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With the first pick in top events for the week ending June 24, the people of America select Greg Oden, I mean Wicked - the spellbinding Broadway musical about the story of the witches from Oz.

With the second pick in top events for the week ending June 24, ticket buyers around the nation select… Kevin Durant, er the Boston Red Sox - the American League East leaders.

With the third pick in top events for the week ending June 24, concert fanatics from coast to coast select Al Horford, sorry, The Police - the legendary three-piece band from Britain. Read more

Almost half way through the baseball season and there a few things to point out before the All Star game in San Francisco, July 10. In the American League, Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox are looking very solid maintaining a big lead from the Yankees. Just last week, the Yanks made a push, winning nine straight games and bringing down Boston’s lead to 8. They then struggled in the series against Colorado and San Francisco, and once again trail the Sox by over 10 games.The addition of Clemens hasn’t been much of a factor. His bad starts in the minors are carrying over. He’s 1-2 with an ERA of over 5. NY is hoping that he can come back to the form he showed us all last year.

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In a way Costa Rica self-destructed during its 1-0 loss to Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals at Reliant Stadium in Houston last Sunday.

The Ticos fell into a referee’s trap.

A good coach would have pulled his players aside and said, “Ok guys, we know this ref is trying to screw us. He wants you to overreact and lose your composure. Don’t buy into it. Scoreboard is still 0-0. Just play the game. We’re not playing great, but we are performing well enough to beat Mexico, even with this guy’s blatant bias against us.”

Out-manned much of the game due to player ejections, Costa Rica held its own until the extra period against Mexico. At full-strength, the Ticos pull out the win in spite of the questionable calls. Yes, this is conjecture, but as deplorable as Mexico played, it’s not unreasonable.

I’m not going to pose through prose as a soccer pundit because I’m not. I grew up thinking kickball was soccer, but I’ve watched enough sports to know that great teams guided by a good coach know how to win under dire circumstances. Dire circumstances equates to struggling offensively, alleged referee favoritism, and 70,000 crazy Mexicans screaming against you.

You can ‘t blame everything on the “American ref.” As a player and coach, you must look in the proverbial mirror and ask yourself, “How can I better control my own destiny in the midst of circumstances that are out of my control?” This lesson applies to life in general.

Overall, CR played better or at least not as bad as Mexico. The abbreviated squad just ran out of gas. If the players ejected practiced a little self-control, then I believe, we’re not having this discussion, the win is even sweeter for CR because of what it had to overcome, and everything is “Pura Vida.”

A CONCACAF Conspiracy?

I don’t know how widespread and legitimate the accusation is that CONCACAF plots a US-Mexico championship to fill stadiums, or if it’s just another lousy excuse. If the teams are so concerned, maybe they should boycott the next event. Then we’ll see how much plata Mexico and the U.S. could reel in on their own.

For all you CONCACAF naysayers. How did freakin Guadaloupe end up in the semis? Wasn’t Honduras supposed to be there? I would bet the Honduran fan base is larger than that of Guadaloupe, and wouldn’t a Honduras–Mexico match-up make better financial sense? Please tell me if this is an overstatement and if Los Chicanos would fill the stadium anyway, regardless of the opponent.

For all you US haters. You know and I know who you are. I think the US is playing well enough to deserve a spot in the semis, even if “United States vs. Mexico” was printed on the CONCACAF finals tickets three weeks before the event started. Wink. Wink.

Watching my beloved Costa Rica team losing to rival Mexico was sad and at the same time left a bad taste in my mouth. Not that I expected Costa Rica to win it all, but I was hoping for a good showing, which never happened. They stunk in every single game they played, even in that Guadaloupe win.

Same old story - we can’t make it past US or Mexico; no excuses. I’m used to it by now, and realistically, with our mentality and the shady governing of the National Soccer Federation, I don’t see our soccer moving at a level above the two North American teams.

As far as Mexico, they haven’t played any better than Costa Rica either. They are probably the biggest disappointment of the tournament. With soccer great Hugo Sanchez in charge, and a number of players with vast European soccer experience, it was a given that Mexico was going to run over rivals without a sweat…wrong!

There isn’t any chemistry among the players. Individually, the players look good on paper, but they haven’t showed it as a team on the field ever since Sanchez took charge. Going back to the game, it was a mediocre game. Costa Rica trying to counterattack Mexico whenever possible with more emphasis on maintaining a defensive wall to try to suffocate Mexico.

Desperation was shown in the Mexican players as minutes went by, and as the game went on, Costa Rica found several scoring chances. Early on, Costa Rica did a good job keeping Mexico from creating scoring opportunities, while causing trouble on Mexico’s right side of their defense. Allan Aleman, Costa Rica’s mighty mouse, was the one player being aggressive and giving a headache to Mexico’s defense.

The defining moment of the game, I believe, was Aleman’s unfair ejection in the first half. The American referee was clearly not a good choice to handle a game of this nature. From the beginning he seemed shook and not ready for such responsibility. A man down and without their most active offensive player, Costa Rica became more defensive and scoring chances were limited. Mexico, at the same time, was a little more aggressive, but they were not efficient in anything they tried to do.

A couple of clear chances in the second half but without any concrete results. Once again, the ref became a major player when he hastily gave Costa Rican forward Saborio a red card for “head butting” a Mexican defender. Replay clearly shows that the Mexican defender Rodriguez stood up and came to confront Saborio who said something to him. Saborio made a slight head butt move, without even touching Rodriguez, but once again, the ref makes a terrible decision and sends off Saborio. Costa Rica is now decimated and unable to compete with two men down. The game was very physical from the beginning, and at this point it became even uglier.

Soccer was definitely not played in this game. I think most people can agree with me that this was the worst game of the Gold Cup so far. For two such experienced teams who have been in the past two World Cups, they owed the fans and the sport a much better showing. And to top things off, the referee was the worst we’ve seen in years. I mean, he should not be allowed to handle international matches. And don’t say this because of the 3 red cards (2 unfairly) handed to Costa Rica.

I’m talking about overall performance, he couldn’t even run the field so that he wouldn’t interfere with the action. A couple of times we saw him in the way of Mexican players trying to make a play. He seemed confused throughout the game. He even came to the bench ref to double check to see if a player had already a yellow card. I mean, this is something he should keep track of. Come on!

Towards the end of the game he handed one of the Costa Rican players a yellow card after a good foul, but then turned around and showed the player a red card. The player was in disbelief, and the whole Costa Rican team started to complain. The ref thought the player already had a yellow card and came back to the bench referee to check again. After further examination, the verdict was that he did not have a yellow card, so the ref took back the red card given.

I think it’s safe to say that this ref is done with the Gold Cup, and we will not be seeing him in the near future. Costa Rica finished the game with 8 players and could no longer sustain Mexico, which ended up winning the game in extra time with a header by Javier Borgetti.

The semifinals are being played this Thursday. Mexico takes on Guadaloupe. US against Canada.
Let’s just hope the overall performance of everyone involved in this tournament improves. The fans and the sport deserve it!

Is anybody following the Barry Bonds home run record chase? This guy has no shame at all, at least Mark McGwire  
quit the game after breaking the record (but a cheater nonetheless).

Bonds kept it going long enough to chase down a legend, Hank Aaron. It just makes me laugh and sad at the same time whenever I see Bonds in a TV interview and see how easily he talks and deflects any steroid use question. He’s proven to be in contact with a every major steroid provider and trainer around the Bay Area.

His body ballooned after leaving the Pirates, and how does he explain it?….Eating better, working out more, conditioning, blah blah blah! And then finally, he admitted to using steroids. And what baffles me is that a lot of people do not care about the allegations nor the impact that steroids have. Some people don’t see it for what it’s worth. He’s kept this position for years now.

This guy’s something. You can see the guilt in his face. Perhaps this is why he never got along with the media from the beginning. He’s the type of person who does things under the table and automatically acts defensively from outside his very small circle of trust.

Before the season started, the Giants organization was debating whether they wanted to be a part of this questionable record chase or just run away from it. I guess it was just a stunt to makes us all think they were trying to do the right thing. With money in the way, everything is possible, and with all the revenue that Bonds and his chase will bring to the franchise, this was a decision they could not let go by. They signed Bonds, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they traded Bonds after he breaks the record.

Hank Aaron has explicitly said he wants no part of this history. I hope baseball makes the right decision in handling this matter. You just cannot celebrate a cheater, and if you do, you’re disrespecting the players that came before him and most importantly the sport.

San Francisco will be the home of the All Star game come July 10, and we’re preparing here at Tickets of America. Will Bonds be chosen to play in this game? As of right now, he’s fourth in voting among outfielders. My guess is that he’ll be there, especially since it’s taking place in his team’s ball park. You can find out live by purchasing tickets or one of our All-Star Game Hospitality Packages. Don’t be left out; be part of history!

Now that the NBA season is over, what are my plans for the next 5 and 1/2 months?

- Watch the rest of the Gold Cup. I’ve become a casual fan of soccer, especially of CONCACAF competition. Once upon a time, I had no interest in the world’s most popular sport, none whatsoever. It has been a long, gradual process. Go USA!!! Get your soccer tickets here.

- Look forward to the NBA Draft, June 28. The Seattle Sonics, my favorite team, will be SUPER again with the No. 2 pick. If we draft Greg Oden, we should keep Rashard. If we draft Durant, we should sign and trade Rashard for Clippers forward Elton Brand. Portland will draft Oden and Clippers won’t deal Brand so “I’ll settle for” Durant and Rashard. We should be a fun team to watch. Sonics hired hotshot executive Sam Presti as its new GM. Presti was the assistant GM of the San Antonio Spurs. We still need a coach, but I like our direction. Sonics tickets are selling like Red Sox tickets, and hopefully all of this excitement will translate to a new state-of-the-art arena and the team staying where it belongs - the great city of Seattle.

- See how the Houston Rockets, my hometown team, continues to reinvent itself. I think the coaching change will make them more versatile on offense. In this league you have to be able to run the floor and set up in the half court. Look at the Spurs. We just traded for Mike James, who returns to Houston after two seasons. He fits in well with the new free-flowing system. He is a slasher and can be a reliable three-point shooter.

- Get ready for football season. The Cowboys come in with a new coach, new offense, new defense and hopefully a new Tony Romo. As you know, last season, Romo became a Media sweetheart overnight. All the premature attention plus his love interest with American Idol’s Carrie Underwood distracted him and hurt the team. He botched a potential game winning play for Dallas against the Seahawks in the NFC Wild card playoff game. He’s good, but still has a lot to prove. Hopefully, Terrell Owens will be utilized more in this offense. Get your NFL tickets here.

- Watch Rafa Nadal and Rog Federer in the US Tennis Open and Wimbledon and hopefully against each other in the Finals of these tournaments. I normally only watch tennis when one or both are involved in the match. Get your US Open Tennis tickets or Wimbledon tickets here.

- Watch the MLB All-Star Game, MLB playoffs and World Series. I don’t watch too much baseball during the regular season. Can the Astros make another dramatic second half turnaround? I doubt it. Unlike the past few years, we don’t have the talent to do it again.

- Probably catch some WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown and Lucha Libre. OK, so I admit professional wrestling is not sports. I’m fully aware that the matches are pre-determined but the stunts, choreographed fights and many of the injuries ARE REAL. Professional wrestling, though scripted, is still more dangerous than ice hockey, rugby or American football. I enjoy Mexican wrestling for the acrobatics, offbeat characters and mystique. I even have a mask collection. The glory days for WWE, at least for now, are over, but every now and again, I still tune in. Get your wrestling tickets here.

All of this should keep me busy until November. And you? One way to keep busy is to buy loads of tickets for any of these events. Click Tickets of America to get your fix.

For those of you who hopped on Lebron’s bandwagon and gave Cleveland a chance, you should be ashamed.

As I posted in one of my earlier blogs, the Eastern Conference is so poor in talent that Commissioner David Stern should have proclaimed San Antonio the champion after the Phoenix disgrace. It has been the most disappointing NBA Finals ever! One of the biggest overly matched teams of all time, and no wonder why ESPN called Cleveland the worst team ever to make the NBA Finals.

Cleveland has just too many things that are lacking to be a contender. The most visible is experience. For the few of you who have watched the NBA Finals, you’ve seen a Lebron James who’s just overwhelmed by the moment. The intensity of the Spurs is such as those of the 80’s and 90’s champions: Lakers, Celtics, Pistons and Bulls. I look around at almost every Cleveland possession of the ball and see players standing around, like if the Spurs are going to break down on defense. Top to bottom, I don’t see any weaknesses in this San Antonio squad.

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The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is about a month away, but there’s still time to secure MLB All-Star Game tickets, Home Run Derby tickets and MLB All-Star Game packages.

Packages include interaction with superstar players, premium hospitality services and all-star game memorabilia. For more information, visit White Glove International web site, or call 1.888.627.0704 and a sales consultant can assist you.

The 78th annual event will take place at AT&T Park in San Francisco July 10.

Results for MLB all-star ballots are still pending, and there is still time to vote for your favorite players.

As of Monday June 11, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez led the AL with 1,058,907 votes, while New York Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran topped the NL with 758,457.

The American League will try to continue its 10-game win streak at the Mid-Summer Classic. The winning league earns home field advantage for its representative in the World Series. Unlike the NBA All-Star Game, there is a lot at stake, which makes the game more competitive and more fun to watch as some would argue.

Remember that Tickets of America sells baseball tickets all season long for all 30 teams including Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Florida Marlins and New York Mets.

Rafael Nadal doesn’t have a lot of time to enjoy his three-peat at the French Open - his second straight win over Roger Federer at Roland Garros. The Wimbledon is just two weeks away. Yes, the clay court continues to be his domain, but the next tennis Grand Slam will be on Federer’s favorite surface. Federer got the best of Nadal on grass last year to win his fourth straight Wimbledon title. The natural green is his element. Everybody talks about Federer’s resume being incomplete without the French Open title, but I’m sure Nadal would like to add a major grass or hardcourt title to his list of accomplishments. Maybe he’ll finally prove that he’s more than a clay court specialist.

I really enjoy watching these guys play. They’re so competitive, yet so class. They know how to support each other, without losing the desire to be the best. I’m sure Nadal and Federer will be sitting on a porch one day, with a couple of root beers, just talking about the good ol days.

Speaking of grass and hardcourt majors, Tickets of America continues to be the ticket specialist for grand slam events on all surfaces. The French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open and Sony Ericsson Open 2008. For tickets to various events click the following links or call one of our sales consultants to secure your’s.

US Open tennis tickets

US Open packages

Wimbledon tickets

Wimbledon packages

Sony Ericsson tickets 2008

Or call 1.888.383.1515

“I go for the winning play,” said Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lebron James. “The winning play when two guys come at you and a teammate is open is to give it up. It’s as simple as that.”

Memo to German: Go-to-guys find the open man to win ball games.

His Airness did it with John Paxson.

Paxson hit numerous clutch shots during the Bulls first three-peat. Many, via MJ.

There’s nothing immoral or irrational with Lebron deferring to a wide-open Donyell Marshall for the win, instead of the tie, in Game 1 of the East Finals against Detroit.

Marshall was shooting just over 35 percent in the playoffs from beyond the arc, not a great percentage, but by no means a bad percentage. A three ball in clear daylight is a good shot.

So if Lebron draws attention and misses, people like German scold him for being selfish. It’s a catch-22.

It was not a bad decision Mr. Beckford. It was a risky decision, and if Marshall makes that three for the win, it’s a brilliant decision.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaGw_OLw4ck[/youtube]

I did my homework and “discovered” that Scottie Pippen was an All-Star in 1990, the first year the Bulls appeared in the NBA Finals. It seemed German’s blog turned into a Pippen bash fest that bordered on NBA legend blasphemy. I think he was trying too hard to imply that MJ won all 6 championships by his lonesome. Let me remind you sunshine - Scottie Pippen is one of the top 50 NBA players of all-time. I doubt Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Eric Snow or Damon Jones will ever fall under that category. You say that Scottie is nothing without Michael. Let me ask you this. How many championships did Washington Wizards Michael win without Scottie? I know Mike’s the best. I’m just using Mr. Beckford’s line of reasoning.

OK, so I must concede that Ilgauskas was an All-Star, but back in 05. Once an All-Star, always an All-Star doesn’t apply here my friend, and “Larry Hughes was almost an All-Star” - you can do better than that.

AS for that “glorious” Bad Boys team back in 1990 read what pistons.com had to say about it. Don’t take my word for it.

“If there was any doubt about the Pistons no longer being contenders, the 1991-92 season answered them. The team began the season by trading fan favorites James Edwards, Scott Hastings, and Vinnie Johnson in various trades, receiving Orlando Woolridge, Jeff Martin, and Darrell Walker in return.”

I won’t even mention that they were swept by the Bulls.

As great as it was, that team had fallen from glory. The Bad Boys just became BAD! Many would argue that the 2007 Pistons team, stacked with Chauncy Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, all in their prime, was supposed to win the championship the last two seasons. That’s what makes the Cavs win so special, and that’s why i give them crazy props.

Ok Mr. Beckford, so Snow and Jones have some NBA Finals experience. I’ll be charitable and give you that tidbit.

BTW, i never tried to compare Lebron and MJ. I was trying to do the opposite. I said it was unfair to really compare the two at this stage in Lebron’s career. Check the previous blog titled “Give Credit to LeBron and the Cavs.” Remember it was Mr. Beckford who made this comment.

““With that talent he should be giving us more games like that one,” he wrote.
“Jordan’s done that a bunch of times. Kobe has done it plenty.”

This is the very comment that provoked me to defend Lebron and his accomplishments this season, and I stand by them even if they lose to San Antone, which many expect them to.

Give up German. Like Vince Carter said before officially winning the slam dunk contest back in 2000.

“It’s Over.”

NBA Finals tickets on demand, right here at Tickets of America.