It has been close to twenty years since Liverpool was last crowned the champions of English football. The wait has been a long and painful one for both club and supporters who have been brought up on a diet of success. But the club has been constantly at the top of the league this season and that has been encouraging talk of the dawn of a new, and trophy laden, era.

The Anfield club has not been able to avoid negative comments and the media waiting to pour cold water on their achievements. The latter has singled out the club’s poor home form for criticism, by reasoning that Liverpool will never become champions by playing badly at home.

With three consecutive home draws against minnows in English football, Liverpool have provided further ammunition to the critics and experts. Champions are expected to take care of business in their own backyard. But the Anfield club has been able to do anything but that, with draws against the likes of Fulham, Stoke City and Hull denting their title hopes.

The performances might not have brought them the best tally of points. But Liverpool are still sitting proudly at the top of the league without stellar results. If the team are to hit their best form in the coming months, leading the league and winning the title eventually might become easier than anticipated.

That would come as a comforting validation for Rafael Benitez. The Liverpool manager has stamped his own style and flavor on the club after moving from Valencia. With the old Liverpool bootroom dangerously close to becoming obsolete, Benitez brought in his continental know-how and transformed the club. Liverpool is now more in tune with modern times and that has become evident both within the club and on the pitch. With all this coming together, winning the title would be the final validation the Spaniard needs for his methods.

Liverpool have also made huge investments in their squad of players. They have spent large sums of money on top players from around the world, such as the Spanish international striker Fernando Torres, and Irish international Robbie Keane. These players have provided added dimension to the squad and could be the missing pieces in the title jigsaw.

On top of all this, the club has continued to retain the services of captain and prized asset, Steven Gerrard. The classy midfield has proven his worth to his club on countless occasions. But it is his indomitable spirit and never-say-die attitude that has started to rub off on his teammates, and results this season have proven this beyond a reasonable doubt.

When all these come together, Liverpool have got what they need to finally dominate English football like they used to in the 1970’s and 1980’s. A culture of success is continually being fostered, and now they only need consistent results. That could finally arrive this season when Liverpool ends twenty years of hurt with the intoxicating taste of title glory.

Taking the time to travel in the Upper Peninsula during the fall will be a sight you will want to repeat many times. With nine different suggested tours you will see an array of beauty you won’t soon forget. The first trip has you leaving Hancock and going to Lake Linden, then on to Lac La Velle, Bete Grise and Copper Harbor. From Copper Harbor to to Eagle River and then Calument and Laurium and back to the beginning at Hancock. This trip is 105 miles. The peak season for the tour runs from first week in October through the second week. This is referred to as the Eastern Upper Peninsula tour.

The Central Upper Peninsula tour goes from highway 107 to 64 at Silver City, on to Ontonagon, then hwy 45 to Rockland and Victoria where you backtrack to highway 26 and go to Greenland. You split at Greenland and take highway 38 to Baraga then hwy 41 to Chassel and Houghton where you take highway 26 to Twin Lakes and back to Greenland. This tour is 200 miles and covers Delta County where the peak will be around the second week in October, Monominee County where the peak will be the first or second week in October, Dickinson County with peak being the first week in October, Marquette County with the first week in October being peak and Alger County where peak will be the last week in September to the first week in October.

Now you can take the third tour which takes you on hwy 2 from Ironwood and Wakefield to Watersmeet, Iron River and Crystal Calls on the Western Upper Peninsula. Then take hwy 141 to Covington and then to highway 28 to Bruce Crossing and back to the beginning at Wakefield. Peak season for seeing this colorful route is the last week in September and the first week in October.

The 4th tour starts in Ishpeming on highway 29 and goes to highway 510 to Nagaunee and Big Bay, take highway 550 to Marquette and then 29 to Munising, on to highway H 58 to H 15 for a drive to Singleton and then highway 28 to highway 94 to Chatham, Gwinn and then on 35 to Palmer and back to Ishpeming. All toll this route is 165 miles long.

Tour 5 is a little shorter than the others. It begins at Iron Mountain and Norway on Hwy 2 to Spalding and change to hwy 41 to Menominee and then hwy 35 to Cedar River and Escanaba. For 125 miles you will see a wide array of beautiful trees with splendid coloring.

The sixth option is from Esdcanaba on hwy 2/41 to Rapid River then hwy 2 to Manistique and Saint Ignace. This is 183 but in a rather straight line.

Try tour 7 which starts at Whitefish Point and goes on to Paradise on hwy 123. Newberry is next on highway 28. Now go to Seney and take hwy 77 to grand Marais and H58 to Deer Park and back to highway 123 and Paradise. This route is 150 miles in length.

The 8th tour begins at Saint Ingace which is on hwy 75 and goes on to Kincheloe and Sault St. Marie. Then drop down to highway 129 and Pickford where you will take hwy 48 to Goetzville and De Tour Village getting on 134 to Cedarville and then back to Saint Ignace. 150 miles of foliage to enjoy.

The ninth tour opportunity is off hwy 28 where you go to highway 123 and enter Eckerman. Following 123 north you will go to Paradise and then back to the intersection where you turn east toward Curley Lewis Scenic Hwy and follow that to Bay Mills and Brimley. This is the shortest route suggested for the fall viewing of just 90 miles.

If you are hoping to get into sports betting and make a little money then you likely already know that you have better odds of winning here than you would in a casino. Casinos offer games of chance, while sports betting involves making judgment calls on a foreseeable outcome. Read on for some tips on coming out ahead.

9.Place Bets on the Right Sports Book
When you place your bets on the right sports book, you get an edge of 3% over some other books.

8.Bet Against the Public
There are those who will tell you that betting against the conventional wisdom and “fading the public” can be a winning strategy. Many bettors do so.

7.Do Your Homework Before the Game
The best way to win sports betting is to research all aspects of a game, especially circumstances and data that others would not consider. Not even bookies will have time to research every sport and every game. Therefore, if you can create a niche for yourself, you could become an expert on a smaller conferences and find yourself winning big money.

6.Choose the Underdog at Home
The underdog is statistically a good bet when they are playing a home game. Teams tend to put forth their best effort for the home crowd, so don’t count on the favorite on the underdog’s turf.

5.Bet at Just the Right Time
Bettors who opt for the underdog usually do so early; be different. Bet early on the favorite and late on the underdog. Going against the conventional wisdom can work well for you in sports betting.

4.Make Arbitrage Bets
When you make arbitrage bets, you are betting on a specific occurrence within the game and can make money regardless of the outcome.

3.Square or Sucker Lines - A lot of bettors try to avoid square lines (these are lines which are made in the attempt to sway the public to bet in a specific way). By keeping your eye on the percentages, you can make money off of these bets.

2.Never Gamble While Drinking
This should go without saying, but drinking can impair your judgment and makes you more likely to make rash decisions. Don’t drink and bet, please.

1.Manage your Gambling Money
Another common sense rule is this - never bet more than you can easily afford to lose. You should actually set aside a sort of “betting fund” and stay within this limit, no matter how much you win or lose. Try to spread your fund among several small bets rather than taking the risk of losing everything on one bet.

The SEC is good again. USC has a team with tons of talent. Ohio State looks strong but folds in big games. Some things stay pretty consistent each and every year in college football. Want another one to add to the list? How about that big upsets will happen, every single week, in college football. That means you can’t just bet on the favorites. Sometimes you have to bet on your instincts (and be prepared to be made fun of when they backfire completely!)

Most of us have our own way to bet on college football. One good thing to remember is that we should expect upsets to happen. Here are a few situations to keep in mind in regard to upsets when you make your picks.

If a team has just won a game important to them, they might be too happy, relaxed and confident to prepare properly for the next game.
If the opponent is from the conference and is unranked, they know the opponent very well even if they’re not a BCS Bull team.
If a team is playing a primetime game on national TV with all the attention on them and they’re not used to the stage, watch out. There are more situations to pay attention to, but these are good ones to start with.

In the 2008 season, upsets have already begun to happen. For example, Oregon State beat USC even though everybody thought USC was going to be in the BCS Championship game. In fact, everyone thought that playing Oregon State was going to be a letdown for USC. In fact, this was true. Florida was beaten by Mississippi because Mississippi made some big plays and had some luck. That said, though, anything is possible in the SEC. What do both of the games just discussed have in common? Both involved conference opponents who were unranked.

Sometimes it’s harder to predict unranked upsets. This is especially true if an unranked team doesn’t play in the Bull Subdivision. In fact, last season, Michigan was beaten by Appalachian State in the “Big House.” Bowl games, too, are protected from upsets. If anyone remembers the incredible game played between Oklahoma and Boise State, that’s one example. That totally debunks the theory that the big program will always win the big game.

Now that we have some Top 25 powers which are not traditionally seen there, there could be more BCS Bowl game upsets in store for this year. Boise State, Utah and BYU are all contenders and could really surprise a national audience by coming out on top if some of the traditional SEC leaders. Connecticut and Wake Forest aren’t really known for their football programs, but these teams have more than enough talent on board that there could easily be some bowl game upsets this year.

This is my point ? you need to be prepared for upsets. Keep an eye out for the common upset scenarios I described above and never operate on autopilot when placing your bets online. There are no 100% guarantees in life or in college football. Think carefully about the matchup and try to identify likely upsets before the game and you could bring in some serious cash by betting wisely.

Sport is a funny old drug. You keep coming back despite the knocks, knowing that one day, just one day, you’ll get that Cup final victory - you might be 50 by the time it happens, but you’ll be there, enjoying it more for the fact that you’ve been through 49 semi-final defeats and 490 heart-breaking moments. Here are my Top 5 so far…

5. Liverpool beat Everton in 1989: There was 1986, which was bad, but 1989 hurt more because we really should have beaten Liverpool that day. Ian Rush, who else, was the man who scored the goals that beat us, after Stuart McCall had provided all Evertonians with a moment to savour for the rest of our lives - that last minute equaliser compounded the heart-break by letting us feel that we really could have won this Cup Final. At 1-0, it would have hurt, but knowing that we were in the ascendancy, that made it worse. And from 1989 onwards, Everton got worse - and they’re only just recovering now. That was heartbreaking.

4. The Aussies come back in Adelaide: Oh dear God - how did this happen? Waking up and switching on the radio to hear what should have been the conclusion of a fantastic win in Adelaide, and we’ve thrown it all away. Collingwood and Pietersen had scored tons of runs, we had the Aussies on the deck, and what happens? We go and lose the game. Only England can do this, and it’s so much worse when you hear about it on a scratchy old radio at 6 in the morning. Awful, just awful.

3. Jimmy White throws it all away in 1994: The previous year, Jimmy White had led by 14-8 over Stephen Hendry, and managed to throw it away horribly. This time, with the scores tied at 17-17, he had a chance to seal it and blundered badly. Hendry got up and polished him off professionally, but watching Jimmy White sit there watching Stephen Hendry was heart-breaking. The Whirlwind would never win the world title, and never will - and 1994 was the final nail in that coffin.

2. Watching the demise of Michael Vaughan: Perhaps my favourite cricketer of the last decade, Michael Vaughan might be characterised as a somewhat arrogant chap, but nonetheless one of the finest cricketing minds and one of the finest batsmen England has ever produced. His run of form in Australia a couple of tours back was amazing. However, the protracted demise of Michael Vaughan started before this summer, culminating in one of the most disappointing series he’s ever played in. The eventual, tearful resignation was hard to watch for Vaughan fans, but inevitable after the run of poor scores. It was a long, drawn-out summer - wet, miserable, and punctuated only by the rather bright exclamation mark that is Kevin Pietersen.

1. 1990 and 1996 - it happened again. England, oh England. Why can you not take penalties? There are years (such as 1998) when you just think - ah for the love of God, let’s not bother - but in 1990 and 1996, both times against the Germans (who never ever ever miss), when you think that you might just have a chance. And in both matches we should have had them in extra time. If only Waddle’s shot were an inch lower. If only Gazza were an inch quicker. If only… If only we knew how to take penalties. So heartbreaking that I couldn’t speak for hours.

So there they are, my top 5 heartbreaking moments in Sport - but I’m sure you have yours - let me know!

If you play sports or other physical activities, then you know that injuries come with the territory. Depending on the type of injury and the extent of your injury, you may need physical therapy. Physical therapy is the process of rehabilitation and recovery from your injury or physical ailment. Physical therapy works on recovery of your musculoskeletal system. Massage therapy is used as part of the recovery process. Some of the more advanced therapy clinics are starting to use massage chair recliners as part of their arsenal of tools to help people recover from their injuries.

Physical therapy starts with an expert therapist. Much like a trainer, the physical therapist will design a program to increase the flexibility and strength of the injured areas. The therapist must understand your situation. They must know the procedures you went through if you had surgery. They also must know the physiology of your body and its related mechanics. Most of the programs require stretching and massage for flexibility and exercise for strength. They use specialized equipment in order to target specific areas or individual muscles. Massage chairs are particularly effective in loosening tight areas and enhancing blood circulation.

One of the first things you will do in physical therapy is to sit down with your therapist. You will go over in detail your physique and injury areas. The therapist understands surgeries and there affect on your muscle and skeletal systems. They will design a specific program with you. You will be put through a regimen of stretching. They will want you to gain more strength. You may need to do exercises or use specialized exercise equipment. They may rub down or massage certain areas of your injuries. They may have you receive massage therapy in a massage chair recliner. All these therapies are designed to help your recover fully.

Flexibility is critical to restore to the affected area. Our bodies respond to injuries by depending on the remaining systems to make the body function. This means the body isolates those affected areas from activity. The muscles become stiff when used minimally. The therapist will want to elongate the affected muscle groups. They may have to gently twist and turn certain joints and ligament to get the muscle to able to stretch further.

Exercises are important to help rebuild strength. When we have an injury, we tend to protect that area. Protecting that area is usually to isolate and immobilize it. In other words, we tend not to use the injured area. This helps to prevent further injury, but at the expense of strength and conditioning. To help rebuild the body, exercises help to build up strength, endurance and agility. Physical therapy clinics have a wide array of exercise equipment from treadmills, stationary bikes, weights and more. These help you focus building up a particular set of muscles.

When you are recovering from surgery most likely you will have new scar tissue. Scar tissue needs to be made more pliable through time. This will enhance the flexibility of the affected area. The mobility of the muscle and also the skin is at stake here. Massage therapy has been shown to increase the flexibility of muscles. Your muscles when injured may also have the muscle fibers break into short units. This reduces their flexibility. The muscles need to be more pliable by elongating the muscle fibers. Massage chairs use kneading and pressing massage techniques to relieve tight muscles and elongate the muscle fibers to restore their flexibility.

Whether you are a professional tennis player or a beginner skier, injuries can happen to anyone. If you do find yourself in physical therapy, work on setting goals to recover. Find yourself an excellent physical therapy clinic. Make sure they have qualified people, proper exercise equipment and massage therapy. And if you need massage therapy, make sure a massage chair is part of your recovery plans.

There’s a lot of money being splashed around the Premiership these days, and most of it on foreign players. In most cases, managers know who they are signing, but in the first fledgling years of the Premiership, it could have been anyone. Here’s my top 5 Premiership flops…

5. Bosko Balaban: What the heck happened here? He waltzes in for what at the time sounded like a massive transfer fee (I know 6m isn’t much any more), scores the grand sum of absolutely nothing and waltzes out. What a load of rubbish. Was John Gregory in charge at the time? Ahhhhhh, now that might explain something.

4. Tomas Brolin: What makes this story so sad is that Brolin came with a huge reputation, having never put a foot wrong. When he put a foot on English soil, however, everything started to go pear-shaped, including Brolin himself who ballooned in size. He cost Leeds 4.5m which in those days was a lot of money, and George Graham shipped him out after just 19 games. Crystal Palace gave him a crack but when Brolin was found upside down in a dustbin outside Burger King, even they got shot of him. That last bit may or may not be true.

3. Steve Marlet: Marlet was never really that bad - it was just the 11.5m price tag that turned a few heads and got people thinking “Hey - have Fulham really found a decent player here?” No they blood hadn’t! He was worth about 1.5m, but Al Fayed wasn’t thinking straight and mucked the cheque up. Marlet came, played a little, left little impression - and left.

2. Jean-Alain Boumsong: This must be a joke, yes? Jean-Alain Boumsong, so bad that he looks like his manager has made him sit in a swivel chair, rotated him 100 times and sent him out onto the pitch for a dare, signs for Juventus? After being rotten for Newcastle 92 minutes out of 90 every week? This is amazing.

1. Ali Dia. I just love to hear about Ali Dia - it’s the funniest football story ever, and made especially so because it happened to Graeme Souness - the worst manager ever. Ali Dia comes on for about two minutes before Souness realises he’s been had - this is not George Weah’s cousin, it’s some bloke from a caravan park! Brilliant.

Can you think of anyone worse than this lot? Give me a shout!

The least pricey football (season) ticket for any college or pro team is still somewhat expensive but for the sports fan it is worth it. No matter what the price, cheap football tickets offer the enthusiast some unique and ofttimes enjoyable football watching experiences.

Cheap football tickets usually describe the tickets which are obstructed, in the end zone or “way up there”. Each of these can offer exceptional value and a potentially satisfying football experience. But be sure to pick the type of ticket which suits your personality. Obstructed view seats are usually in the first three to five rows on either side of the stadium.

The disadvantage is one of the football teams will be standing along the sidelines in front of you. The advantage is you are real close to the field and the players normally move around so actually missed plays are very few and far between. And from these seats you can hear the action.

The “way up there” seats are customarily in the upper deck or third deck. The seats are usually more spread out than below giving the customer a more relaxed feeling. And there is nothing between you and the field except for a lot of atmosphere.

A good set of binoculars comes in handy here.

Expensive binoculars can be purchased through any national sports equipment chain and they have all kinds of sales. A regularly priced $99 set of binoculars can often be had for about twenty bucks. A good set of binoculars will put you in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. After you have had them a couple of games you will easily be able to follow all the action through the lenses.

The end zone cheap football tickets have become a prime ticket in many venues. A lot of college teams have “red zones” “x-zones” or whatever and in the professional ranks the “dog pound “and the “hogs” are legendary.

The end zone is a truly unique football adventure. The fans often times dress up. They seem to yell more and they appear to be having a lot of fun, no matter what is going on with the game on the field. Contests are often held here for the “most rabid fan and “most painted fan ” and so forth. And if you celebrate too much and miss the play, there is always the jumbo-tron replays.

All in all, cheap football tickets can provide the buyer with an affordable and depending on your individual temperament a rewarding football watching experience. Do not forget, the cheap football ticket can be a fun football ticket!

The NFL’s 2007 season ended with the New York Giants on top for their first Super Bowl victory since 1991, capping off a tremendously entertaining season that featured more twists and turns than a NASCAR race. When the 2008 pro football schedule was announced on April 15th, NFL fans around the country immediately began anticipating what could be one of the most exciting seasons in NFL history.

The Stories

Once the new season kicks off on Thursday, September 4th, numerous questions about a number of storylines will be asked, such as:

- Can the New York Giants recapture the spirit from their miracle season and join the New England Patriots as the second team to repeat as Super Bowl champs this decade?
- Will the New England Patriots make another run at an undefeated season?
- Can the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning bounce back and win the AFC?
- Will Tony Romo mature into the next great NFL quarterback and take the Dallas Cowboys back to the glory days of the 1990s?
- Can Brett Favre rejuvenate the once proud New York Jets franchise?

The Games

Although loyal fans have already made plans for where they’ll be for each of their favorite team’s sixteen games, hardcore and casual fans alike should circle their calendars for these marquee matchups from the upcoming pro football schedule:

- New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins, September 7th: Brett Favre’s Jets debut. Favre will be pumped up to prove to the Green Bay Packers that he still has an MVP year left in him.
- Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs, September 14th: Neither team is expected to challenge the Chargers in the AFC West, but when these two bitter rivals play each other, records are tossed aside.
- New England Patriots vs. San Diego Chargers, October 12th: This battle features two NFL powerhouses that could be a preview of January’s AFC championship game. Tom Brady and Randy Moss versus LaDainian Tomlinson.
- San Diego Chargers vs. New Orleans Saints, October 26th: The NFL goes to Wembley Stadium in London, where the United Kingdom will get a first-hand look at emerging star, Reggie Bush.
- Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants, November 2nd: The 2008 Super Bowl winner takes on one of the leading contenders for the 2009 title in an NFC East battle. The big question: will Jessica Simpson be there, too?
- Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, December 28th: This Week 17 game could decide the AFC North and have major playoff implications.

These must-see games and many others will showcase some of the most exciting football the NFL has to offer. And once the season ends with the crowning of the Super Bowl champion on February 1st, 2009, NFL fans will begin looking toward the announcement of the next pro football schedule.

The gulf between rich and poor clubs has never been greater. The amount of money circulating in the game has never been greater. The amount of players instantly becoming multi millionaires and buying fast cars and large mansions have never been greater. However, more sadly, the amount of clubs, especially ones with a lot of prestige and history behind them, going under have never been greater.

The main cost that has increased in the last 2 decades is players’ wages. Football players frequently occupy the top places when it comes to the richest sportsmen in the world. The facts are staggering. According to a recent article, the average footballer’s wages in the UK have increased 65% since 2000.

Such large increases in wages put smaller, less rich clubs at a serious disadvantage in terms of challenging for titles and championships. As a result, many of these clubs have been forced to take financial gambles to be able to attract good enough players to remain competitive. This has backfired for some clubs such as Leeds United who in the space of 5 years went from being in the Champions League semi final to the English third division.

Nevertheless, I still encourage FIFA and other political bodies to consider the use of the salary cap worldwide. I would rather see talent moving to different leagues rather than see clubs fall and disappear forever.