1. There's talk of FC Dallas partnering with Liverpool. That'd be fantastic for FF, who lives in Big D.

2. Tonight's UFC 71 has a huge fight: Chuck "Iceman" Liddell v. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Liddell's the UFC LHW champ and on a roll. The last guy he lost to? Jackson, in 2003. The rematch is tonight. I'm picking Liddell, for three reasons: (1) Although Liddell has never admitted it, reliable sources indicate that he had a fairly serious quad injury during their first fight, which would have affected both his ability to train cardio and his punching power. (2) Jackson has suffered three vicious knockout losses since that fight, and a fighter's agression and chin are never the same after one vicious knockout, let alone three. (3) The cage favors Liddell, who uses it expertly to avoid getting cornered as well as for leverage to get up if he is taken down.

This is not a fight to miss.

FF

Milan 2, Liverpool 1. A tough loss. The Scousers acquitted themselves well, controlling play in the first half and generally neutralizing Milan's stars. The second goal came at the end of the second half, when the Reds' energy was flagging. And that's not meant to take anything away from Milan. This was a match played as Liverpool wanted it to be played, and Milan still won.

In my book, Nesta was the player of the game. He prevented several budding Liverpool attacks from turning into real threats. Others will choose Inzaghi, on account of his brace, and that's not entirely unreasonable. Here's a guy who has never been close to the most talented forward in the game, and yet he's made a career of right place right time scoring. Goals count however you obtain them.

I close with the obvious:

"When you walk through a storm,
Hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm,
There's a golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone...
You'll never walk alone.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone...
You'll never walk alone. "

See you next season, Reds!

FF

P.S. Blogging will continue in the offseason. There's USMNT soccer and MMA to talk about.

It comes down to this. Liverpool-Milan II: The Rematch. 2:45 EST, ESPN2. If you are going to watch one soccer game all year, this is absolutely the one to watch.

Will my Reds win again and confirm two years ago was no fluke? Will beautiful Milan replicate their masterpiece against Man U (and the first half of the 2005 final) and blow Pool off the field? I don't know.

The truth is that I'm too scared to offer predictions...other than this: Whatever the outcome for my boys, there will be no walking alone.

FF