A Boy Can Dream
Could Kevin Keegan's quasi-support of Beckham's century and backhanded compliments have been an act of courtship? Rumours have it he's still trying to lure Becks back into the EPL (source )...and more specifically, Newcastle. I personally nearly hyperventilated with laughter at the initial suggestion (YMMV, of course); now I figure if Kevin wants to cling to a dream, we might as well let him.

But if we reexamine the case, let's put aside Newcastle's record and focus on the bottom line: Lalas will not give Beckham up without a fight, and Newcastle's not the sort of club to wage that war. And David has as much as said Man Utd is the only EPL club he's ever wanted to play for, so to end up anywhere else would be a strange decision. He's committed to what he's doing in America—5 year contract aside—and seems to have a real sense of purpose here. He'd serve no real purpose, except perhaps Keegan's, by crossing the pond to the Tooner side. Still, for anyone hopeful he'll return to the EPL, Keegan's rumoured tenacity may be some glimmer of optimism.


Becks Boosts Undies by 150%
Good news on the commercial appeal front! Perez Hilton has reported a 150% sales increase on Armani underwear in London shops in response to Beckham's sizzling ad. What's more, customers are apparently making pilgrimages to the stores for a better view of the advert photo. c/o The Daily Telegraph, who got it from Perez Hilton, who got it from The Telegraph. How's that for a demonstration of his undies' viral pull?


Beckham Boys on Two Wheels
David hit the LA streets with Brooklyn and Romeo (Cruz is in NYC with Victoria) for a bit of father/sons bonding on bicycles. Here's where I get to make those of you who've been begging me to trade my words for photographs happy.

Check the gallery for more photos (as should be your rule; my posts are news-driven, occasional photos and videos as I can find them—however, there's always activity going on in the gallery, which is now very neatly organised!). I didn't locate them, but the one above is from this brief article in The Sun.


"Never Forget"
Speaking of the gallery, there is also a beautiful photograph of a bouquet sent by the Beckhams to Manchester for the Munich Air Disaster tribute, replete with lovely sentiment. Videos of the ceremony yesterday are hitting YouTube, so for those interested in the current United goings-on (even in absence of David) have plenty of emotional viewing ahead of you!


ESPN Wins the Ball
Great news: According to a Galaxy press release, the Pan-Pacific cup will be broadcast on ESPN! Unfortunately for those with only basic cable, or providers that don't carry it, the TV broadcast will only be on ESPN Classic. On the web, ESPN360 will offer it. Sadly that too is limited by Internet provider. You can visit ESPN360 now and check if your ISP allows you to view ESPN360. With luck it will also be picked up on p2p and as the dates get closer I'll post any info I can find about options for watching the tournament online. Keep your eye out for any other TV stations that may pick it up—but with competition as large as ESPN, that may be unlikely (at least in North America). We'll keep you updated!

The tentative schedule is LA Galaxy vs. Gamba Osaka on the 20^th at 6pm local time (11pm EST) with Sydney FC vs. Houston Dynamo at 8.30pm local (1.30am EST) . On the 23^rd it's unknown what teams will play when (it will depend on the 20^th's results), but the two match slots are 6pm local (11pm EST) with a broadcast delay on ESPN Classic until 3.30am, and 8.30pm local (1.30am EST).

You can keep up with the PPC news at the tournament's homepage, too.


Posted by Dina Ely, soccer editorial/commentary writer. Blog: Eleven Men