In The News: September 5, 2007

Calling Kobe Bryant confident is like saying Ferraris are fast – it goes without saying. The Los Angeles Lakers and recently minted Team USA star displayed some of that bravado during his current whirlwind, Nike-sponsored trip to Asia by announcing that he is confident that the US National team can win gold during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Kobe said that this US Team will face a “much greater” challenge at the Olympics than what the 1992 Dream Team led by Magic, Jordan and Bird faced in Atlanta. "We're preparing for (the Olympics) like we were playing for the NBA finals,” Kobe said.

Michigan takes monumental tumble

From being ranked number 5 to being clear out of the AP Top 25, the Michigan Wolverines took the largest tumble in the NCAA college football rankings since the poll expanded to 25 teams. The Maize and Blue lost this past weekend to former Division 1-AA school Appalachian State, marking what some are calling the biggest upset in the history of college football. If you think Michigan Wolverine fans were devastated by the loss to the lowly Mountaineers, imagine how Michigan football head coach Lloyd Carr must be feeling right about now. Carr, who was contemplating retirement after season’s end, might want to speed up those proceedings.

Don't sleep on Formula One

The Formula One season rolls into Monza, Italy this weekend for the aptly-named Italian Grand Prix. With only five races to go until season’s end, two drivers each from Ferrari and McLaren are locked in an incredibly close race for the coveted drivers’ championship. McLaren teammates Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who have had a rather contentious relationship, are at the top of the standings, with Alonso only 5 points behind Hamilton. While, Ferrari teammates Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, who seem to be on better terms, having finished one-two at the recent Turkish Grand Prix, are third and fourth respectively in driver points. The remaining five races will be a literal sprint to the finish and should be a lot of fun to watch. The Italian Grand Prix will be shown on Speed TV on Sunday, September 9 at 3:00pm Eastern.

Beckham's former coach has serious beef

Soccer star David Beckham’s former coach, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, doesn’t think the former “Man U” star has what it takes to significantly increase the sport’s profile in the US.

"It is difficult with David going there. I don't know what kind of impact he can make," Ferguson said. "David Beckham himself can't change the whole country. In European soccer, and especially in British soccer, you can travel easily. If you are in Boston and need to go to Los Angeles, it's a six-hour flight. Supporters don't travel, so you are missing that rivalry between fans."

Soccer wasn’t specifically the only subject discussed, as Ferguson addressed an audience in Glasgow, Scotland. It seems that the Manchester United manager isn’t a big fan of Beckham’s high profile spouse, Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls, either.

"He was never a problem until he got married," Ferguson continued. "He was a fantastic young lad. Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing -- from that moment his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity, soccer is only a small part."

Apple drops iPhone price. Is a sleeker version planned at the original price point?

Only month's after its launch, Apple cut the price of its decidedly cool iPhone from the original $599 to a somewhat affordable $399. Historically, particularly with its line of iPods, Apple has been known to hold the launch price point well into the product's lifecyle, so the quick price-cut on the iPhone is a clear indication that the product may be falling behind the company's sales targets. So, while At&T network users are the still the only consumers that can buy and use an iPhone (unless you use this hack), the new $200 cheaper price point should help move a lot of the devices this fall. The price-cut though brings up an interesting question. Is Apple planning on bringing a newer, sleeker, cooler iPhone to market at the original $599 price point soon?

Tiny Appalachian State stuns mighty Michigan

In case you haven’t heard, Appalachian State University pulled off one of the most improbable upsets in the history of NCAA college football by stunningly defeating the Michigan Wolverines 34-32 on Saturday afternoon. The game was as exciting as the score indicates, with Appalachian State blocking a Michigan field goal in the final seconds to preseve the victory.

Appalachian State University was an underdog in every sense of the word when its football team met up with national powerhouse Michigan Wolverines. Tiny Appalachian State with a student population of just over 15,000 is located in nondescript Boone, North Carolina, a town centered almost entirely around the university, while mighty Michigan with 40,000-plus students strong makes its home in equally robust Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Appalachian State mascot is a happy-go-lucky “mountain folk” named Yosef, while Michigan instills fear in its opponents with its own mascot the mighty Wolverine. The Mountaineers play in the Southern Conference, which is equivalent to the now defunct Division 1AA level, while the Wolverines came into last night’s game ranked number 5 in the entire country. And, to top it all off, Appalachian State is plain weird. The school uses this unsettling, yet oddly hilarious recruitment video, which by the way might explain the low enrollment rate at the public school.

These non-conference games at the start of the college football season are supposed to serve as tune-ups and help pad win totals for the national powerhouses. Unfortunately for Michigan, the Mountaineers decided to ruin the Wolverine’s entire 2007 season in one horrible, horrible September afternoon for the fans of the maize and blue. For the rest of us, it was among one of the most exciting and entertaining college football games in recent memory.