LESAProject

  ^^Blogging needs more of him. Read the full column here: http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2010/5/18/1476069/heard-the-footsteps-column-i At first this part of my column was going to be about DeSean Jackson's recent media attention and his upcoming contract negotiations/discussions. However, as I began to write about the subject, I realized a better story, hiding under the surface. It's something that is discussed almost as an aside on this and other sites. It's not seen as a plague so much as an annoying pest. That, to me, is the problem with the situation.   The story hiding under a lot of "stories" in professional sports is the lack of professionalism by those who ...

ESPN aired its weekly "30 for 30" documentary last night on the two Escobars of Colombia in the 90s. Colombia was in turmoil and its soccer team was what people looked forward to to distract them. It was a team built to win. They had all the talent and character necessary to take home the title. Pele called them his favorites to win the World Cup. In the end, they fell very short of meeting people's expectations. We now look at where some of the players from that 1994 team have gone.Begin Slideshow

Absolutely incredible. Great moments are set up by great drama, and you could not have asked for more with the U.S. national soccer team in Wednesday's FIFA World Cup game against Algeria. They had been robbed of a game winner against Slovenia. They had to win to get in. They had so many opportunities in the middle of the game that didn't happen. At the same time, they knew England was up on Slovenia, so there would be no advancing without a goal. That's what was in front of them. Then you add in the bigger picture of what it would mean ...

Do you ever wonder sometimes how you end up buying a certain product or watching a certain show? It's probably because of the advertising geniuses that come up with the ads to pick your brain and find out the best way to sell that product to you. And sometimes the best way to get you, the public, to buy the product is to get your favorite sports celebrity to sell it to you. Some of the ads were genius and a few fall flat, but they all had one thing in common: they got the public talking. Here's a list ...

(Spoiler alert: This review contains commentary on the entire film. While the film lacks the twists of a fictional movie, if you want to experience the film without knowledge of the events please do not read.) ESPN has raised the bar for sports documentaries with their 30 for 30 series. Rather than simply covering great athletes and well known sporting events, the series has detailed less popular stories or illuminated the story behind the biggest moments in sports over the past 30 years. Jeff and Michael Zimbalist's The Two Escobars may be the best 30 for 30 film ...

Pay-per-view used to be a special thing. I remember back in the early 90's when I was seven or eight years old and all I wanted to see was a WWF pay-per-view.  Back then, it was a privilege if you got a chance to witness one. Those were the days when the biggest televisions most families had were 27" and if you knew someone with a big screen that was over 40" then you were in heaven. The big screens weighed about 150 lbs. and consisted of huge wooden base about the size of a large credenza. Fortunately for me, I not only ...

It's been more than a year that I have been contributing to the Oakland Raiders' page. Some of the folks who were involved in the great debate about the needs of the team are nowhere to be seen or heard these days on the Oakland Raiders' page. Where have some of the lovers gone? Admittedly, we may have disagreed with some viewpoints, but surely some of the guys enjoy a good debate and did not quit. I just hope that some of these guys have gone on to taller heights in sports writing and that they just might come back and say hello to those of ...

WAGs are diamonds in the rough. The lottery of being a professional athlete is only trumped by the lottery victory of the WAG that goes along with the salary. Welcome to the world sport where the perk is the partner. Group A has certainly given us some drama this World Cup. The French hate their coach and one of the best French players is back in Paris. Meanwhile, the South African hosts are being gracious in that they are laying out the welcome mat and being walked over (let's hope they keep their girlfriends better than ...

Time to jump on the bandwagon, folks. Despite Atlanta being labeled a "transplant" city, full of sports fans from Boston, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, to the boroughs of Alabama and South Carolina, being a hometown fan couldn't come at a better time. I'm proud to say that my faithfulness to my hometown sports teams, as a resident of metro Atlanta, is paying off. I'm also proud to see fans show up for games, even if they are just a bunch of fair-weather fans. But to those who have emotionally connected to the woeful franchises of the past, now is your time to give ...

Even the casual track and field fan will remember the agonizing visual. Tyson Gay, only a few strides into his 200m quarterfinal heat, tumbled awkwardly to the track, grabbing his left hamstring. Grimacing in pain, he lay there for minutes under the watchful care of trainers and medics. Eventually, he was carted out of the facility on a stretcher. It was the 2008 Olympic Trials at Eugene's Hayward Field. And as surely as Gay's entourage disappeared behind Hayward's fences and shrubbery, the hopes of an American sprint double-gold in Beijing vanished. Days earlier, Gay had won the 100m final with a wind-assisted 9.68 and ...