By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

The 20^th Major League Soccer franchise is coming, and the target year for it to begin play is 2016. All signs point to that franchise being the second one in the New York metropolitan area.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

I’d never seen Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero fight before until I finally watched a recording of this past weekend’s welterweight boxing bout with Andre Berto on HBO.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

For some 90 minutes Monday, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber addressed media members in a teleconference.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

Sigh.

If only Oregon would have beaten Stanford. Then the Ducks would, with a win a in the Pac-12 championship game that they surely would have gotten, be playing for the national championship of college football.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

Sports is kind and cruel, happy and sad, exhilarating and frustrating, but always there every day. And for sports, among other things in life, I’m thankful this Thanksgiving week.

Let me be more specific, with 17 things I’m thankful for in sports.  It’s just a number I came up with, nothing special about it.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

I’m watching HBO’s “24/7 Pacquiao-Marquez 4” with some interest, trying to figure out why Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez are fighting for a fourth time.

Is this the premier rivalry in boxing? Do fans have to see it four times? Does a fourth fight mean there just aren’t enough good rivalries in boxing right now?

Answers: Yes, no and yes.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

In light of an over-the-top attempt to market a sport and a team to Latinos in said team’s area, it’s time to look at this “attracting the Latino audience” thing.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

 It’s never fun when your favorite team loses a big game. Especially when you actually have a lot invested in that team, as in actual money, and a college degree from the university.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

 Somebody please tell me why there was even a hint of doubt as to whom the American League most valuable player is.

Tell me what argument can beat a triple crown. Best betting average, most home runs, most runs batted in.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

The Miami Marlins were cool again. They’d hired a Latino manager and a good one at that, Ozzie Guillen. They were moving into a new ballpark close to downtown. They spent a ton of money on free agents like shortstop Jose Reyes, closer Heath Bell and starting pitcher Mark Buehrle.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

AVONDALE, Ariz. – My Sunday spent at Phoenix International Raceway for the Advocare 500 was full of firsts. First NASCAR race, first pace car ride, first time in the pits, etc.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

AVONDALE, Ariz. – When NASCAR reached out to me a couple of weeks ago inviting me to Sunday’s Advocare 500, something told me to jump at the chance. When they told me I’d get to ride in a pace car and be down on the track pre-race, I knew I couldn’t pass it up.

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By Jose M. Romero / https://twitter.com/RomeroJoseM

The National Hockey League lockout continues, and all indications are that the NHL players association and the league aren’t closer to reaching an end to the labor negotiations.

Talks broke off on Friday though it seemed possible there could be more discussions over the weekend.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For FOX Deportes

PHOENIX – It was snowing in New York. In the 50s in the Pacific Northwest. Overcast and in the 40s in Chicago.

But there wasn’t a cloud in the sky with the temperature near 90 degrees in east Phoenix, where I watched an Arizona Fall League baseball game on Wednesday afternoon between the Phoenix Desert Dogs and the visiting Peoria Javelinas.

The league features six teams made up of some of the top prospects in professional, top young minor-leaguers who are their respective major-league club’s best hopes for the future.

The Desert Dogs have players from the Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics organizations. The Javelinas, based out of Peoria, Ariz., northwest of Phoenix, are made up of minor-leaguers from the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.

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By Jose Romero / @RomeroJoseM

I’ll say it to just get it out of the way: I’m L.A. Dodgers for life, sworn enemy of all things San Francisco Giants.

It’s hard enough to have deal with the fact that San Fran has more World Series titles than the Dodgers, seven to six.  I don’t like them, none of them, never will.

And then came Sergio Romo.

I interviewed him at spring training in Scottsdale once. He was nice enough. It was fun story about those dark beards he and teammate Brian Wilson have. He was a good sport.

Then I saw Romo on Twitter, calling a fellow Mexican American pitcher “raza.” I started to think this was one Giant, but only one, that I could actually pull for.

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