On the ESPN2 broadcast they never once intimated that the first goal was a hand ball. Watching in semi realtime it never occurred to be that their might be something fish about the first goal.

As a Liverpool fan, I had a sinking feeling during the first half when Liverpool was dominating the play and could turn any of the chances into goals. It reminded me of an NFL game were your favorite team is dominating the time of possession and yards gained stats in the first, only to be up or down by a field goal at half time. An inability to convert possession and chance in the box into goals has been a leit motif for Liverpool in the last two seasons, especially against Man U.

My one complaint with Rafa Benetiz's tactics is that he started Bolo Zenden and waited to long to take him out. The 4-5-1 produced 17 shots as opposed to only 7 for AC Milan, but they could only get 4 shots on goal. With Tom Hicks and Gary Gillette on board, I'm sure they will open the bank to bring in a world class striker or two for next season.

A handball has to be deliberate. The question is whether it was ball to hand, or hand to ball.

First goals often rule, but who can forget the amazing game between these two same teams two years ago when Milan went in at half time with a 3-0 scoreline and then Liverpool pulled back three goals and finished off Milan in the penalty shootout?

These may not be in order, but this is my list.

10. Sunday's Back 9 at Augusta - Always dramatic, the Masters keeps it that way by only inviting the best of the best to participate. Now if we could only get them to stop screwing with the course...

9. Home Stretch of the Kentucky Derby - A new champion is crowned, a new triple crown winner is possible. It is the return of springtime. It doesn't matter if it's Secretariat winning by 27 lengths or a photo finish, the point is it is a renewal of hope.

8. The through-pass, breakaway soccer goal - Beating the opposition's defense is never sweeter than this.

7. Bottom 9th heroics - Comebacks in baseball are for the ages. The tension mounts, everyone, including the visitors know what's happening and they are powerless to stop it. A walk, a flare hit, and here comes the meat of your order. Rally Caps, everyone! Rally Caps!

6. The "Alley-oop" - Basketball's most entertaining play.

5. The Bomb - The QB fades back and sets. Your deep threat is streaking down the sidelines. The Safety is supposed to be the over-the-top help, but your play works perfectly and fools him. There goes the pass. It hangs in the air for an hour and drops just over the receiver's shoulder. Touchdown!

4. Pulling the goalie - Your team's down by one with a minute to go. There goes your keeper, on comes a 6th attacker. It's a desparate battle with time and your hated rival to survive for OT. And it works often enough to be really exciting.

3. The HUGE save - In Soccer or Hockey, watching a goalie totally sell out to deflect the oncoming projectile just wide of the net is simply awe inspiring.

2. The no-no - As the innings and the pitch count pile up, the opposing lineup is beginning to figure out the pitcher and the pitcher is getting tired. Can he finish the nearly impossible? Every pitch is a new chapter. Completing the no hitter is one of the best.

1. Overtime Playoff Hockey, Game 7 - It may never end. It may end in a second. You are on the edge of your seat, maybe for hours, because every possession, every mistake, every shot could be the difference between unbridled joy and a long and miserable off season.

- Ohio State v. Michigan Football. The Saturday before Thanksgiving. (actually being thankful for Maurice Clarett one year)

- Back nine at ANY major

- Chad Johnson in an end-zone

- Collisions at the plate

- Arguing with friends

- Cheerleaders/dance girls

- The Home Run

- televised table tennis and strong-man

- Mens 100m finals in the summer games + Bela Karolyi

- old American Gladiators show

Deliberate can be not moving out of the way. He turned into the ball and hit it with his arm. That's a handball. The halftime commentators pretty much all agreed it was a handball. The commentators during the game blew it.

Also, Pepe Reina's hand went up as he was getting up from the ground. That means he thought it was a handball. He was also the only Liverpool player who was able to see the ball deflect off of Inzaghi, so obviously Reina would be the only one to complain about the call. When you watch the full footage, you can see he is obviously upset that no handball was called.

And for people to minimize that call and say "well, on the whole it was called fairly." That goal was the whole game! Every watch Italian soccer? The whole point is to score the first goal and then sit on the lead. Giving an Italian team as good as Milan a gift goal like that is giving them the game.

cheerleaders/dance girls. I was just trying to be dude, but, in reality, I don't care about them. Instead I'm inserting The Ohio State University Marching Band's rendition of The Incomparable Script Ohio.

That certainly wasn't a handball, even if it did hit Inzaghi's shoulder rather than his chest (I'm still not certain).

The use of the word "deliberate" can be a bit misleading when people explaining the rule note that a handball must be deliberate; in fact even an involuntary reaction of reaching out the arm, while not deliberate in a mens rea sort of way, would still be a handball. But in Pippo's case, he was running along, essentially minding his own business, and the ball deflected off him without him breaking stride or moving his arm at all.

The real beauty of it all, and this was classic Pippo, was his reaction to the goal, which would have led you to think he'd just pulled off a Maradona/Messi stroke of genius. Then again, the second goal was also classic Pippo - clinical finishing. The man can be annoying, he falls down and gets caught offside far too much for my liking, but there are few players in world football I'd less like to see bearing down on my goalie one-on-one.