With David Beckham in MLS, will you pay any more attention than you already do (or don't)?

I find it interesting because of the dynamic he brings to the United States.

One, the international media is definitely paying attention to MLS and the Galaxy already are going to play in front of 70,000 people in Australia in the offseason. So worldwide, he will sell soccer in America.

Two, with the number of Hispanics in the U.S., soccer is going to grow no matter what some of us may or may not think.

Three, the U.S. National Team is doing well and the U20 team beat Brazil last week.

Four, his wife, Victoria, will keep his and her name in the news and might draw more females to the sport. Which is what all sports are trying to do.

And by the way, MLS does not need saving. It is doing well. It has new stadiums throughout the country. It has a solid TV deal with ESPN, ABC, Fox Sports. And it is about to expand again with entry fees in the $30 million range. It seems to be more healthy than the NHL and tennis. And the NBA is not doing much better.

So whether Beckham can take attendance from 15,000 around the league to 20,000, I guess we will see, but no matter what, soccer is drawing more and more interesting in the U.S.

A look back at the weekend and what is ahead:

The Indians can't seem to get their hitting machine rolling. It is now the end of June and Travis Hafner still is not hitting. That is the bad news. The good news is the Tigers are only 2 games ahead and the Indians lead the wild-card race.

Juan Pablo Montoya won the Nextel Cup race in Sonoma, Calif. It was his first win, but more important for NASCAR, it was a minority driver who won the race. With Lewis Hamilton, a black man, winning twice in Formula One, NASCAR has been getting more questions about its minority program. Montoya's win shows NASCAR is making progress.

Does anybody really care to hear about Kobe Bryant every day? Enough already ESPN.

All indications are that Brady Quinn is going to need a lot of work to be of any good to the Browns this season. Now we see why most didn't think he was a high first-round prospect.

The Cavaliers have a lot of value with veteran contracts that are going to expire after next season. In today's NBA, those can be more valuable than gaining a real player.

Ohio State football is being talked about as being the fourth best team in the Big Ten this season behind Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State. I just don't see Penn State being better than the Buckeyes. The other two should be, but the Badgers will be like the Buckeyes, going with an inexperienced quarterback.

Greg Oden and Kevin Durant or should I say Kevin Durant and Greg Oden. I think Oden will go first, but the NBA, despite the players being on the West Coast, has to be happy that these two will be playing against each other in the same division for years to come.

As for the draft, I think the Cavs will pass on trading into the proceedings.

Paul Tracy, the Canadian driver, continues to race well in Cleveland. Kudos to Tracy.

Wimbledon gets started today …. wake me when it's over. Speaking of Wimbledon, when it was great in the 80s and 90s, we couldn't watch the early rounds because it was on HBO. Now that it is on ESPN, I see no reason to watch.

It doesn't register on most sports fans' radars, but it was good to see the United States win the Gold Cup this weekend, beating Mexico 2-1. It bodes well for Bob Bradley's plan for the National Team.

The baseball draft on TV was conducted very poorly. Instead of following the lead of the NHL or NFL, baseball had few if any of the players at the draft. Without the photos of the players holding the jerseys with the GM, what do you have? Nothing.
The Dale Earnhardt Jr. Sweepstakes will be heating up the next two weeks. I still like Ginn Racing in a surprise. … By the way, Visa denies that it is entering NASCAR, but that probably would be the only way for Junior to end up with Joe Gibbs Racing.
The Cavs need to be active in the offseason to get some more weapons for LeBron James and Mike Brown.
C.C. Sabathia is starting to look more and more like a Cy Young winner and like a very rich man. The Indians need to ride his arm this season to playoff success.
Is anyone watching the French Open?
Or the Belmont Stakes?
We already know few watched the Stanley Cup Finals.
I think I like Danica Patrick's chances in a fight with Dan Wheldon.
Has anyone seen Barry Bonds, I think he is missing.
Speaking of Bonds, it is time for Hank Aaron to stop commenting on the home run chase. He said last week that he wasn't sure how to spell Bonds' name. Now Hank, don't be stupid. Stay above this fray of steroids talk.
The U.S. Open is looking like it might have a winner near double figures over par, if the players are telling the truth after practice rounds at Oakmont C.C. in Pittsburgh. Watching Tiger Woods and the rest of his golfing mates struggle should make great TV.

LeBron James was fouled, but the Cavs can't wait to take the last shot. Go for the throat! … Danica Patrick will win an IndyCar Series race but not this weekend's Indy 500. … The Indians, Tigers, Angels and Red Sox will be the playoff teams in the American League. … Charlie Frye will be the starting quarterback for the Browns, and Brady Quinn will sit unless Frye and Derek Anderson get hurt. … Jamal Lewis is an ancient 27 and will show it this season. … Kent State football will make a run at the MAC title game. … Jimmie Johnson will win the Coca-Cola 600 because he does just about every year. … Expect the David Beckham talk to pick up after the holiday. His arrival to MLS is two months away. … The Yankees are done, and Joe Torre will not survive the season.

Ottawa will beat Anaheim in six games to win the Stanley Cup. … David Stern had to cringe when his next two potential superstars ended up in the Northwest with the Trail Blazers and SuperSonics winning the draft lottery's top two spots. Greg Oden will go to the Blazers and Kevin Durant to the Sonics. … Will anybody see them play? … Despite all of the offseason moves, the Patriots will not win the Super Bowl. No team has bought the Super Bowl, like you can a World Series. … Barry Bonds won't break Aaron's mark until late July at the earliest. … C.C. Sabathia will sign with the Dodgers after next season for $140 million over seven seasons. … Travis Hafner will sign a contract with the Indians, something like $75 million for five years, maybe more. … USC despite having so many players back will not win the BCS title. … Tiger Woods will win the U.S. Open next month at Oakmont C.C., near Pittsburgh. … Wait until you all see the changes to that great course.

The U.S. National Soccer Team opted to remove the interim tag from coach Bob Bradley.

And it was the correct call, George Vecsey of the New York Times agrees.

The winningest coach in Major League Soccer history demonstrated a solid resolve in his first four games as interim coach.

This will give him the opportunity to grow with the team as its prepares for World Cup 2010 in South Africa … or the United States.

Major League Soccer has had a mixed bag as far as its adventures in signing foreign players. They mainly have been over-the-hill players looking to make their last few dollars before they call it a career.

New rules allowed the Galaxy to sign David Beckham and now the Columbus Crew have joined in.

According to SI.com, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, a skilled Argentine midfielder, signed a one-year deal with the Crew.

Their analysis thinks Schelotto will provide more scoring chances for strikers Jason Garey and Andy Herron. And he can help bring along promising Eddie Gaven. So far the Crew is 0-0-2, both games being 0-0 draws.

Two sports that don't receive much talk, the NHL and Major League Soccer, are finally receiving great support from their TV partners. The NHL is getting two weekend dates on NBC during the playoffs, which included coverage Saturday of the Penguins' victory in Game 2 in Ottawa. MLS gets its own night on ESPN on Thursday, and Fox Soccer Channel on Saturdays.

This is important for the leagues to continue to grow. ESPN buried the NHL at the end of their contract and it really set the league behind. Now the NHL has NBC and Versus, who seem to be interested in growing the sport, and dedicating talented broadcasters to bring it to you. Like I have written before, the intensity of the NHL playoffs can not be matched by any other sport.

With MLS, both networks are adding pre- and postgame shows, and in those shows, they are including information on soccer around the world. With the increase in immigrants in the United States, soccer has an informed fan base that is only going to grow. So it makes sense to have more information than just about the game in America. Expect with David Beckham coming to the Galaxy for more coverage of the league.

Welcome to my blog. As the Deputy Sports Editor for the Beacon Journal, I hope that this is a place where we all can discuss issues with the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com sports coverage and the teams and leagues we cover and care passionately about.

So to get started here is where I am coming from. I like nearly all sports (although I don't get some of the sports in the Olympics), but with my Pittsburgh upbringing, I lean toward pro and college football and hockey with a fondness toward baseball (I think that is what the Pirates play).

I think college sports in Ohio is more than Ohio State football. … I think that Jeff Gordon should have knocked Jimmie Johnson into the wall to win in Martinsville two weeks ago. … I think the Browns would be crazy to pass on Calvin Johnson and would be crazier to take Brady Quinn. … I expect them to take Quinn.
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