The People News, a free newspaper serving Cleveland Tennessee (TN) and Bradley County Tennessee (Tn).





Of Bradley County Tn.


JUNE  2014

                            The People News, a free newspaper serving Cleveland and Bradley County Tn.

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Poetic Justice, Cups, Kelly


by Jerry Keys

The World Cup competition has arrived. Seemed as if it was four or five years ago it was played in South Africa. The seeding and strength of the thirty-two countries involved would remind you of the AL East in baseball. The Yankees and Red Sox would win close to 100 games each, the Blue Jays would finish near 85 wins, and the Orioles and Devil Rays would lose close to 100 games.

Most pundits expect the winner to be either Brazil (host nation), Spain (2010 Cup champ), Argentina or Germany. A long shot, which is being whispered about, is the Ivory Coast. European countries have won ten Cups and South American countries, nine. No team from Asia, Africa, Oceana or North America have won the Cup, placed as runner-up and only one merited a third place finish, in 1930. Below is a listing of all eight groups with the country's world ranking after qualifications were concluded.

Jerry Keys


The countries I think will advance are: (A) Brazil and Croatia, (B) Chile and Spain, (C) Columbia and Ivory Coast, (D) Italy and England, (E) Ecuador and France, (F) Argentina and Nigeria, (G) Germany and United States, and (H) Russia and Belgium. If you look at the four teams in Group B and the four in Group H, one would conclude the selection of teams in groups should be revamped. The U.S. was placed in one of the toughest groups.

If we compared the Germany team with the U.S., it would resemble comparing the Atlanta Braves with the Chattanooga Lookouts. Ghana defeated the U.S. in group play in 2006 and in the round of 16 in 2010. The U.S. defeated Portugal in 2002. Four points (one win, one draw) usually is enough to advance. In this group, it may not be enough. One win and two draws (five points) should be enough. I can easily see a win and a draw with Ghana and Portugal. The draw with Germany, that is a tall order.

The U.S. will begin group play vs. Ghana on 6/16 at 6:00 EST. Portugal will face the U.S. on 6/22 at 6:00. The final game will be against Germany on 6/26 at 12:00. A draw and a loss in the first two matches would mean a must win against Germany and, that may not be enough to advance. Two draws would again, put the U.S. in a must win in the final game. A win and a draw only puts the U.S. in a position to earn a draw in the final. Two wins would remove all doubt but that could be asking too much. A runner-up finish to Germany would place the U.S. against the Group H winner. That winner will be Russia. The U.S. win over arch-rival Mexico in the 2002 Cup round of 16 was a turning point in attempting to become a world power in soccer. Meeting Russia for the round of 16, would not be as epic as these two teams' battles in the Winter Olympics, but it would be close.


An advance to the quarter-finals would be a win for the U.S. Falling to Argentina is nothing to be ashamed of, I have them reaching the finals. The finals will be played at Estádio do Maracanã. The stadium will host other Cup games as well. Brazil built the stadium in 1948-50 to host the 1950 World Cup. Brazil went into their final match needing only a draw to capture the Cup (deciding Cup winner in 1950 was different than later Cup tournaments). Brazil was shocked by Uruguay 2-1. The official attendance for the game was 199,854 but the actual attendance was guesstimated at 210,000. The loss is still felt in Brazil today. There is a reason behind why the only game scheduled for Brazil at the stadium is, if they make the finals, and exorcise the demons of 1950.

Jim Kelly recently completed his final round of radiation. Earlier this year it was discovered he has sinus cancer. Doctors plan to wait a few months to reassess whether to perform surgery or explore other options. Kelly's condition is "very treatable and potentially curable." As we grow older, anytime the word cancer is spoken, it scares the Hades out of you. It's hard to believe anything could happen to Kelly, at his age 54. Looking back, one has to laugh at Kelly's reaction when Buffalo drafted him in 1983.

After choosing the USFL and the league folding after two years, Kelly went to Buffalo (team still owned right to him). Buffalo fans did not welcome him in a friendly way. Four Super Bowl appearances in a row later, they were joined at the hip with him. The city only has a NFL and NHL team. Kelly is a legend in the city and is publicly stating the Bills should stay in Buffalo when the team is sold. Let's hope Kelly wins his most important "Super Bowl."

When Hoyt Wilhelm, Warren Spahn, and Mickey Mantle died, they were my dad's heroes as he grew up. I never saw them play, only knew of them through books, stories and baseball cards. When Gary Carter succumbed to brain cancer in 2012, it stung me. He was only 57 and I remember watching most of his career. I watched all of Kelly's career and it seems like only a couple years ago his team was traveling to Pittsburgh for a play-off game. Carter was born a handful of years before Kelly. Kelly was born just over a decade before me. In other words, it is hitting 'closer to home' for me.

I am certain everyone has heard about the Donald Sterling saga. I will try my best not to rehash things. What he said was extremely wrong. He is not going to be charged with a crime. To have recorded testimony used in court, both parties have to consent. I think Sterling will insist he did not "willfully" break any rules of the NBA, subjected to each NBA team owner. Willful intent is necessary for the NBA to justify an expulsion. I feel strongly, Sterling will also throw other owners "under the bus" for their misgivings, being racial and/or otherwise. Sterling has owned the Clippers since 1981 and, in my opinion, he knows about plenty of skeletons in the closet. If Sterling takes this to court, it can be dragged out for many years.

What players and fans started to do was working. I'm not sure if they would have followed through on a walk-out of a game, but what do you do if both teams walk-out? Fans were boycotting the games and merchandise. What I would have liked to have seen happen is for the NBA to allow the Clippers and other team(s) to walk-out, fans to protest in and around the arena 'en mass' and with other owner's consent, to break all binding player and coach contracts and allow them to go free agency (if these people desired to). This would make it difficult for Sterling to field a team for the 2014-15 NBA season.

Those actions would drive down the Clippers value. Maybe it's me but all the hype surrounding this is only going to drive up the price of his team. Maybe Sterling meant for this to happen, only he knows. This is not the first instance of racial discrimination being levied against Sterling. Will it be the last?

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