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  Eric Degerman is SportsTriCities.com's managing editor. Eric is a longtime Tri-City Herald sportswriter who spent several years covering a variety of sports, including the Tri-City Americans and golf. Eric now produces a regular Web-based sportscast that focuses on Mid-Columbia sports. Have a question for Eric? Click here to e-mail him |
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Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008
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L.A. Times famed columnist covering Solo, soccer
By Eric Degerman, sportstricities.com
It says a lot that the Los Angeles Times assigned Bill Plaschke to cover the U.S. women's soccer semifinal.
He's arguably its top sportswriter and the former Seattle P-I columnist is a regular witty talking head on sports reporters' TV shows and radio programs.
There's a huge following for soccer in Southern California. And the U.S. women's team gained huge attention in 1999 thanks to the career of Mia Hamm and the appearance Brandi Chastain's bra in Pasadena after defeating China in the finals via a shootout.
In today's editions, Plaschke's gamer of the Americans' 4-2 semifinal victory over Japan focuses on Richland High grad Hope Solo. It's understandable considering she'll get her chance to beat the Brazilians on the world stage.
Thursday, it will be for Olympic gold.
Last year, the Americans lost to Brazil in the Women's World Cup final -- but the world knows that Solo never got a chance to guard the net. And Solo's relationship with her teammates still isn't fully recovered after she ripped then-coach Greg Ryan.
A gold medal might change that. And the game is scheduled to be broadcast at 6 a.m. PDT on USA-TV.
For a more detailed profile of Solo, click here for the feature written by Mechelle Voepel of the McClatchy Newspapers.
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