Manchester City boss hails "Perfect" Carlos Tevez

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini insists controversial striker Carlos Tevez has been "perfect" in behaviour and attitude since returning to training.

Carlos Tevez has scored in his last five Premier League appearances against Chelsea, but has not played since September.

Tevez is poised to make his first appearance for the club for six months on Wednesday, with Mancini expected to name him on the bench for the Premier League visit of Chelsea. The Argentinian has not played for City since falling into dispute with the club following the infamous Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich.
After an unauthorised three-month absence in Argentina, the 28-year-old returned to training five weeks ago and apologised for his conduct, clearing the way for a return.
Tevez was inspirational as City won the FA Cup last season but Mancini believes his efforts are even eclipsing those of 12 months ago.

Time for A Review...

After the Super Bowl I tend to fall into a bit of sports depression. It's been a while since my last post but fear not, I have followed all the same stories as you. Lets's go through what I think are the more important ones.

Peyton Manning/Tebow

If Peyton goes to the Bronco's it means Tim Tebow is out. His cult following is noise that John Elway doesn't want to deal with. The market for Tim isn't big. Jacksonville and Miami are likely. Things change though, and if Tebow does ever change positions, he holds value on and off the field. Where is Peyton going to play? He won't tell me. Arizona seems smart, but not likely.

Dwight Howard

What can you really say? Not opting out of his contract was the worst thing he could have done on all levels. Howard has displayed this kind of immaturity his whole career, and although he's only 26 he can't blame his immaturity on being young anymore. If this is grown man Dwight Howard behavior, you can start to move him into the Gilbert Arenas and Terrell Owens brain frequency category. This move to stay will be analyzed inside and out until...well forever.

NFL Free Agency

Bill Polian said that "every team always overpays in this part of free agency" basically because these are highly coveted players and big needs for teams. I can understand that, but some of these contracts shock me. Not the Mario Williams, Calvin Johnson type deals. I'm talking about the guys below Keep this in mind too though, just because a contract has a dollar amount on it, doesn't mean the player earns all of it. They are incentive based, and often have options in the clubs advantage.

Laurent Robinson- last year, league minimum salary. This year, 8 million dollar signing bonus with the Jags. $32.5 over 5 years if he's there all 5 years...What?

Brandon Carr- Good player, solid player. Not worth an average of $10 million dollar a year.

There are more...do the research.

P.S I think Matt Flynn will be fine as a starting QB.

P.P.S I can't believe Randy Moss was signed this early. We'll see.


HBO's show "Luck" is having Issues

The show is about the shady aspects of betting and horse racing, people like it enough to have it renewed for a 2nd season, but they have an issue. 2 horses have died filming racing scenes, and a 3rd that can't be explained died as well. PETA (maybe you've heard of them) is upset. Probably because animals shouldn't be dying on a movie set.

Baseball: Octavio Dotel, Chipper Jones

Instead of returning to the World Series champions, Dotel chose to sign with the Detroit Tigers, soley for the reason of breaking the record for most teams ever played on by a mlb player...sigh. Oh and Chipper Jones is fat, and saying he's not fat and also saying he's not sure he can make it through the year. He might but he's not sure. Basically he's worn out from spring training.

Washington Trades up to Get RG3

It's a lot to give up, but I like the move. I say the same thing to everyone who wants to know my opinion. "What would you have them do?" No other QB in this years draft is worth a 1st round pick, Everyone thinks he's a special talent, and they haven't had a franchise QB since the Salem Witch Trials. There is no better option in sight the next few years (shut up about Matt Barkley). To listen to some fan's ideas of what the team should do instead is laughable and in some states punishable by a hefty fine. I love my team and "die hards with real football knowledge" but we have some of the dumbest fans in the league.

Upper 90 Soccer Show #28

ERIC WYNALDA INTERVIEW - Our "Favorite Guest in the World" joins the show to talk Champions League, the fight for the CL spots in the Premier League between Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea, the greatness of Lionel Messi and much more.


After getting Eric's take on the Premier League race for the CL spots, hosts Robert Bode, Austin Sanders and Justin McMahan predict the end of the BPL season for Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea.


A lot of topics covered in the third segment, as the guys discuss the battle for the Scudetto between AC Milan and Juventus, Justin recaps his visit to RFK Stadium to see DC United's season opener, Austin and Justin then make their MLS picks for the season, and Justin wraps things up by talking Liverpool and Steven Gerrard.


Finally, the guys wrap up the show with their PK Predictions, including all four FA Cup semifinal matchups.

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March Madness: The Facts

This is a pretty cool picture display of just how crazy March Madness has become.


Created by: Business Degree

Upper 90 Soccer Show #27

A special two-hour episode of the Upper 90 Soccer Show gets you ready for the show's live event March 8th at Public Bar in DC. Thanks for listening, and be sure to follow the guys on Twitter as they will be giving away a prize to their dedicated listeners - @rbode17, @SandmanU90, @thejboymc.

Bode, Austin and Justin open the show with Arsenal's romp over Tottenham and Liverpool's penalty kick drama in the Carling Cup final, where the Reds claimed their first trophy in six years.


Next, it is time to look at some of the controversy in the AC Milan-Juventus and Barcelona-Atletico Madrid matches, as the technology debate is revived.


A look at the top five European league tables is next, as the guys preview what is to come in the final months of each competition.

USA vs. Italy: Player Ratings

This was the first time the US Men's National team beat the Italians in 82 years and eleven matches, going 1-7-3 in those matches. Going into the friendly the Italians Goal Differential was 28 goals, 32 for and only 4 against the USA. Also the Itailans had the toughest defense throughout European Championship Qualifiers, only allowing two goals through all matches.

Now here are the player grades for the US National team vs. Italy in Genoa:

GK- 6- Tim Howard: Tim had a typical, sturdy performance. He had a nice kick save early on in the match, but everything else was pretty much right at Timmy and he did the job well to register his 26th shut-out in his 73rd cap. Even when Matri was 1 v 1 with Howard, and offside, he still made the save.

LB- 6- Fabian Johnson: He was a little tentative early on, but being naturally left-footed he played well going forward on the left flank and could possibly be the left back for the next couple of years. He seems to be a real find and I like his future, especially considering the US has never really had a true left-back. Also he made a nice run and delievered a nice cross to Jozy Altidore for the goal.


LCB-6.5- Carlos Bocanegra: The captain played well and lead the defense early, he did have trouble with passes over the top, but settled into the game nicely and made crucial blocks when needed. Helped keep a clean sheet.

Finish this sentence "If a rookie Center runs his mouth..?"

There are a lot of different ways you could finish that sentence, and I've got it down to three answers...

"then every starting defensive lineman will remember it when they play him"

"he screws himself out of some money for saying brash and cocky comments"

"people raise their eyebrows and forget within a week."

David Molk is regarded by scouts to be one of the top 5 centers in this year's draft. He's had a lot to say about them, their evaluations of him, and how he feels about himself. Molk said he could break the record in bench press reps at the combine. He got 41 (the record is 49), I 'll give him a pass on that.

"The fact that they (scouts/analysts) consider anyone better than me is pretty stupid" Molk said. When told that Mike Mayock called him a finesse player, he moved the slit in his face even more.

“He never played against me,” Molk said of Mayock. “I don’t think a finesse player has ever had defensive linemen quit during a game; quit and give up because you’re hurting them. I don’t think a finesse player has ever done what I do, which is just ground kids out of the hole. I think the fact he called me a finesse player is because he hasn’t watched me on film.”

He then went on to explain how he's better than some pretty damn good Centers going in this years draft. Mock won the Rimington trophy for best college football center. Which of course means nothing as far as how teams evaluate a players talent.

Before we go calling Molk a cocky meat head, I'd like to remind everybody that in order to play at an elite level you have to possess a certain amount of confidence. It's part of being competitive. You won't find too may professional athletes with self confidence problems. I would venture to say that the top five players at every position feel the same way about their skills, their competitors, and those who evaluate them. They just don't say it to the press.

Are these statements a big deal? That's what each team's war room has to decide. With a few simple and honest statements Molk has put a lot of pressure on himself and gained the attention of all the veterans of whatever team drafts him. Not to mention what should be some serious rookie hazing.

Instead of going with the strategy of saying all the right things, Molk decided to be open and honest. We'll see if it works out for him.

Crashing the Net Hockey Podcast #1

Under Further Review's newest podcast is called Crashing the Net, a hockey and NHL show by hosts Tom Daly and Mike Callow. Be sure to follow them on twitter (@FNNTomDaly, @TomDaly2, @DCSportsFTW and @NoCredentialsPN) and check back to UFR to see their articles on the NHL as well. Listen and enjoy!

Segment 01- Tom and Mike start this week's show talking about the trades that happened this past week in the NHL.


Segment 02- Tom and Mike talk about the seven teams Rick Nash could potentially be traded to and what Columbus could get in return.


Segment 03- How can the Washington Capitals fix themselves going into the NHL Trade Deadline?

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Braun Has 50 Game Suspension Lifted

In case any of you were beginning to respect the MLB and its steroid policy's, I've got bad news for you. While all the information is not public yet, it looks as though Ryan Braun's suspension is being lifted due to a flaw in how Braun's urine sample was handled.

I'll try to be brief. Braun's urine sample was taken and supposed to be shipped to a lab for testing the Friday it was taken. Testing policy calls for the sample to be mailed "as soon as possible" The brainiac in charge of shipping, wasn't sure that Fed Ex was still open that evening. So he took it home and put it in a "cool place in his basement" and sent it out Monday(lets see here, cream corn, black beans...ah here we are Brian Braun's urine!). The arbitration panel found this move to be slightly less than professional and the suspension was overturned, making this the 1st successful appeal of a suspension in the history of the MLB...because some guy was too stupid to mail piss out on time.

Ryan Braun had originally tested positive for elevated testosterone levels after winning the National League MVP in 2011. A average persons has a T/E (testosterone/epitestosterone)is 1:1. Those in good athletic shapes may be higher. A pro athlete's levels arn't uncommonly found to be 4:1. Braun's was 20:1.


MLB officials say that the suspension should not be over turned because the sample had not been compromised in any way, and that Braun's dispute wasn't even based on the results of the sample. Doesn't matter. Since protocol wasn't followed, the test results are tossed. Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S Anti-Doping agency, called the ruling "a real gut-kick to clean athletes. No arguement here.

I don't even know where to begin with the mistakes the MLB is making with their testing protocol. My 90 year old grandfather could come up with a more efficient system than relying on the Friday hours at Fed Ex, where the guy behind the counter can't wait to lock the door and begin the weekly 6pm raid with his online buddies in Warcraft.

I'm disappointed in Braun's statements following the suspension...


"I am very pleased and relieved by today's decision," Braun said in a statement. "It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side. We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances. I have been an open book, willing to share details from every aspect of my life as part of this investigation, because I have nothing to hide. I have passed over 25 drug tests in my career, including at least three in the past year."

Ryan...you still tested positive. Just because Barry Botchjob didn't mail your pee in on time doesn't change that fact you accepted an award a few days ago that you earned while having the testosterone level of a Grizzly bear. Passing old tests means almost nothing for his credibility or for ANY athlete, as new masking agents are out all the time. As for your reputation and good name? Maybe over time people will forgive. Anybody who's a real baseball fan though will always put this little mark by your name *. Make sure you send Barry a Christmas card.

Upper 90 Soccer Show #26

After technical difficulties last week, the Upper 90 Soccer Show returns with Bode, Austin and Justin covering the biggest stories in soccer. The guys begin by looking at the massive problems facing Arsenal and Chelsea, as Austin takes a look at what his Gunners must do to return to prominence and the crew debates whether Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas deserves the axe.


And while there is trouble brewing in London, in Italy things are looking up for the much maligned Serie A, with AC Milan, Juventus and Napoli proving Italian soccer may be back to its best.


Finally, it is time for the weekly PK Predictions, including the Carling Cup final, AC Milan vs. Juventus and Bode against Austin, aka Tottenham vs. Arsenal in the North London Derby.