Random year-end news

Steven Gerrard has been awarded an MBE in the New Year honours list, for "services to sport." So, you know, good for him. It's encouraging that you can be named to the Order of the British Empire for, essentially, being a ginormous spaz.

Also encouraging: The Guardian apparently despises ESPN's football coverage as much as I (and all right-thinking people everywhere) do.

And closer to home, remember how Toronto FC was having open tryouts? The results are in, and one player -- Jamaal Smith, an 18-year-old defender from Mississauga -- has made the final cut. Personally, I think that Sportsnet missed a trick by not televising this. It could have been like our own little version of Football Icon, except with Craig Forrest instead of Jamie Redknapp.