Sunday Sports Extra -- English football: I mentioned Beckham earlier -- as he turned out for the RSL stadium groundbreaking. I'd be remiss if I didn't report the real news of the weekend. The current England manager has decided to 'go in a different direction,' as they say. Not only has Beckham surrendered his England captaincy, we learned this weekend that he has lost his place on the national team. I'm not sure how you could watch the recent Cup and conclude that Beckham had much to do with England's undoing. But, he is starting to get long in the tooth. He would still be in great form for the European championships in 2008, but he probably would be past it by the time the 2010 Cup comes around. Maybe it is time for England to start the post-Beckham era.

Last word -- Liverpool dumped Chelsea 2-1 in the traditional Community Shield kick-off to the English football season. As FA Cup winners, Liverpool faced the star-studded EPL champs, and did the deed, when the gangly Peter Crouch put in the winner at the 80th minute. I'm watching the replay now -- we'll see if Crouch was right about the officiating during the Cup. He claimed that he was being whistled for fouls on plays that would be A-OK in the English leagues. I don't know -- he seems to make liberal use of his forearm. That's it for now....