They Said It

"I wonder if his cousin even existed. Is his cousin made up?" Said Kansas City Royals pitcher John Bale, on Alex Rodriguez's claim that a cousin of his injected him with "Boli", a banned performance-enhancing drug better known as Primobolan.

A Keane Disappointment

When Robbie Keane joined Liverpool in the pre-season, I was so delighted that the Reds have finally found a capable partner for Fernando Torres.

And when Keane was struggling mightily early on, I always told myself that he would be alright, and what he needed was time.

Sure enough, Keane gradually picked up his form, and his ability to maintain possession started to pay dividends, as Liverpool sat atop the Premiership at the turn of the year.

But suddenly, Keane started to be left off the substitutes list and rumours said that his return to Tottenham Hotspur was imminent.

Then came the disappointing news that Keane had indeed been sold back to the Spur and his spell with the Reds, his favourite team since childhood, lasted less than half a season.

And I am not pleased about it.

With Keane gone, the only true striker the Reds have apart from Torres is David N'Gog, a teenager so young and inexperienced that he always seems clueless whenever he's on the pitch. So I won't be surprised to see manager Rafael Benitez sending N'Gog on loan to somewhere else after the season (and possibly making the move permanent shortly afterwards), meaning that the Reds' search for Torres' partner will continue next season.

I always like Keane, a hard-working player on the pitch. With Dirk Kuyt in the side, Liverpool had two of the hardest-working players in the Premiership. Yet somehow that wasn't enough to guarantee Keane a spot in the starting line-up, as Rafa, most atypically, quickly came to the conclusion that the addition of Keane was a mistake.

Who will be brought in next season? Judging from Rafa's poor track record, whoever brought in will more than likely be a disappointment again.