his woman would get to carry!
Thanks to Kickette for the pic!
