Carlos A Torres – Designer & Photographer

Monday I had the pleasure of visiting the new 710 ESPN radio studios at L.A. Live in downtown L.A., courtesy of my good friend Dave Denholm. We did his soccer podcast as we deliberated somewhat on the state of the league, that being Major League Soccer, and the state of the United States national team. Our beloved Los Angeles Galaxy was the main topic as usual and it was fun to actually talk about the Galaxy in terms of success and to bask in the current 4-game winning streak. It’s always great fun to do the podcast with him and I thank him for the opportunity. Check it out at: Dave Denholm’s Soccer Podcast at ESPN Los Angeles’ website.

Brazil 3 – 2 United States (Final)

The United States faced off against Brazil in pretty much the biggest game the United States National Men’s Team has ever played! After discarding Spain with a 2-0 humiliation in the semi-final, I personally believed that the US was ready to go against Brazil and that they had gained some confidence against the so called powerhouses of the soccer world. I was expecting the game to be great and the US to have a very good chance of bringing home the Confederations Cup. Game began and the US was definitely ready. Beautiful goals by Dempsey and Donovan gave the US, a 2-0 lead at halftime and Brazil was looking down. Unfortunately the US was not able to capitalize on this lead and ended up losing the final 3-2. Here’s where the divergence in thinking comes in.
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So I went ahead and participated in the L.A. Acura Bike Tour which takes place right before the L.A. Marathon. I can’t emphasize enough just how much fun this entire event is. You get to ride the streets of L.A. and its adjacent neighborhoods for 20+ miles, along with thousands of other cyclists. It’s always a lot of fun to be part of any sporting event but it’s that much more magnified when you actually get to be the sporting event itself. It’s not as easy as it sounds but it is a lot more fun than what it sounds like. Not only do you get the satisfaction of riding the tour but you can also join in the actual marathon or the 5k run right afterwards. I’ve done the tour a couple of times and am thinking of riding the tour and doing the 5k next year. Along with the medals they give to all participants (see left), you get a few other goodies. Much kudos to L.A. for putting this whole thing together and I’m very much looking forward to next year. Next up on the schedule is a possible ride in the L.A. River Ride. Hope to see you there!

If you don’t know by now I may as well tell you that I’m a huge sports fan. You name it and I probably know a bit about it or don’t mind paying attention to it. That being said, there is something completely magical about The Kentucky Derby. The Derby is often described as “the most exciting two minutes in sports” and one truly doesn’t begin to grasp the reality of that until one actually watches a running of the Derby. Every year I’m in awe of how true that statement is as I sit there watching the race unfold and all the excitement and exhilaration that can be packed in 120 seconds actually is. Every running of the Derby makes you want to be in attendance and take in the pageantry, atmosphere, party, and classic appeal of this, the most prestigious of races. The Kentucky Derby typically sets up what’s to be expected in the quest for the Triple Crown along with The Preakness and The Belmont but unfortunately in recent years this quest has been met with tragedy. Let’s hope that all goes well for the horses this year and that The Triple Crown quest is as exciting as it typically has been and as it should be.

The 2009 Major League Soccer season is in full swing and standings and teams are all beginning to settle in their positions. My Los Angeles Galaxy is doing poorly but I wasn’t expecting otherwise. Sounders FC are a definite threat and a solid team, I guess we’ll wait until early July to see how David Beckham impacts my beloved Galaxy. Check out my buddy Dave Denholm’s Soccer Podcast at 710 ESPN’s website. Dave and I always break down all MLS action week after week and we finally decided, why not use that as the basis for the show this week. Check it out, lots of fun and we should be doing it again later on in the season.

I’ve been a NASCAR fan for over 15 years now. I’ve seen my share of great races, great finishes, great drivers, great champions and I’ve seen the sport grow to astronomical heights, but unfortunately I’ve also seen the sport turn into a diluted, over-priced, out-of-control corporate juggernaut. This juggernaut must be reigned in if NASCAR is to once again be what it was 5-6 years ago. It’s a bit strange to ponder just how much of an impact Dale Earnhardt had on the sport, considering the decline of NASCAR since his passing but I do agree with the people who share this opinion because he truly was one of the dynamos that propelled NASCAR, the other one being Jeff Gordon.
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I recently acquired a new bike, the Trek Navigator 2.0 in its Root Beer color form. I used to own a Schwinn bike that I purchased at a Costco a few years back but I got rid of it. I always kind of had the mentality that a bike was a bike and especially that a bike over $100 was a good enough bike for the riding that I do. I even used that Schwinn in the LA Bike Tour a couple of years ago. Well little did I know just how mistaken I was when it comes to bicycles. I decided to look into a Trek bike, for obvious reasons. I didn’t think it was going to be affordable but after visiting a local bike shop, I saw a bunch of very affordable Trek bikes and bikes that leave any other brand in the dust, in performance and value. Double what I paid for my old Schiwnn and you get an excellent bike for the price. My new Trek is a million times better than what I used to own and like I said for barely over $300. If you’re somewhat serious about bike riding, do yourself a favor and never buy a bike at a Walmart, Target, Costco, etc., go to your local bike shop and walk in there and talk with people who know about bicycles inside and out. I will be riding the L.A. Acura Bike Tour again this year and I can barely wait for that now.

Check out my bike at Trek’s website

Check out the LA Marathon/Bike Tour info here

My local bike shop: Gil’s Bike Shop

FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – Here are my thoughts regarding a few of the recent World Cup qualifying games that took place in the region that most matters to me, the Americas:

USA 3 – 0 Trinidad & Tobago
USA was going to have zero troubles against T&T, we all know that. I could have been part of the starting 11 for the US and we still would have won. With that in mind, why is it that the United States has such incompetent coaching? Freddy Adu is, at worst, the 4^th best player in the United States but Bob Bradley still refuses to put him in the starting lineup and even refuses to have him on the bench. Ask any team, in any sport, in any country, if the 4^th best player of any team is a question mark to start….of course he’s not. It’s an outrage that this is the thinking of US Soccer and that they think this is the team that’s supposed to face the rest of the world in the World Cup. Clint Dempsey keeps getting a start…has he ever scored for the US? Has he ever scored for Fulham for that matter? This United States team is obviously going to win the CONCACAF region but quote me on this; they will not earn more than 1 point in the World Cup.

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