LESAProject

When many think of F.C. Barcelona,they think football. They think Lionel Messi.  However, there is one aspect of F.C. Barcelona that I feel deserves even more credit. F.C. Barcelona president Joan Laporta and his fellow board members are some the most altruistic public figures on planet Earth.  The Fundacio Barcelona has reached all corners of the world and has helped countless people.  The club has joined with the U.N. to promote its foundations, including UNICEF.  Barcelona supports these organizations through raising awareness about its existence and what they accomplish.  Barcelona encourages its supporters and fellow man to contribute in whichever way ...

Nick Lilja is an experienced columnist. He has written for The Daily Barometer, Touchdown Illustrated, The Forest Grove News-Times, as well as been featured on CBSsportsline.com, ESPN.com and countless other non-reputable sites that used his columns and likeness to make money.   While strapped to a keyboard, he continually excels at writing. Outside of writing, he balances his time between his job, and his job, and his other job. He took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about life in and out of the newspaper.   Nick Lilja: It's been awhile, how are things? How does it feel to ...

When I joined Bleacher Report over a year ago, things were a lot different. Lisa Horne was still writing, the Senior Writers were helping the young ones and weren't on a pedestal so high they needed a rope and harness to climb down. I wasn't banned by my school from clicking on links to stories that were on this site. But alas, this has all changed. This site, once known for its amazing sports articles and news that it puts out, now has a "Guilty Pleasures" section. Maybe it's always been there and I never noticed it. Maybe I just ignored it. But there ...

Oct. 13, 2009 from the Bleacher Report: Rush Limbaugh, the controversial conservative talk-radio host, recently confirmed his bid for partial ownership of the St. Louis Rams' NFL franchise.  This set off a firestorm of opposition from the likes of Rev. Al Sharpton, DeMaurice Smith, head of the NFL Players Association, sports writers, and some active players. Smith urged the Player's union to oppose the bid, writing, "Sport in America is at its best when it unifies, gives all of us reason to cheer, and when it transcends.  Our sport does exactly that when it overcomes division and rejects discrimination and hatred." New York Giant's player ...

In the wake of outrageously boorish behavior by high-profile individuals, I'm repeatedly stunned that so many apologists step forward. No matter what the transgression—even double-murder perpetrated with a butcher's knife—some courageous soul will hatch a conspiracy theory or end run that shifts the blame away from the guilty party. Forget the facts—there's really a gaggle of shrouded faces bent on destroying the falling idol. Either it's the so-called Establishment working to undermine a growing threat to its control or it's the Media mischaracterizing the story to paint a certain person a certain way or some other such nefarious fantasy. Jay Cutler's not really ...

Bastrop Bears 24, Westlake Chaparrals 21 (Oct. 9) Junior quarterback Josiah Monroe put up 335 total yards of offense in leading the undefeated Bastrop Bears to a 24-21 road win over Westlake.  Monroe threw for three scores, including a 66-yard pass to Josh Taylor late in the fourth quarter to give Bastrop the lead.  A last-minute attempt to tie the score for the Chaparrals fell short when cornerback Bernard Blake intercepted a pass from Westlake quarterback Tanner Price. With the win, Bastrop is in the words of the Austin American-Statesman, in the “25-5A driver’s seat."  The Bears are now 6-0 for the ...

The following is part of a weekly series called "Through the Eyes of..."  In each segment, I share interviews with or stories about those who I view to be the "Good Guys." The men and women who participate in and are the very fiber that make up the great game of baseball. "Through the Eyes of..." is a part of my personal crusade to present baseball in all its beauty, splendor, and goodness, instead of through hashing and rehashing all that is broken with our national treasure. TC There is hardly a soul who has ever picked up a leather glove and ...

As a female football fan, I feel the pressure to perform; every conversation at the office or in a sports bar, every comment or observation I make has to be right.  If I'm wrong, I'm a stereotype. Some stupid bimbo, trying to be "one of the guys" for some reason or another. Either that or a slightly more sympathetic generalization, "how cute, she tries to understand the game!" Or worst of all, I get dismissed before I open my mouth because I look "hot" in my jersey. Now I'm not a hardcore feminist. I don't feel the need to "fight the good ...

When I ran across Deion Sanders’ interview on the NFL Network this morning, I was gonna let it go. Notwithstanding my skepticism about officially clearing the air via an interview on your own network conducted by a sympathetic colleague, I was all set to ignore the spectacle. After listening and watching Neon for a while, it does seem like Deion Sanders achieves a lot of good for underprivileged kids in the Dallas area. Not only that, it seems the good deeds come from a place of sincerity. That’s very commendable, and if more professional athletes and celebrities used their wattage to help ...

Yesterday morning, I woke up, showered, put on some Sonics’ warm-up pants, a Nick Collison jersey and a Sonics’ shooting shirt and headed to my car.  On my way to the car, I was stopped by a garbage man who said, “You’re a die-hard Sonics fan aren’t you?”  I smiled and told him they were my all-time favorite team, and told him about Sonicsgate, and that he needed to check it out. As I was heading to work, I stopped at the gas station and got a spot of gas.  One guy honked, threw a hand in the air and yelled, “GO ...