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Breaking news from Nashville – Sahel Kazemi did, in fact, shoot and kill Steve McNair before turning the gun on herself, according to police ballistics reports. This confirms what we already knew after reports that the police found the gun below her body, and after autopsy reports showed her one wound was a “contact wound”, meaning the gun was placed directly to her head.

This all but closes the case, unless the police choose to waste time trying to discover a motive. It’s not like they have anyone to ask: her friends and family are in denial that she would do this, and there were no witnesses present. And finding out why she did it won’t bring either of them back. It’s time to move on and let the families mourn in peace.

McNair, 36, and Kazemi, 20, were found dead early Saturday afternoon in McNair’s Nashville condo. McNair was shot four times at point blank range (while he was sleeping on the couch, as reported by Nashville police) before Kazemi claimed her own life.

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In the world of sports, it’s usually drama or violence that makes the most interesting stories. The human being has a morbid fascination with people acting spoiled (i.e. reality television) or violent crimes. I’ll admit, I don’t get off on it myself, but it makes for good reporting. I just wish I didn’t have to write about what happened this afternoon.

Around 2 pm, the body of Steve McNair was discovered in a Nashville apartment. He and a yet-to-be revealed woman were shot dead: the reason, unclear. McNair was 36 years old, and 2008 was his first year out of the NFL following his retirement after the 2007 season.

Anyone that was lucky enough to have either played with or watched McNair play is, without doubt, hurting severely from hearing the news. McNair was an unselfish leader and a player that didn’t know when to quit. He consistently played with injuries and never complained about his salary or team management. Steve McNair was the leader every team needs.

His diverse abilities as both a passer and scrambler helped turn the Houston Oilers, a laughingstock in the AFC, into a team one yard away from winning the Super Bowl years later, after they located to Tennessee and became the Titans. Alongside Fran Tarkenton and Steve Young, McNair is the only other quarterback to throw for more than 30,000 yards and rush for 3,500 yards over the course of his career. He was elected to the Pro Bowl three times, and with Peyton Manning, was the 2003 NFL Co-MVP.

Off the field, McNair was an even better person than he was a football player. The first thing he did after being drafted by the Oilers in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft was buy his mother, who had raised him and his siblings alone, her own tract of land and built her a new home. McNair frequently volunteered with United Way and other organizations.

Steve McNair leaves behind not only the friends he made during his years in the Titans and Baltimore Ravens organizations, but also his wife, Mechelle, and four sons, Steve Jr., Steven, Tyler, and Trenton. On a day taken aside to celebrate the freedom and independence of our nation, a tragedy such as this reminds us how valuable life really is. Keep the McNair family, their friends, and former teammates, in your prayers.

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Excuse me if I seem cynical or unpatriotic for what I’m about to say. The US men’s soccer team had no business advancing in yesterday’s Confederation Cup. They had no business celebrating such a hollow victory. Here’s why.

First of all, Brazil did most of the work. They beat down on Italy 3-0 in yesterday’s match, which is one embarrassing beatdown as far as soccer is concerned. Then again, for Brazil, this is business as usual. They’re the 5^th ranked team in the world, and have previously won 5 World Cups, more than any other nation. Granted, Italy isn’t a slacker either. Ranked 4^th in the world, and defending World Cup champions, they really had no business giving up 3 goals in any match. And that own goal to make the third goal for Brazil was just shameful. Without that goal, USA would have had to beat Egypt by 4 goals instead of 3, so Italy effectively shot themselves in the foot. Did they forget to show up, just blindly assuming Egypt or the USA would just win 1-0 or draw? Looking back, that wasn’t a wise decision. They’ve got a lot of work to do before next year’s World Cup if they plan to defend.

It’s beyond me why USA soccer is always ranked so highly. Before I even get to the rankings, consider the fact that soccer has never been one of the major sports in this country. The “big 4” is composed of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League. If a fifth sport would be added to the list, it would be NASCAR, the fastest growing sport in the country. Major League Soccer is hardly staying afloat, having to stoop so low as to lure away British superstar David Beckham to a team in Los Angeles to try to boost ratings. It hasn’t really worked. Most Americans just don’t care about soccer, and that includes me. Well, American soccer anyway.

There’s no competition, no fighting spirit in MLS. It’s downright boring. The players are likely overpaid, as most athletes are, and they don’t seem to love the game. International soccer, however, is another story entirely. I love World Cup and UEFA Cup soccer. The excitement of watching countries that feature soccer as their national pastime, the teams out there trying to win to bring home some pride for their nation – that’s what sports are really about. Not paychecks, not about the fans even. Sports are about pride, and that’s something team USA just doesn’t have or inspire.

Currently 14^th in the world, when was the last time this team did anything worthwhile? Let me refresh your memory of USA soccer. 2006, they were spanked by the Czech Republic, managed to tie Italy, and were humiliated by Ghana, a team that should have been an easy victory, not making it out of group play. Coach Bruce Arena lost his job over that sad attempt. To be fair, in 2002, they didn’t do half bad, advancing out of group play and eliminating Mexico before being beaten by the powerhouse Germany team. In 1998, team USA lost all three group matches and was ranked 32 out of the 32 participating teams. The 1994 World Cup was hosted in America, and the host team is automatically qualified, a practice I don’t believe in. You shouldn’t get a special entry for just hosting the tournament. I digress. The USA team survived group play, but was eliminated by Brazil in the next round. The previous World Cup, in 1990, had the Americans lose all three games in group play. You get the idea. USA soccer is a mediocre team that only advances by beating mediocre teams, as was the case in yesterday’s match against Egypt, ranked 40^th. It’s not a surprise that USA could score 3 goals against such a relatively weak team.

We’ll see next round how “good” USA soccer really is. In the semifinals, they’re set to face Spain, the highest ranked team in the world. Spain is on a roll, having won 15 straight international matches. That’s right, they won that many in a row. No draws in there, as is common in soccer. 15 straight wins. That’s impressive in any sport. If you ask me, team USA doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance. They’re all hopped up on adrenaline from a freak accident that let them slip by into the next round and the grim reality hasn’t set in yet. Spain is a much better team, and it will show.

This isn’t USA hockey at the 1980 Olympics. There will be no miracle. This isn’t even the World Cup yet and the US team is already getting cocky. Give it til next year in South Africa and you’ll see what I mean. I believe in miracles, but I don’t believe in USA soccer.

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