DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) and Travis Barker were both critically injured and 4 others are dead (including Travis’ assistant Chris Baker from Meet The Barkers, the two pilots and another passenger) as their Learjet crashed during takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina around midnight.

While all the details have yet to emerge, the duo was in town for one of their concert series and were heading back to the Van Nuys Airport in Southern California when the crash occured.

More updated details over at TMZ as soon as they are coming in.

This kinda has that 2001 Aaliyah feel to it.

Last weekend FC Dallas took on Mexican side America in a “Friendly” down in Frisco and our boy / sometime contributer Jamie Watson just about got his leg broken near the end of the match.

Right about the 1.45 mark.  Good to see Kenny Cooper go after the guy and protect his teammates.

Ouch…  Looks like Rino Gattuso didn’t see the dugout was right behind him.

TRIPLE UPDATE -  The French wide player has returned to full training today and could be back for Juergen Klinsmann’s Champions League Match Day 2 selection with Bayern Munich facing Olympique Lyonnais.

DOUBLE UPDATE - Ribery has been scheduled to have the screw(s) removed from the initial surgery on Friday with hopes that he will be fit for action sometime in September.

UPDATE - Bayern Munich Chairman Karl-Heinze Rumminegge has stated that Ribery’s surgery in Basel, Switzerland was a success and the torn ligament in his left ankle have been repaired.

Every Munich player involved with the 2008 Euros will have at least three weeks off at the end and with Ribery’s eight week recovery period, you’d have to say it will be a welcome rest that will allow him to shut down and get his body back after an extremely long season.

(more…)

Glasgow Celtic Assistan Coach and former player Neill Lennon was attacked by three men in the Ashton Lane area of Glasgow’s West End after Celtics 4 - 2 loss to Glasgow Rangers in the first edition of the 2008 / 09 Old Firm clash at Parkhead.

Lennon is believed to have gone out after the game to grab a drink when he started getting abuse from opposing fans, leading to the violence.

A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said yesterday: “Police were called around  12.25am to a report of a 37-year-old man assaulted in Ashton Lane, Glasgow.

“The injured man was taken to hospital then discharged after treatment for minor injuries.  He did not wish to make a complaint, however police enquiries are ongoing into the incident.”

image via DailyMail 

England International and Liverpool’s heart and soul, Steven Gerrard is set to miss a couple of matches that could include England qualifiers after Rafa Benitez confirmed the midfielder needs surgery on his groin.

The 28 year old is set to have the operation on Thursday and will need somewhere in the region of 10 - 15 days of recovery time, meaning he could miss matches against Aston Villa on Sunday, England duty at home against Andorra, away four days later at Croatia and finally against Manchester United on September 13th.

“He has a groin problem, we knew it could be like this. He had a problem and now he will have an operation and will be out for 10-15 days.

“He needs to have it because he is having pain with it. When he went with the national team we knew he had a problem and in the first leg too,” said Benitez.
image via Towleroad

To the Gentleman who cheap shotted me from behind as I went up for a header in the 90th minute, thanks for the AstroTurf burn on my back fat.

Appreciated.

Boca Juniors 2 - 1 Apertura win came at a high price at the weekend as 32 year old Martin Palermo again damaged cruciate ligaments (ACL) in his right knee after an awkward fall just before halftime, the same knee and injury he had back in 1999.

With the surgery expected to take place Tuesday, Boca doctor Jose Veiga told Radio la Red, ‘We found out exactly what we didn’t want to discover.

‘Martin firstly injured the inner ligament and then the effort tore the cruciate ones. He will need five to eight months to recover.’

Palermo has scored the most goals in the history of Boca, surpassing the mark of Francisco Varallo at 193 and record held since 1939.

image via Cache

Seeing players go down with injuries is part of the game. But sometimes, these injuries are much worse than what we are used to seeing. Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini suffered suffered serious head injuries and more recently we saw Gilberto go down with an awful leg injury. This weekend in the Man City v West Ham game, City teammates Micah Richards and Tal Ben Haim clashed heads. The result was Micah Richards ended up being unconscious for eigth minutes and had to be stretchered off.  Luckily it looks like Micah escaped serious injury and he is expected to make a quick return to the game.

[Guardian]

Those were some dope ass hand stands though…