DLD 12/02/09 - I'm here to talk about the Pass
by bobnothing on Dec 2, 2009 2:55 PM PST
Email
PrintI’m here to talk about the Pass… and Move. And, in a way, the Liverpool Groove.
So, in the Summer of 2010, just around the time we’ll be wondering why Travis Buck was able to produce in Chicago, but not in Oakland, it’s the 2010 World Cup. Yes, this is mostly about Soccer. Skip to the bottom now, if you want. But you’ll be missing out on some more comedy rapping, is all I’m saying.
Anyway, the World Cup. We’ll circle back round to that in a minute.
As some of you may know, I haven’t had a proper job for a while (incidentally, if anyone needs some web marketing done, get in touch. Or, yknow. A lawn mowed?). But this doesn’t mean that I lack ambition, or anything. Oh no. A couple of friends and I are in the process of putting on a Soccer Film Festival this summer, to coincide with the World Cup, called Goals on Film.
And yes, coming up with that name does represent one of the crowning moments of my life.
I’ve always thought that a great sports film is one that transcends the sport that it’s actually about – it’s got something about it that you don’t have to care, or know about the sport in question in order to enjoy it. Major Leagues, for instance, makes sense if you changed it to a film about a struggling Scrabble team, trying to make the grade, copying with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to win both the day, and the chance of a sequal.
I scored 331 at Scrabble over Thanksgiving, incidentally. This is another crowning achievement of mine.
Anyway. Hopefully we’ll be able to transcend Soccer, and tap into the universality of sporting endeavor with our choices of film.
So, this festival is a loooong ways away, right? Right! Why am I mentioning it now, aside from self indulgence? Well, our website is launching tonight (fingers crossed!), at www.goalsonfilm.com, and on Friday morning, 9am, I’ll be live blogging the World Cup draw, live from My Front Room. I’d like to extent the offer to all and sundry to join us, as I mock Sepp Blatter's comedy head.
He still has more hair than I do.
So as this is meant to be a DLD, and not just simple self aggrandizement, I’d like to leave you with something.
Soccer has a long history of teams (and players) releasing pop singles to coincide with events as monumental as finishing third in the second division. I myself have featured on two of them, but alas, these are lost to history.
Here are some of my favorites:
True story – they wanted to call this song ‘E for England’. It was made for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. England lost on penalties. England always lose on penalties.
Lyndisfarne and Paul Gascoigne, Fog on the Tyne
One of the worst pieces of music ever made. Of all time. Ever. Paul Gascoigne was something of a soccer equivalent of Manny Ramirez, except his breasts were comedy plastic ones, and not the result of a steroid masking agent.
For the World Cup in 1982. Alas, they didn’t quite match up to the heights that this song touches (anything with a whispered voice over is ok by me), and they went out in the group stages. England, of course, didn’t even qualify this year.
So – anyone care to contribute a favorite sporting song?
Failing this; what’s your own greatest sporting achievement? Mine was winning the 200m spring when I was 10 years old, and the kid who finished before me was disqualified for cutting into my lane. I would totally have taken him, is for sure.
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I don't know anything about soccer but this is cool
Silent Monks Singing Halleluia
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
Bob, I'm torn.
I hate soccer. I openly mock it. But I love DLDs.
I’m torn.
I need help.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
transcend the sport!
embrace the universality of the mixing bowl that pits one man against another.
Or just go watch ‘Welcome to the Thunderdome’
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
I get excited around World Cup time and I do see the draw.
but…
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 2, 2009 4:06 PM PST up reply actions
it's alright - no-one is making you like soccer.
Seriously. Pop songs about sports, though? Mostly great, right.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
It's a remnant from growing up where I did, when I did.
Intellectually, I understand that soccer is not inherently for the weak and feeble, but my prejudices against it run deep.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 4:59 PM PST up reply actions
Hey, I didn't want to cover everything
Gotta leave some room for people to add comments.
But yes, that one, tremendous
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
I was trying to take exams during that tournament
Somewhat distracting, to say the least
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
As I say - my list was not meant to be definitive, but to spark discussion
Also, the New Order one is better
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Agreed, 100%
The New Order song is most definitely better. It might also be the only #1 single they ever had.
by still bills kingdom on Dec 2, 2009 8:36 PM PST up reply actions
They'll always HIT you and HURT you
Thinking about it I probably do like it better than Three Lions, it’s just I’ve heard Three Lions less so it sounds fresher.
Did anyone else have this Barmy Army record?
Okay, I need help here peoples.
I’m gonna buy a new game tonight. I lovelovelove Fallout 3. Any suggestions?
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
Deus Ex.
It’s almost ten years old, yes, but it’s still one of my absolute favorites. It’s an FPS, technically, but it’s chock full of RPG elements. Plus, you can play it a million times and get something new out of it every time.
No, there's no light,
in the darkest of your furthest reaches.
This is true.
Deus Ex fucking rocked.
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
Uncharted 2 is supposed to be good, almost like a movie
I’m sure you probably have heard of COD: Modern Warfare 2.
That being said, I have never played Fallout 3 so . . .
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
that's cause you're a Nintendo guy.
but maybe get it for the computer if you play on yours. It’s awesome. AWESOME.
And not like a package of hot dogs.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 2, 2009 10:06 PM PST up reply actions
Okay, I bought Dragon Age. I'll give a full report.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 2, 2009 11:18 PM PST up reply actions
Started my second playthrough of it tonight
Already planning my third. If you’re not playing Modern Warfare 2, then you should be playing Dragon Age.
rebuildingseason.blogspot.com
by Rebuilding Season on Dec 3, 2009 12:18 AM PST up reply actions
I was less than impressed with the first MW.
Dragon Age seems VERY cool so far.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 1:17 AM PST up reply actions
Yeah, I started it last weekend.
It’s a really technical RPG, something I have pretty much no experience in, but it’s still extremely engaging and just flat out fun to play.
No, there's no light,
in the darkest of your furthest reaches.
I'll stick to Ms. Pac Man,
TYVM
"Sniff some krazy glue, and start a religion!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Dec 3, 2009 10:49 AM PST up reply actions
Dragon Age.... so far so good
I started a my game about a week and a half ago and it’s a good game (Bioware games usually are) the story is solid and the combat is fun.
I finished Fallout 3 last week and it’s an amazing game and is now probably in my top 10 of all time.
Make sure you download the Warden’s Keep DLC Mr.Bloom especially if you’re playing as a warrior. What did you chose as your origin? I went human noble warrior.
The only good part of this cold weather and my girlfriend working until 11pm is that I’m getting more gaming time in then I have in years.
dwarf commoner.
good times.
Fallout 3 may be the best game I’ve ever played. Certainly in my top ten.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 5:00 PM PST up reply actions
there uproar from conservative values groups on Dragon Age
apparently, there is a situation in which you can have semi-graphic gay sex.
hawt.
I like animated gay sex.
but only when there are others nearby making bird calls.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 5:21 PM PST up reply actions
A's poking tires on Kameron Loe
Methinks these tires are flat.
"She's kinda got cankles, our kids are gonna have to play soccer." ~ Mrs. "Disco" Hayes
I'll assume you've already booked your trip to Comiskey
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
by cuppingmaster on Dec 2, 2009 7:53 PM PST up reply actions
er, US Cellular
whatever they call it these days
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
by cuppingmaster on Dec 2, 2009 7:54 PM PST up reply actions
"A Bunch Of A**holes Park"
"Sniff some krazy glue, and start a religion!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Dec 3, 2009 10:49 AM PST up reply actions
Nah, that's Wrigley.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 5:00 PM PST up reply actions
do you have a search set up so that whenever Travis Buck's name is mentioned on the internet, you get an email?
You should; it’s how I keep track of Liz Hatch and her, uh, achievements
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Liz Hatch
Nice body, don’t know about the face though. Much rather have Megan Fox.
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
by cuppingmaster on Dec 2, 2009 8:28 PM PST up reply actions
I think that's what the aliens on Sesame Street used to say.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 5:00 PM PST up reply actions
Liz Hatch = cyclist, Megan Fox = the end of society
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Hi
I have great news, but I am not sure if you’ll ever see my comment.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Dec 2, 2009 10:16 PM PST up reply actions
Great News
I asked this one girl to the school dance on the 12th and she said yes.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Dec 3, 2009 4:13 PM PST up reply actions
YAY!
Go, RRS!
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 5:01 PM PST up reply actions
Thanks
I’m excited and nervous at the same time!
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Dec 3, 2009 6:34 PM PST up reply actions
BTW, 331 is very impressive, Bob.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
thanks! can you tell how excited I am about it?
(very)
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
heads-up or multiplayer?
"Sniff some krazy glue, and start a religion!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Dec 2, 2009 7:53 PM PST up reply actions
one on one - the true test of a man
though, my friend got a little peeved when I played the word “en”, on account of it not being a word she used.
She then later played “Qi”
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
If you hang out with people into Eastern medicine,
they really do talk about “qi” a lot. It’s the same thing we used to call “chi”, but “qi” is how the cool people spell it.
Not to be a Scrabble snob or anything (oh, who am I kidding?) but if you’re a real Scrabble player you don’t judge a game by your absolute score. That’s like judging a hitter by his RBIs. In a closed game it can be a great accomplishment to win 210-180, or in an open game you can play slop and still finish 410-380.
(I do appreciate that you disdain multiplayer Scrabble. Three-player Scrabble is an abomination.)
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
It's just a romanization thing.
Once Mandarin found an international standardized form of romanization (in the 80’s?), they started changing the spelling of things to match it. Qi is the correct pronunciation (“chee”). The i in chi sounds more like the i in is.
No, there's no light,
in the darkest of your furthest reaches.
Oh yeah, I have no problem with the word, at all
It was more that my friend complained (not too much, truth be told) when I played one of the mor esoteric words off the two letter word list, and then did the same thing herself later.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Pinyin transliteration was introduced in 1958
and was designated the official Romanization system by China then. International organizations didn’t officially adopt it till the 1980s.
The “q” sound, by the way, is not exactly the same as our “ch”. It should be pronounced with the tongue in roughly the position for “t” and with no lip action. (It’s the exact same sound as in Japanese name like “Ichiro”.) Pinyin also has a “ch”, which does sound like our “ch”.
In general, I am opposed to the promiscuous expansion of the official Scrabble lexicon, but the introduction of QI did improve the game.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Oh no, I quite agree. Still, just like there's .300 barrier for BA, so there's a 300 barrier in Scrabble score
even if it’s a psychological on.
It’s sounding more and more like there should be an AN scrabble tourney
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
an AN Scrabble tourney would be completely brutal...
I’d prefer an AN Texas Hold’Em tourney, though…
"Sniff some krazy glue, and start a religion!"- The Reverend Billy Lard
by Gaijin_Suketto on Dec 3, 2009 10:53 AM PST up reply actions
I'd get into that.
Not the Scrabble one, I’m dreadful at that.
No, there's no light,
in the darkest of your furthest reaches.
I think I would enjoy the Texas Hold 'em tourney more
than the Scrabble tourney … in spite of the fact that I’d probably be a contender at Scrabble but would get absolutely creamed in poker.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
I'd be MUCH more inclined toward poker than Scrabble.
Not to keep referencing my upbringing, but I was scarred via Scrabble as a child.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 5:02 PM PST up reply actions
Count me in on either
No idea how either could possibly happen but that would be fun.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Here's my favorite from my childhood, when Portland was known as Soccer City, USA
Click on Green is the Color and you can relive the NASL heyday. I love the internet.
omg. OMG.
This is amazing. I’m super excited to have heard this.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
US kinda got shafted in the seeding process
They’re the top team in their pot… which contains 5 of the 7 worst teams in the field. I don’t really understand why FIFA put CONCACAF and AFC together again, since that was the pairing last time… and just like last time, odds are the US will be playing 2 European teams, one or both of them powerhouses, and an African team.
The system as it’s currently set up seriously shafts the good teams from the bad confederations (like the US, Australia, Ivory Coast) at the expense of the bad teams from the good confederations (your Uruguays and Slovenias). I get that they’re trying to minimize the number of matchups between same-confederation teams in the group stage, but… is treating the US (and everyone in its confederation for that matter) as the equivalent of a last-place seed really essential to that process? They have “computers” now which can seed teams sanely and still keep same-confederation matchups from happening.
With the system as it is, it’s almost impossible for the US NOT to be in the “group of death” unless they get drawn with South Africa. And even there they’d have to contend with home field advantage.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
PT, if you don't think there's an anti-US bias in worldwide footie...
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
bingo
(hate to really say it too much, though; always seems like sour grapes and it doesn’t get us anywhere)
by still bills kingdom on Dec 2, 2009 8:45 PM PST up reply actions
yeah, I'd agree
it’s a world cup – seeding should be done in something approaching a meritocratic way. Obviously, due to the relatively small number of international games played, it’s hard to come up with a watertight ranking system, but I reckon it’d be better than what it is now.
We to be denied, this year, for instance, the mouth watering possibility of Team USA vs North Korea
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Good analysis, PT
It really does seem unfair that CONCACAF and the Asian teams ended up in the same pot again- would’ve been nice to see a different arrangement. All one can really do now is hope against hope that the U.S. gets drawn with South Africa, as you mentioned; at least this way they’ll get one UEFA team and one CONMEBOL team, and if they get lucky enough would have a solid chance of advancing.
But odds are very good that they’ll be in a very tough group again, which could mean another “three and out; wait four more years” basically.
Still, it could be worse- imagine how the Irish fans feel… (to say nothing of some bitterly disappointed Russians and Costa Ricans, amongst others.)
by still bills kingdom on Dec 2, 2009 8:44 PM PST up reply actions
eh, the irish fans could do well to remember
this, before they start to mither too much
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Wow....now there's a word I never heard before! It's ok....no need to mither about responding!!
They say you will remember a new word if you use it.
mither is a word that kind means... fret? combined with complaining.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
speaking of the Irish,
(and no, this has nothing to do with soccer) — I learned today that “craic” (pronounced “crack”) is an Irish word meaning something like “fun”… so in context, it would sound something like “we had some great craic tonight”… which sounds funny to American ears. We all started cracking (ha) jokes about crack… of course.
by whiteshoes40 on Dec 2, 2009 10:15 PM PST up reply actions
what's unfair
is the number of teams europe gets to send. they fill a whole pot plus half+ of the top-seed pot.
as far as north america/caribbean being paired with asia being a specific shaft to the US… meh. did FIFA give the shaft to mexico too? besides, half of pot 3 and of 4 is crap, just like half of pot 2. so the chances of coming out at least second in any group is still pretty good for any team worth its salt.
but if i was rooting for the US, i’d be complaining about it not getting into the top seed group. if FIFA can put ranking aside to put the host country in pot 1, shouldn’t they also put ranking aside to make sure one from each confederation, say, the winner of each, is represented in pot 1?
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 2, 2009 11:54 PM PST up reply actions
I agree, too, on the number of European teams getting through
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
and actually - the 'top your qualifying tournament, get a top seed' idea is interesting
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
It would certainly raise the stakes, wouldn't it?
However, it would also be very awkward for Africa and Asia to determine the champion the way their qualifiers are set up right now. And it might also detract from continental championships (isn’t the “real” AFC champion the one who wins the continental title?).
AV is wrong; Pot 2 is clearly worse than pots 3 and 4.
Mexico’s gonna struggle, too; the way the draw is set up you would expect their group and the US group to be the two most difficult.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Yeah, there are definitely difficulties with it
I think we all agree (even though my team, England, has rather ridiculously benefitted from it) that the way that the draw is set up is unfair to certain teams.
I think that the Mexican and the US groups are only going to be the most difficult groups because they themselves, being the strongest teams in their pot, are in them; certainly, I’m hoping that England don’t get drawn in the same group. Even though, I have to say, I’d fancy our chances.
England, of course, being nailed on for a dissapointing quarter final exit.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
is it wrong
to exaggerate? not by billions of miles!
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 3, 2009 12:55 PM PST up reply actions
All in all I think things worked out pretty good for the U.S.
We didn’t get South Africa but did manage to get one of the more manageable groups in the draw. Algeria and Slovenia shouldn’t be overlooked as any team that makes it to the World Cup has to be pretty good I think the U.S. should be favored. England is a very tough match up for us because they are not bothered by physical play but it is definitely one I am looking forward to watching
Yeah, I'm really excited about it
I’m confident England will win, but still; should be fun. And yeah, I reckon Team USA will do enough in the other two games to go through
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
I think Rotoworld broke
Apparently Pedroia is a shortstop, as well as Adam Kennedy.
"Chicks dig the long ball, although fat chicks will settle for warning track power" - Nick Diamond
Pedroia
The Red Sox might be moving him there, though.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Dec 2, 2009 10:14 PM PST up reply actions
here in red sox land
they’re talking about moving Pedroia to short AND signing Crosby.
I’m struggling to evaluate moving Pedroia to short. Signing crosby – I’m not struggling to evaluate that.
The A's. The SWINGING A's. That's right, the SWINGING A's.
by eastcoasta'sfan on Dec 3, 2009 2:14 PM PST up reply actions
Any tech geeks or Modders in AN land?
This guy has a 10 minute video showing the creation of his modded xbob/computer thingy. About halfway through I thought it was going to look kind of crappy, the final product looked pretty slick.
The quality of the video is also amazing despite it just being him working on his mod. Also the music is excellent. It is a giant mash-up of rap and rock (couple of NSFW raps btw).
OS Xbox Pro Video
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
it's pretty awesome from a design and build perspective
But I don’t get the guy’s fascination with the XBox shape. As mentioned in his last blog post, he could have overcome the power supply wattage problem and gotten the same, if not nearly the same, Nehalem processor in the Mac Pro had he simply used a stock case. That would have also given him room for multiple graphics cards, if desired, and a proper RAID stack using faster and larger 3.5" drives. (I thinking the new 2TB WD RE series drives). AND he could have put in a Blu-Ray burner and HDMI/Display Port out just for the hell of it/because he can.
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
by cuppingmaster on Dec 2, 2009 8:17 PM PST up reply actions
I am neither tech geek or modder
I just saw the link on a video game webcomic and thought the video looked pretty. So basically when I read your reply I see " Xbox, greek, greek, greek, Blu-Ray, greek, HD, greek . . ." ;-)
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
The fine title of this DLD
is surpassed only by the excellent name of your film festival. Though the latter has set Duran Duran running through my head, which may be the end of me.
Everybody's got a little light under the sun.
embrace it!
and thanks for your kind words
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Rough loss for Cal hoops tonight
Only bright side: the selection committee is not made up of idiots like the polls, and realizes that losing at New Mexico is not a “bad loss.”
Still, this is an uber-disappointing start to what was supposed to be a great season.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
They'll improve
Come March Cal should be on a pretty good roll as they cruise through the (pedestrian) Pac-10 field. And I sure wouldn’t want to see that veteran roster and coach anywhere near my team in the NCAA bracket…my team in particular, in fact, since Carolina’s guards are so suspect.
Everybody's got a little light under the sun.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Dec 2, 2009 8:42 PM PST up reply actions
Ah. Soccer. My OTHER favorite sport.
Thanks for the post…..so looking forward to the WC and I mean the WORLD CUP!!! Next year will also have the Olympics….but we have to get through the holidays first…..
Yeah, non-leap even years have the best sports
I love the Winter Olympics even more than the summer variety. I mean, other than a handful of boring artsy things like figure skating and half-pipe snowboarding, it’s pure athletic goodness.
I’m hoping for expanded streaming coverage of the peripheral events this time around (biathlon, woo!). That made the 2008 Summer games a ton more interesting (and also a ton more sleep-depriving :p).
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Least the winter Olympics are in our time zone.
Though they’ll probably still tape-delay the west coast….
I've been tivo-ing games to try to get in the habit of not watching sports live
It’s so bleeding ridiculous.
Well, the outdoor sports basically have to be done during the daytime
You can’t run the downhill at 8 pm Eastern. So tape delay is inevitable if you want people to actually be able to, you know, watch the thing.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
The have big lights
And I just find sports a lot less interesting when I know the results. And I’m not bloody likely to be off the interwebs for the hours between the event and the eventual showing. Show a replay latter, if it’s a big event – but for something that only comes around once every 2-4 years( depending on how you look at it ), it sucks that you don’t even get the option of watching live events.
I avoid all sports sites during the Olympics except when it's the dead of night at the Games site
and I already know all the results from the prior day.
I agree it sucks, but I don’t see how it’s any different from TiVoing an east coast A’s game when you’re at work and trying to avoid hearing the score on the way home.
And as I noted, they did massively increase the amount of streaming coverage in 2008. That probably won’t get the job done for the marquee daylight-only events (and no, doing Olympic-level skiing at night is NOT an option— christ, it’s dangerous enough as it is) which they may insist on bumping back to prime time, but hopefully (fingers crossed) it’ll be available for many other events.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
They do stage both the Luge (and assorted bobs) and Ski Jumping at night, though
both of which are great fun
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
No night ski jumping this time around, according to Wikipedia
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
The light comment
was certainly mostly tongue in cheek.
Though of the big draw events, they could surely schedule the ones that needed daylight to culminate on the weekend. There are plenty of other events for the weekdays that could be lighted, at least I would think.
I can generally avoid the major sports sites, but when I can’t check digg, reddit, even blog sites like AN – hell even things like xbox live – well that’s just not going to happen. I’m going to know that Phelps barely beat out some fool in his quest to become the best pot-smoking athlete out there( tough act for Lincecum to follow, no? ).
I also don’t tivo A’s games, for precisely the same reason. I’ll game-cast till I can get off work, and occasionally listen to the audio depending on how work’s going, and then hope to catch the end at home.
Plus, they don’t tape delay the world series, or the superbowl and those happen every year. You think that something that only rolls around once every 2-4 years with this sort of excitement could be live too…
I actually prefer the approach of favoring the athletes over ideal media coverage
They try to make the events somewhat convenient and non-unpleasant for the competitors, which is a welcome relief from ridiculous shit like “playing night baseball in 30-degree November weather.” Improves the quality of competition. Although they did sell out to NBC on swimming last time around, so unfortunately the days of that approach might be coming to an end…
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Oh. Well, that's the shame
the visual of a man lauching himself into the night sky on a pair of skis is a particularly striking one, I feel
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
so I'm up in the middle of the night watching the World Cup why?
Why are the Olympics different? Why can’t there be a channel for humans who like to watch sports live, and another for my mom?
When I was in high school,
hockey games were almost always played in the dark.
But then, during hockey season the sun came up at about 10:00 am and went down at about 3:00 pm, so there wasn’t much choice.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
you grew up in Northern Indiana, too?
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 9:53 PM PST up reply actions
Anchorage
I don’t think you get that much darkness in Indiana.
I’m just glad that someone else remembers outdoor hockey. I fully expected one of the 20-somethings to say, “Yeah, but he said outdoor sports; hockey is an indoor sport.”
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Yeah, sun came out about 8:30 and went away about 4.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 10:47 PM PST up reply actions
Olympic hockey is an indoor sport…
Although there, ironically, they have to play games in the daytime so that they can actually get all the games in.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
ok fine, i'll bite
i’ve managed to stay a lurker since coming back from my month in argentina, but you bring up futbol and i’m all over it. thanks bob, you made me log in with your enticing topic. here goes a good 1/3 of my every work day, which i’d been hoping to keep to myself till spring training. with the other non-sleep 1/3 probably to be spent at this new NBnation forum.
one of my favorite parts of futbol in argentina is in fact the singing. not so much the produced songs—though there are a few written for spectacular players now and then, with steps to match (man, can charlie dance or what?!)—but i mean the fan songs.
oh my, if there’s anything i wish for baseball it’s that its songcraft evolves beyond the weirdly ubiquitous chant that begins with “LETS go” and ends with the two syllables of your choice: OAKland, FREmont, SANjo, or whatever. We like it because that’s all we have, but when you think about it, how yawn, right? No matter what stadium you go to, that’s what you’ll hear. How do fans or players even know what city they’re in, when they hear the same two notes everywhere?
Compare please to the cánticos from around the world (though i’ll focus on the AFA style), which are sometimes familiar (very familiar…) and sometimes change week to week and are as topical as they are insulting to the other team (or situation, since sometimes they’re even directed at management, refereeing, or players who have just fallen out of favor). yeah, it’s not great singing either, but it’s pure energy, passion, madness even, whether in anticipation or celebration.
of course, there’s a song that quiets all others when it comes to futbol, and that’s the one the announcer gets to voice. it only has one note, but great sustain (yes, it’s a US goal and it seems i’ve strayed from the theme, but the voice of univision, andres cantor—cantor means singer, by the way—is from argentina). and it’s a bit of a sacred tune, only sung to accompany a sudden, bold, heady and sublime dance.
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 2, 2009 10:43 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Amen, brother.
This is one thing soccer has over baseball.
That uniform “Let’s go Yankees” chant is so dreay. Almost every team is exactly the same. The only halfway decent chant in MLB is that war chant the Braves do, and even that is becoming homogenized. The Braves got it from Florida State, and now other teams are copying it, too. Is it too much to ask that each team have it’s own tune?
At the very least, can we at least assert the three-beat “Let’s go A’s” rhythm? It’s not much, but it at least distinguishes us from the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
except that
the cheer I hear more often is “Let’s go Oak-land”, which is the regular boring rhythm. But I haven’t been to a game at the coliseum in a while, so maybe I’m out of date?
Yes
At the very least, can we at least assert the three-beat "Let’s go A’s" rhythm?
Whenever I hear the pro-Yankees/BoSox cheers overwhelming the Oakland cheer, I always think that the crowd should do “Let’s go, A’s” instead of “Let’s go, Oakland” because it would be more difficult for the visitors to co-opt the chant.
Oh, Bambi, I cried so hard when those hunters shot your mommy.
Only slightly though.
Let’s Go Yanks and Let’s Go Sox (there’s only one team called “Sox,” right?) would very likely drown out the home cheers anyway.
I suppose,
but whenever the visiting crowd starts chanting “Let’s go, Yankees/Red Sox,” and the Oakland crowd responds with “Let’s go, Oakland,” it always ends up as a counterpoint “Let’s go, Yankees! Let’s go, Oakland!” merged cheer or “Let’s go, (undecipherable)!” I just wonder if it would be more effective to use a different rhythm to try to drown out the other team’s cheer.
Oh, Bambi, I cried so hard when those hunters shot your mommy.
"Shit Team No Fans, Shit Team No Fans"
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
My earliest memory of the four-syllable chant is
actually from soccer. In the 1990 World Cup, the favorite chant of the German fans was “Jür-gen Klins-mann! [clap, clap, clap-clap-clap]” That was long before I even followed baseball.
I assume it was around even before that, but that’s the first I ever heard it.
To this day whenever I hear “Let’s go, Oak-land!”, in my head I still hear “Jür-gen Klins-mann”.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
I (surprisingly) have a theory on this
So, atmosphere and singing and stuff in stadia mostly comes from the rivalry between two sets of fans, rather than between two teams. This, in turn, comes from the home fans not wanting to be ‘out sung’ by their visitors, and in turn, visiting fans wanting to show up their hosts.
This is where the size of this country is an issue.
In Europe, it’s common for a significant number of supporters to follow their team on the road. This is practical, as most journeys are four hours, or under, and you can go to a game and come home in the same day. In addition to this, travelling fans will tend to journey together, in a bus or train. This, to an extent, builds up a common bond, and also has the effect of raising the level of anticipation for the game.
Further, the fans that travel to games tend to be more, uh, fanatical (and I don’t mean this in a hooligany way) and are all sat in the same section of the stadium, and you have a recipe for singing and making noise.
Over here, on the other hand, you tend not to get so many travelling fans, and even they, they’re scattered throughout the stadium. It’s harder, therefore, to get any sort of antagonistic atmosphere going (strength in numbers being a big part of taunting the opposition for not singing any more).
All this being the case, I’m sure with a bit of effort and organisation, a bit more singing and chanting could be introduced at Oakland. There are, for instance, a few candidates for the line ’He’s big! He’s fat! He swings a baseball bat! Insert Name, Insert Name’.
Oh, and, ‘Bobby G’s! Green and Gold Army!’
etc, etc, etc.
It’s going to take some investment in both time and drinking, is all
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
’He’s big! He’s fat! He swings a baseball bat! Insert Name, Insert Name’.
Awesome
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
I hear that sung to the tune of
the Itchy and Scratchy theme song.
Actually, that’s a really good chant tune. I think we could do something with this.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
i'll buy that
for a dollar.
gee, thanks US fans. because you don’t usually get into riotous situations security doesn’t need to pen you up into your own sections, and thus your cheering is crap.
yes, if the wave can (disputedly) be born in oakland, we can surely change the chant by one syllable. i vow to always chant “let’s go A’s” from now on. especially since it goes with my favorite stadium organ tune. doot. doot. doot. doot-doot. doot. doot. doot. doot-doot. doot. doot. doot. doot-doot. let’s go A’s!
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 3, 2009 1:16 PM PST up reply actions
wait wait
I think you’re taking my point too far. I’m just trying to look at the roots of where the cheers and chants come from.
And also, if you think that US fans can’t get into ‘riotous situations’ all by themselves, I think you are mistaken
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
again,
i exaggerate.
i liked what you said. the distance thing, plus the grouping thing. but ain’t it weird that if fans don’t intermingle so much, that we’d all come up with the same chant in all our ballparks? i need a history of the LET’Sgo chant.
actually, i’ve been begging my smart friends to tell me if there’s a book on the cultural history of sports and their fans, the likes of what routledge university press puts out about other topics. something to explain different developments and why there’s a difference in a larger context. we have what seems like accidental riots after college basketball championships. they have criminals (in spanish, but tells the rise of “la doce,” an athletic support group called “the twelfth player,” and of their leader, el abuelo, who took his place at the head of the group by gunpoint.) leading street gangs into deliberate fights. and with that kind of organization, goals, and level of risk, it’s understandable to develop a really strong identifying image with songs and all. it’s not totally unrelated, i don’t think.
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 3, 2009 5:39 PM PST up reply actions
Right, sorry, I misunderstood your point
As far as how chants spread… I’d guess over here, it’s mostly mimicry, and the like. I really think that organised behavior is more likely in closer quarters, mind.
If you’re interested in this sort of thing, this book is quite interesting. Also, this article is nice.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
just devoured the article. thanks!
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 3, 2009 6:36 PM PST up reply actions
I just re-read it -
it’s a little bit pretentious, I reckon, but does make some good points.
There’s a story, not in there, about how using the tune of ‘Go West’ by the Village People came to be adopted by football fans.
Basically, Arsenal were playing a European game somewhere in Eastern Europe, and the teams went in to half time with Arsenal leading 1-0. At the time, Arsenal were kinda notorious for winning by that score. Anyway, the song came on the PA system, and the fans started singing along to the chorus ‘one nil! to the Arsenal, one nil! to the Arsenal’, and so on and so forth.
Thus, a chant was born, and it’s now used for many a situation.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
I find it a little unnerving that you appear to be talking about thuggery in approving tones...
That kind of shit keeps people away from sporting events, it doesn’t encourage them. I’m not really particularly interested in getting hit by bags of urine.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
I think urine bag throwing is on the slate for the 2012 games.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 4, 2009 12:25 AM PST up reply actions
A nighttime event?
the visual of a bag of pee launching itself into the night sky is a particularly striking one, I feel
only if you drank the radioactive stuff they make you drink before the CT scan or whatever, and your pee glows.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 4, 2009 1:57 AM PST up reply actions
you mean the part where i said “thanks US fans” for not being more rioty? clearly facetious.
i don’t have an ounce of approval of thuggery. i’m just describing from a cultural studies point of view. but the meaning is about the connection between thugs and singing. and sure, i do approve of the singing, but that doesn’t mean i like thugs.
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 4, 2009 7:43 AM PST up reply actions
Yeah, I agree - I don't think either of us are approving of thuggery
in any way, shape or form
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
I keep hearing ducks outside.
I don’t live near a body of water. Therefore, I’m afraid local cranksters are spying on me and video taping me when I masturbate.
This is completely rational, right?
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
Local cranksters = ceiling cat?
Are you sure the duck sound isn’t somebody’s cell phone?
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
"She's kinda got cankles, our kids are gonna have to play soccer." ~ Mrs. "Disco" Hayes
by CaliforniaJag on Dec 3, 2009 11:32 AM PST up reply actions
Looks more Egyptian than medieval to me
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Well, Egypt did still exist in the Middle Ages,
so it could be both. If you were a ceiling cat in the Middle Ages, wouldn’t you rather be in Egypt than in France?
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
True, but they didn't wear wonky headdresses in medieval Egypt
As for where I’d rather be… well, France was cold as shit and full of hungry, angry Frenchmen. Egypt was hot as shit and was invaded by hungry, angry Frenchmen every 50-odd years.
Surprisingly little difference actually…
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Perhaps Ceiling Cat is signing Wagner.
Speaking of medieval history, have you found time to look at Chris Wickham’s new book yet? I got it from the library a few days ago and have read just the intro so far. Looks pretty good.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
I still have two 1000-page books on the Thirty Years' War to get through first...
well, one of them is historical fiction, but still pretty dense stuff.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Aha!
I don’t know why, but recycled old memes are sometimes the funniest.
No, there's no light,
in the darkest of your furthest reaches.
It's not really a meme until it's recycled.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
riposte?
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 4, 2009 12:26 AM PST up reply actions
was it really poor hunters?
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Now I hear monkey sounds out there.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 8:30 PM PST up reply actions
I'm telling you, dude, it's someone's cell phone.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
The internet is a powerful thing....
and thus I shall share this link with my internet friends…..
There's no crying in baseball!
A's asleep at the switch as Polanco signs ridiculously team-friendly deal with Phillies
or maybe “comatose” would be a better word. How do you not get in on this? The price could have been bumped up by millions of dollars a year and he’d still be a good sign. And he was willing to play third base. What the hell is going on, guys?
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
I’d rather play for a winner and 30K+ fans per night. I’m sure his agent was given instructions to sign with a team that has a chance to win during his contract.
The A's have no chance to win by 2012?
Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Hey, who put the apostrophe next to the Enter key?
As I was about to say before I so rudely interrupted myself…I think the A’s are far more likely to be good in 2012 than Placido Polanco is. He looked like he was starting to fall off a cliff last year. A one-year deal might have been a risk worth taking. But three years? If there’s any chance Brett Wallace can play 3B, then there’s no reason to give a three-year deal to anybody who’s at a high risk of decline.
3.1 WAR in 2008... 3.1 WAR in 2009...
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Most of that 2009 WAR
Was a spike in defense above his career average. His hitting has gone from +20 in 2007 to +5 in 2008 to -5 in 2009.
... which is a spike in hitting below his career average
Can’t have your regression and eat it too.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Of course they do
But the Phillies are much more likely to contend in 2010 than the A’s in 2012. Polanco would have needed to be wowed by an A’s offer to take it over the Phillies one. Polanco knows Philly and knows they can compete. Polanco knows neither about the A’s.
Spilt milk now.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Maybe he doesn't like our clubhouses.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Well, we don't have booze...
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 3, 2009 9:53 PM PST up reply actions
Baseball has another drug problem?
MLB exemptions for stimulants gain attention
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
Trade on Rotoworld
According to ESPN Chicago, the Cubs have traded Jake Fox and Aaron Miles to the A’s for right-hander Jeff Gray and “prospects.”
Bring back Hammer.
Aaron Miles?
Why would the A’s want Aaron Miles if not to immediately release him? He’s god-awful.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
I wonder who those “prospects” are.
His name's Clayton, not Danny.
by walkoff baltimore chop on Dec 3, 2009 3:25 PM PST up reply actions
Rotoworld is reporting Jake Fox + Aaron Miles for Jeff Gray, Ronny Morla, and Matt Spencer.
No, there's no light,
in the darkest of your furthest reaches.
This Tiger Woods shit is getting out of hand.
Media, enough. STOP.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
Oh how I love this story
I’ve listened to Tiger’s voicemail plea about 5000 times and it makes me laugh each time.
Soccor Riot by The Suburban All-Stars
I don’t know who did the video, but a couple of my friends made the song. Best song about soccer ever.
Soccer Riot (lyrics explicit)
Apparently, the crackerjack scientists over at Yahoo!
(here on Yahoo!?) have done some research and found that the angriest people are the young, the parents and the uneducated.
Apparently, the Yahoo! science team has never spent a Saturday afternoon at Walmart.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
LB, this is unrelated
But I drive by a sign shop on my way to work every morning. Because of what you’ve told us, I imagine everyone in there as frustrated and/or depressed.
Hope your day is going well, though.
The horse jumped over the f---ing fence.
Nah, I think some people actually like it.
But you have to understand that I’m essentially an academic and pretty much a socialist. It really wasn’t a good fit. That in mind, I’m no longer doing it day to day and will be home in a couple months.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 4, 2009 10:55 PM PST up reply actions
Arcata would be a good fit for you.
Academic? check. Socialist? check.
And you could grow some weed in the backyard to have on hand for when Gaijin Suketto comes to visit.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
oooooo....
and you got friends there, too! And IIRC, there’s actually a radio station there that does A’s games! We could have a party!
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 5, 2009 1:42 AM PST up reply actions
if anyone gives a flier, the liveblog is UP!
and it’s here
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Michael's Mr. F is there!
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 4, 2009 9:22 AM PST up reply actions
I'm not exactly sure what that means...
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Good draw for USA-- England, Slovenia, Algeria
Ridiculous creampuff draw for Mexico, who apparently have an angel riding shotgun on their shoulder when it comes to World Cup draws… they should be through pretty easily, I think. Weak group A, weak group B, they suddenly look like they could be into the quarters without really batting an eye. They’d most likely match up with England there, but England’s going to have a tough octofinal game no matter who the second-place Group D team is.
Should come down to USA-Slovenia on a neutral pitch, for the second spot in the knockout rounds. I’m pretty comfortable with that to advance to round 2 in a World Cup. Hard to tell who might come out of Group D at that point— could be Germany, Australia, or Serbia (hard to see Ghana moving on out of that group; then again people said that in 2006 too). I like the chances of advancing against Australia; less so against Serbia or Germany. If USA get past that hurdle they could have a very manageable quarterfinal— mediocre French side, Argentina, Nigeria, Uruguay, or Greece.
If USA win the games they should win— and get a good draw or one big upset in the round of 16— we could be looking at a semifinal berth against Brazil, Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Paraguay or Chile. This is a really good setup for team USA.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
I'm pretty pleased with the draw
I fancy England to win three of three in that group. One downside, I’m a little concerned about the possibility of meeting Germany so early on (traditionally a bogey team for England, of course).
There doesn’t seem to be any real group of death, apart from G; even then, you’d fancy Brazil to win it, and it to come down to Ivory Coast – Portugal.
There are some tasy games that have been thrown up, though -
Australia – Serbia, England – Team USA, Brazil – Portugal, Spain – Chile / Honduras… some nice post colonial rivalries, there. And Servia vs Australia, of course.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Fancy? Bogey?
Are you trying to convince us that you really are British?
Are you my uncle?
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Ha, I lived in England for a good while. It's hard to shake off your formative years
plus, my mother is English.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
plus, when actually talking about soccerball and England, I naturally become more English
Conversely, when talking about ass kicking and being hella awesome, dude, I become more American.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
your mother goes to college.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 4, 2009 10:55 PM PST up reply actions
your mother's an astronaut
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
old Dave Chappelle from MTV's half hour comedy hour?
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 5, 2009 11:51 AM PST up reply actions
what?
no group of death? a non shafted USA? the host in over its head?
this cup is rigged!!
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 4, 2009 11:09 AM PST up reply actions
You've got to be pleased with the Argentina draw, right?
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Group B is just godawful
Three teams that limped through qualifying and barely made it into the final draw, and South Korea, which qualified such a long time ago that it’s hard to tell what their form looks like now.
That’s why I like the US chances in the quarterfinals: their potential opponents are either #1 from that group or #2 from the Mexico-SA-France-Uruguay group.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Yeah, it's a decent draw for the USA
but at the same time, you have to think that each of those potential 1/4 final teams will be looking at the US and thinking that they fancy their chances, too.
Also, qualifying form counts for nearly nothing, coming the world cup
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Well, sure
I wouldn’t expect a medal finish for the USA even reaching the semis. Nothing but the big hitters left at that point. I like the Netherlands, Spain and England for the other semifinal places. Hard to see a win against that lot unless they mail it in in the third-place game.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Who do you have beating Brazil?
I don’t rate Brazil as highly as, say, Nike do, but they’re still one of the best sides in the tournament.
Is there even a third place game this time around? I thought they’d given up on it for the exercise in futiility that it is
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Brazil faces the Group E winner/Group F runner-up in this draw
I think Netherlands wins Group E and then takes out Italy in the octos before knocking off Brazil in the quarters. Meanwhile Paraguay and Denmark play off for the role of ritual slaughter beast at the hands of Spain.
Doesn’t exactly change the equation if it’s Brazil instead of the Dutch though…
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
No, I agree. I think you're higher on the Dutch (if you pardon that phrase)
than I am. I’d take Italy to beat them, flawed and aging as they are. Actually, Italy-Brazil could be an entertaining game, too
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Nah
Dutch have been a zillion times better than Italy of late. Italy shouldn’t really even have won their group in qualifying, as they got outplayed by Ireland and tied that game on a fluky extra-time goal.
Then there’s the respective performances at the most recent Euros where the Dutch beat the Italians like a worn out drum.
I’m feeling it for the boys in Orange. I think this is the year the Dutch finally break through and win it all.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
If there's anything I've learned from watching international soccer
Never underestimate Italy, always, always ignore their qualification record, and never bet on the Dutch. The rumors of internal strife will start soon enough, is for sure.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Never get involved in a land war in Asia.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 5, 2009 11:52 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
the indomitable lions are argentina killers and killers… but yeah, albiceleste will come out second hopefully. and then die in the next game. maradona has to leave if they hope any for success beyond that.
i’m intrigued by the game argentina is playing in a couple of weeks, a friendly against catalunya. FIFA banned diego from coaching for what he said in the press conference after they barely qualified against uruguay (paraphrase, “those who didn’t believe can suck it and they can keep sucking it.”) so i’m interested in who will be the substitute coach and what he will do. perhaps (oh please oh please oh please) it’s an audition for the next coach?
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 4, 2009 1:01 PM PST up reply actions
oops. indomitable lions are cameroon. i meant the super eagles.
don't care if i ever get back.
by AV on Dec 4, 2009 1:23 PM PST up reply actions
Hey, he apologised to the ladies in the audience, at least
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
I was amused by the fact that going into the final draw, Portugal was either going to face off with Spain or Brazil
Either the country that once conquered them or the country they once conquered.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Also, I'm loving Steve McManaman and Efan Ekoku, pundits
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
and John Harks *literally* does not know of what he speaks
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
At first I felt the same about Mexico
They got quite the draw but now I’m starting to waver. I’m not really sure how much weight to give the home country advantage. On one hand South Africa is probably one of the weakest teams in the entire cup talent wise but on the other hand, no host nation has ever gone out in the first round. Heck, even the U.S. advanced in ’94 and that was a very mediocre squad and we had less home field advantage than SA is going to have.
Then you have France that has stumbled through qualifying and looked lost in attack under Domenech. But there is a lot of talent in that squad and they could use all the negativity of the qualifying campaign to rally around the team and come out firing next June.
I don’t really know what to make of Uruguay as I didn’t follow CONMEBOL qualifying much outside of Argentina’s struggles. Although my general impression is that they were considered with Algeria to be one of the weaker squads in Pot C.
Mexico should advance but I wouldn’t overlook the host nation and France is on level with any of the seeded teams when they are playing up to their capabilities.
If I were Mexico, I'd be happy
I really can’t see South Africa causing any trouble, and France have a manager who selects players using a horoscope.
As for Uruguay, well, they’re decent, but if you want to go anywhere in the World Cup, that’s the sort of game you have to win.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
But part of the reason the hosts always advance is that they're protected from facing other seeded teams
Usually that results in facing only one top side (if the hosts aren’t one themselves) at most. So… 4 teams 2 slots… you do the math…
In this case SA is actually facing off with three teams that are better than them on a neutral pitch (though I’d take SA over Uruguay playing at home).
1994 was a bit of a fluke because the knockout rounds were 16 teams out of 24 rather than 32. USA advanced as the third team in their group.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Also, the hosts have been (with some exceptions, sure)
largish soccer nations with strongish teams.
South Africa, on the other hand, would have struggled to qualify, this year.
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
They wouldn't have qualified
They played the qualifying tournament because it also qualified for the African Nations Cup, and crashed out rather lamely in the second round (while such leading lights as Mali, Togo, Mozambique, and Zambia managed to get it together to at least make the final 16 African nations).
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Hey, don't sleep on Togo
but yes. South Africa, not very good. Which is a shame – the World Cup always loses something if the host nation goes out early
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
Plus they have delicious turkey and avacado sammiches.
Sock puppets have never been able to successfully attack castles. -NM
by Leopold Bloom on Dec 4, 2009 10:56 PM PST up reply actions
Hey, you know what else would be a great chant tune
in the stadium? “Way out West….”
Seriously, it’s a great tune, and the words could be easily adapted to the A’s.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
like
Way out west (way out west)
There’s a story told (story told)
of a baseball Team (baseball team)
in green and gold (green and gold)
I just got shivers
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
I'm so happy now.
When I went to the World Cup in 94 I was trying to get people to sing American songs like she’ll be coming round the mountain and this land is your land, but few people joined in.
Yeah, at France in 98 most US fans seemed to be chanting USA! USA! and variations thereupon
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does
That's not shivers.
It’s Mike V kicking the back of your seat.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
A's offered Scutaro 3 years
According to FoxSports.com:
Yes, one team did offer free agent Marco Scutaro more money than the Red Sox.
The A’s.
Scutaro turned down a slightly more lucrative three-year contract from the A’s before signing his two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Red Sox, according to major-league sources.
The A’s would have used Scutaro at shortstop and made Cliff Pennington their utility man. Scutaro played for the A’s from 2004 to ’07 before getting traded to the Blue Jays for two minor leaguers.
I’m kinda surprised that they offered, and also saddened that he didn’t pick Oakland. I understand that he’d be willing to take less for a shot at a championship and I respect that.
This is not going to be a popular piece of news here.
Ugh.
No, there's no light,
in the darkest of your furthest reaches.
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