Reviews Are Mixed on Career of Beckham
First David Beckham relinquished the captain’s armband, then he lost the first letter from the movie title he inspired.
“End It Like Beckham” read the headline on the Times of London’s website, topping an article about the latest setback in Beckham’s forgettable summer: The decision of new England Coach Steve McClaren to drop the famed midfielder from his 25-man roster for Wednesday’s friendly match against Greece.
Wrote Kevin Mitchell of the Observer: “When we look back on [Beckham’s] career, it will not be the gliding skills we remember so much as the lack of authority. In a way, he was the perfect modern captain, a beacon for a team of similarly lightweight individuals who never really faced up to their responsibilities ...
“As England captain 58 times, Beckham led a team apparently glued to disappointment. They had everything, and they won nothing. They were in turn feted and derided. And their leader, such as he ever lived up to that title, was the toothpaste-smile epitome of their shallowness.”
On the other hand: Former England star Gary Lineker, writing for the Telegraph, mounted a defense of Beckham, sort of.
“Beckham has been a top-class player for many years,” Lineker said, “and although he himself would not argue that he has lost some of his speed and sharpness, it has not dented his ability to pass a ball.
“He was never the quickest of players, in any case, but it is all relevant to your own ideals of sharpness.... “
Trivia time: England won three matches in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Who scored the winning goal in two of them?
Ups, downs, he’s had a few: The website 4thegame.com offers a list of highs and lows from Beckham’s career. Some outtakes:
“High: Voted the BBC’s 2001 Sport Personality of the Year.
“Low: Criticized by church leaders after appearing in a magazine photo-shoot draped in crucifixes.
“High: Awarded OBE in Queen’s Honours list.
“Low: Beckham’s wife admits her husband likes to wear her underwear, but later claims it was a joke.”
Tennis fix needed: Promoters for this summer’s local professional tennis tournaments had dreams of Andre Agassi against Lleyton Hewitt in the men’s final at UCLA and Maria Sharapova against Serena Williams in the women’s final at the Home Depot Center.
What they got: Tommy Haas (ranked No. 21 in the world) against Dmitry Tursunov (No. 33) at UCLA and Elena Dementieva (No. 6) against Jelena Jankovic (No. 28) at Carson. Four finalists, only one ranked in the top 20.
On the down side: This is why interest in pro tennis continues to sag in this country. On the plus side: At least we know the matches aren’t rigged.
Trivia answer: Beckham.
And finally: New Orleans Saints quarterback Adrian McPherson was injured in an exhibition Saturday night by a blitz of a different kind -- a runaway cart driven by the Tennessee Titans’ mascot.
Early reports say the Titans’ mascot is presently mulling offers from NASCAR and the San Francisco 49ers.