Beckham’s french fry could be yours

Wonder what kind of bid Pepsi will put in for Becks' Coca Cola bottle

Are you having a hard time trying to figure out what to buy your soccer-mad loved one for Christmas?

How about some leftover food from the plate of LA Galaxy’s David Beckham?

During his recent visit to New Zealand, Becks dropped in to Nandos restaurant in Wellington for a quick bite to eat and he had barely walked out the door before people started to swoop his leftover food.

"I've never seen anything like it," waitress Jody said, wondering why they felt the need to help themselves.

It became clear the next day when the nosh appeared for sale on Trade Me, New Zealand's answer to eBay.

Among the items up for auction were a half-chewed corn on the cob, a near-empty Coca-Cola bottle (will go down well with his Pepsi sponsors, no doubt) and a single chip (french fry), which Becks carelessly dropped on the floor.

One interested party wants to know how much cola is left. "There's about 2/8 left in it, mostly backwash I would imagine," responds the seller.

"How do I know this is for real and that you haven't made it up?" asks someone else. "You can get a DNA test or something," says the proud David Beckham Coca-Cola owner.

The French fry is doing well. Last night, the top bid stood at $66, but someone has other ideas for it.

“I reckon you should pull this chip from the auction and give it to Posh. She could do with the extra 200g,” he says.

And if you think I’m making this up, check out www.trademe.co.nz.

Bradley's amazing journey ends

The amazing journey of Bradley University and Floyds Knobs native Brad Snook ended against No. 5 Ohio State on a wet and cold day at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus Sunday.

After a fairly even and scoreless first half, the wheels began to come off the Peoria Braves’ wagon one by one after a penalty was awarded against them in the 58th minute. Buckeyes senior Xavier Balc made no mistake converting the spot kick and 12 minutes later a visibly tiring Bradley found itself 4-0 the worse following goals by Geoff Marsh, Balc and Andrew Magill.

The 600 plus traveling support may have known the game was up - even considering the
The Braves’ miraculous comeback last week against Maryland when 2-0 down with 157 seconds left on the clock - but it didn’t dampen their enthusiasm.

Eight busloads left Peoria for the 400 mile trip but only seven made it as one had its journey aborted by dodgy windshield wipers.

Those on the wiper-injured bus reloaded onto the fully functioning coaches to join a few hundred other fans who made their own way just minutes before kick-off.

With the game lost, they sang and chanted as if they had just won the World Cup. “Everywhere we Go” and “Mighty Might Braves” were among the repertoire. This may have been the end of an amazing journey on the field, but it is not the end of the story.

Redshirt freshman Danny Dahlquist died just before the season started on August 12 in a house fire that resulted from a prank that went wrong. Three teammates and another friend were charged and are scheduled to stand trial in January.

Despite adversity and encouraged by Danny's parents and six brothers and sisters, the Braves showed indomitable spirit to go on and win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, share in its third consecutive MVC championship, and - despite never winning an NCAA game before this season - make it to the Elite Eight following wins over DePaul, Indiana University and Maryland.

“It's been a heck of a ride this season,” said Snook, who will return as senior next year. “From the worst thing that could possibly happen right before preseason, to now, the whole story has been pretty incredible.”

Meanwhile, Big Ten champion Ohio State, a program which will next year feature another of the area’s products in New Albany’s Nathan Driggers, take on unseeded Massachusetts - who beat Illinois-Chicago - in the College Cup semifinal at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina Friday evening (7 p.m.).

The other semifinal will see No. 11 Virginia Tech take on No. 2 Wake Forest (5 p.m.), after they recorded wins against Connecticut and Notre Dame respectively.

The final is down for decision on Sunday, with the kick-off at 3 p.m. You can follow all the action this weekend on ESPN.

Early Christmas for youth soccer

Youth soccer here has received an early Christmas present with the news that four of the area's teams have been chosen to participate in next spring's Indiana Soccer League (ISL).

Southern Indiana United's U14, U15 and U17 boys, and NetSurfers U14 girls have been given the green light to play in the league, considered the state's best, and a precursor to the Midwest Regional League.

Amongst their opponents will be such power houses as Carmel United, Indy Burn, Center Grove and Evansville.

Mike Vejar, coach of SIU's U14 Mavericks and the Indiana Youth Soccer's district commissioner for the area, said being selected for the ISL is no mean achievement.
"It's a great deal for our local clubs to get four teams in the league," said Vejar. "It is far more balanced and tougher than the Kentucky Select Soccer League, where most of our clubs have been playing."

It is not a league you just apply to get into. The Evaluation Committee, which comprises 11 members from across the state - including Vejar himself - has to vote teams in based on their credentials.

"To join the ISL you must provide a team resume, which is scrutinized greatly to ensure only the top teams in the state gain entry," said Vejar.

In the fall there are only U13 and U14 divisions with each having a 1st Division and Premier Division, which the Mavericks played in this year. In the spring, once the high school players return to their clubs, the league expands greatly, from U13 up to U18 for both boys and girls.

Each division allows a minimum of five teams and a maximum of nine, depending on the quality of the teams applying.