Friday, July 18, 2008

Chris Agorsor is living the good life

There’s nothing like a week in Southern California, one interspersed with soccer practice and a few games, midweek attendance at the ESPYs, and the finale, a nationally televised Friday night match.
It may sound like David Beckham’s itinerary. But instead, it’s the agenda of 17-year-old Chris Agorsor, who hung out on the red carpet with Will Ferrell, the Boston Celtics and Terrell Owens on Wednesday, and tonight leads the Baltimore Bays into the U.S. Soccer Development Academy under-18 national final on ESPN2 at 11.
Named the Gatorade player of the year in June, Agorsor already had attracted interest from multiple clubs in Europe before this week. But after scoring four goals in the Bays’ first tournament game last weekend, he and Bays head coach Steve Nichols can barely keep up with scouts and agents that are contacting them.
“It’s more like someone comes and whispers in my ear, ‘So-and-so would like you to come and train,’” said Agorsor, who lives in Severn and began his high school career at Sandy Spring Friends before moving to McDonogh. “Usually, I’m running around so I need to sit down and find out who wants me to go play.”
Although he’s already committed to Virginia, later this month Agorsor will travel to Germany and potentially, according to sources, England, to put his skills on display for Bundesliga and English Premier League clubs.
Will the 5-foot-7, 140-pound striker follow in the footsteps of Freddy Adu, who at 19 was named to the U.S. Olympic team on Thursday?
“It’s always tough to tell when you watch kids in an environment where they’re miles better than everyone,” said a scout for a top-level European club that may invite Agorsor for a trial. “When you’re in this environment, and then you go to training with a premiership first team or reserve team, it’s a whole different ball game. Your weaknesses become much more magnified. He’s definitely a gifted player, there’s no doubt about that.”


In Tuesday’s marathon, Sherrill shines

Orioles closer George Sherrill pitched like one of the best in baseball in Tuesday’s 4-3 win in 15 innings over the National League.
His 2 1/3 innings of relief work helped keep the game scoreless in extra innings, including striking out the Padres Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded to keep the game tied.
“He just pitches his rear end off to help the American League get a win,” ESPN analyst John Kruk said after the game. “He should be walking away with that [Chevy] Tahoe [as the game MVP].”
The seven outs Sherrill recorded were the most he’s gotten in one game in four years since he was with the Mariners. This season Sherrill is 2-4 with a 4.08 earned-run average and the left-hander has converted 28-of-34 save opportunities, second most in baseball.
“That’s my job,” Sherrill told reporters. “I gave us a chance to win and we came through. I wasn’t expecting 2 1/3, but I’ll take it.”


Fielding 101 with Professor Vizquel

San Francisco Giants shortstop, and 11-time Gold Glove winner, Omar Vizquel on playing defense, as told to The Examiner’s Brian McNally:
“Every time I take away a hit and you see their expression going back to the dugout you kind of get a kick out of it.
“And it’s amazing the kind of plays I’ve made in my career that fans can remember that I don’t. You can’t really talk about it with them until they really start describing the play for me. Then it comes back to me. Sometimes.
“I’m probably not as fast or as quick as I was 10 years ago, so I really have to position myself — knowing the pitcher, the hitter and the situation. Those are the three most important things for an infielder to be aware about.
“When you play the game for a long time, you know where a certain hitter has a tendency to hit the ball. And if you have a fastball pitcher compared to a breaking ball or a sinkerball pitcher you have to move at least a couple of steps away to position yourself in the best place.
“When you’re young you don’t really pay attention to what pitch is coming. But it will really give you an advantage if you follow the catcher’s pattern and the pitcher’s patterns. It lets you stay one step ahead of the game.”


JUST ASKING

1. Can the media please stop making ‘no Tiger’ the biggest story of every golf tournament?

2. Anyone else excited for next offseason when Brett Favre again tries to decide whether or not to retire?

3. Will the Red Sox continue to put up with Manny Ramirez after he again took a cheap shot toward the team’s front office?

4. How much longer will cyclists continue to blood dope as more and more are found out by Tour de France officials?


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

On Monday, Marcus Camby was hangin’ in Las Vegas with his boys from the Denver Nuggets. Apparently, he had no idea that by the end of Tuesday, he’d be a Los Angeles Clipper. “Blindsided, distraught, disrespected. All those adjectives. I definitely feel insulted,” Camby told the Rocky Mountain News of how he felt about his $10 million salary-cap figure being shipped to the Clippers in exchange for the right to swap second-round picks in the 2010 draft. “I didn’t realize my salary was that much compared to everyone else’s,” said Camby. “They basically dumped mine and got nothing in return.”


ON THE RECORD

“It’s devastating, but above everything else, I’m only one player, and you can never win a championship with just one player. I have the utmost confidence in this team bringing home the gold.”

— U.S. forward and leading scorer Abby Wambach, who broke her leg in the team’s final Olympic tune-up and will miss the Olympics.