6/25/10

Topic 1

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

You're finally old enough to ask for a senior citizen ticket without looking at me apologetically.

Topic 2: World Cup

No more in-depth predictions. By the time they're posted, the games have almost begun because of the time zone difference. Predictions will henceforth be limited to scores, with more detailed thoughts being provided on events that have already transpired. Sound good? Good.

Be Off With You! (One sentence appraisals/dismissals of eliminated teams)

South Africa are better hosts than participants, but gave a good account of themselves.

France: Merde.

Greece was the worst team to win a match.

Nigeria had all of the brawn, but none of the brains.

Slovenia did not deserve their limited success.

Algeria forgot that to win, you must occasionally try to score.

Australia played with heart after being flattened by Germany, but could not overcome being flattened.

Serbia lost to the teams it was supposed to beat.

Denmark should have gone further in a weak group.

Cameroon would be the best in the world if they got points for hitting the goalpost.

New Zealand deserved better than three draws.

Italy was the worst defending champion since Oliver McCall (they even had crying in common).

Ivory Coast: the group of death strikes again, with help from a broken arm.

North Korea never had a chance.

Switzerland needs to find a way to score goals on purpose.

Honduras needs to find a way to score goals, period.

Assessing the Survivors

The teams that remain can be divided into four groups. In order of decreasing likelihood of success, they are:

The Two Favorites

Brazil: best team in the world until someone beats them.

Argentina: arguably more talented than Brazil, with the undisputed best player in the world, Lionel Messi.

Championship Contenders

Netherlands: unbeaten, untied, and untested.

Spain: too flashy for their own good?

Germany: too mechanical for their own good?

Portugal: have yet to score against a real team.

Expecting To Advance

Chile: emerged battle-tested from the group of near-death trauma.

Uruguay: undefeated with a favorable bracket, but no longer under the radar.

Paraguay: they're solid but decidedly unspectacular, and their uniforms look like circus tents.

England: the most disappointing team to advance to this stage, they've looked awful against relatively weak competition, and they have the toughest road to the Cup of any side.

USA: the draw lines up for a potential run to the semi-finals, but they will need their quality play to match their effort and heart in order to get there.

Happy To Be Here

Mexico: would be in the above group had they not been slotted against Argentina.

Japan: after being the consensus pick to bottom their group, anything beyond this point is gravy.

South Korea: lethal from set plays, but they don't have the skill to control the flow of a match.

Slovakia: eliminated Italy, but the fun stops now.

Ghana: advanced despite never scoring a goal on anything but a penalty kick, they don't deserve to still be around.

PREDICTIONS

Uruguay 2-0 South Korea

USA 2-1 Ghana

Germany 2-2 England, Germany advances on penalty kicks

Argentina 4-1 Mexico

Netherlands 2-0 Slovakia

Brazil 3-2 Chile

Paraguay 1-1 Japan, Paraguay advances on penalty kicks

Spain 3-1 Portugal

"Moment of Awesome!"

6/24/10

Topic 1: World Cup

Results

Denmark 1-3 Japan

Netherlands 2-1 Cameroon

Netherlands wins Group E, Japan advances

Slovakia 3-2 Italy

Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand

Paraguay wins Group F, Slovakia advances.

ANALYSIS

Group G (The Group of Death)

Brazil (2-0-0, 6 pts, +3 gd) The best in the world until someone proves otherwise.

Portugal (1-1-0, 4 pts, +7 gd) They might prove otherwise, but even if they don't, they will advance to the knockout phase on the strength of their dismantling of North Korea. They are a legitimate threat to win the championship.

Ivory Coast (0-1-1, 1 pt, -2 gd) For the second World Cup in a row, the Elephants have fallen prey to the group of death. There's no shame in a loss to Brazil, and a draw with Portugal is something to be proud of, those two results will compbine to doom Drogba and company unless they can utterly destroy North Korea and get a great deal of help from a big victory by the the Brazilians.

North Korea (0-0-2, 0 pts, -8 gd) Boy, did Kim Jong-Il choose the wrong event for live uncensored broadcast, or what? Neither as good as their inspiring display against Brazil, nor as bad as their punching bag performance against Portugal, the Chollima remain a mystery. One suspects the truth of their quality runs closer to the second result than the first, which is bad news heading towards a showdown with an Ivory Coast side in desperate need of bunches of goals. losing by less than 3 should be looked on as an accomplishment.

Predictions

North Korea 1-4 Ivory Coast

Portugal 0-2 Brazil

Brazil wins Group G, Portugal advances.

Group H

Chile (2-0-0, 6 pts, +2 gd) Chile have played solidly thus far and somehow managed the near-impossible task of scoring on Switzerland. As the only team in the group that completely controls it's own destiny, The Chileans must secure at least a draw with ultratalented Spain to win the group and avoid a likely date with Brazil in the round of 16. a loss puts them potentially out of the tournament.

Spain (1-0-1, 3 pts, +1 gd) Unexpectedly inconsistent, La Furia Roja have played well in stretches, and have played the most aesthetically pleasing soccer in the tournament. They are certainly the most talented team in the group (and arguably the world), but they need to beat a very solid Chilean team to feel comfortable about their chances. The dream scenario for a soccer fan is for them and Brazil to finish in some combination of first and second in their groups, leading to the match of the Cup in the knockout round.

Switzerland (1-0-1, 3 pts, 0 gd) They need to win by multiple goals. The good news: Honduras can't score on them. The bad news: they're no offensive juggernaught themselves.

Honduras (0-0-2, 0 pts, -3 gd) The Hondurans have played to the best of their abilities, but it's clear that they don't have what it takes to compete with the best in the world.

Predictions

Switzerland 2-0 Honduras

Chile 2-3 Spain

Spain wins Group H, Switzerland advances.

"Moment of Awesome!"

6/23/10

Topic 1: World Cup

Results

Slovenia 0-1 England

U.S.A. 1-0 Algeria

U.S.A. wins Group C, England advances.

Ghana 0-1 Germany

Australia 2-1 Serbia

Germany wins Group D, Ghana advances.

ANALYSIS

Group E

Netherlands (2-0-0, 6 pts, +3 gd) The Dutch have already clinched advancement to the knockout round without breaking a sweat, or even playing anywhere near to the best of their ability. They'll have the rough equivalent of a friendly against eliminated Cameroon to work out the kinks. They are a team to watch going forward.

Japan (1-0-1, 3 pts, 0 gd) Not expected to do anything, the Japanese have played with inspiration, and find themselves on the edge of advancement. This is the best Japan has ever looked playing outside their borders.

Denmark (1-0-1, 3 pts, -1 gd) Very simple for the Danes: win or go home. Assuming they play with any sort of offensive ambition, they won't be going home just yet. While not a threat beyond the group, they should find a way to defeat Japan to take the runner-up spot in the group.

Cameroon (0-0-2, 0 pts, -2gd) My favorite team besides the Americans, The Indomitable Lions have proven quite domitable thus far. They have displayed no talent for finishing offensive chances, and do not play well together. The tournament cannot end soon enough for them.

Predictions

Denmark 1-0 Japan

Netherlands 2-1 Cameroon

Netherlands wins Group E, Denmark advances.

Group F

Paraguay (1-1-0, 4 pts, +2 gd)

Italy (0-2-0, 2 pts, 0 gd)

New Zealand (0-2-0, 2 pts, 0 gd)

Slovakia (0-1-1, 1 pt, -2 gd)

This whole group has been sleep-inducing, with the exception of Cinderella New Zealand, who followed a near-miraculous draw against Slovakia with a miraculous draw against the Italians. If they somehow find a way to defeat Paraguay, it would be most surprising advancement that I can remember. New Zealand has virtually no international pedigree on their squad, but have compensated with heart, guile, and opportunism. The end of the road most likely comes tomorrow, but the All Whites have done themselves proud.

Predictions

Slovakia 0-2 Italy

Paraguay 3-0 New Zealand

Paraguay wins Group F, Italy advances.

Topic 2: Gen. McChrystal Fired

It had to be done. As President Obama said today:

"The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general. It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system."

But beyond that, getting tanked in front of a reporter and talking like that shows a degree of bad judgement that would be frightening in a boss in an office setting, let alone on the battlefield. How can he be trusted to carry out orders as given when he is so openly contemptuous of his superiors?

It's not as if this is his first questionable decision, either. Prior to his promotion, Gen. McChrystal was instrumental in the initial cover-up of the friendly-fire death of Pat Tillman, and he had failed to properly police the treatment of prisoners at Camp Nama. The naked insubordination in that interview was the third strike.

As for his replacement, Gen. David Petraeus has proven himself to be an extraordinarily talented leader. Any semblance of success coming out of Iraq is directly attributable to his excellence in leading the surge and providing a window of opportunity for diplomacy and cooperation to flourish between the warring Iraqi factions. That internecine strife continues to cripple Iraq's government and other institutions is not his fault. Having snatched some tiny shred of victory from the jaws of defeat in one war, let us hope he can make lightning strike twice.

Topic 3: Another Setback

From The Daily Beast:

An accident at the site of the Gulf oil leak forced BP to remove the containment cap from the well after a robot crashed into the venting system, temporarily causing oil to gush into the Gulf once again. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said the collision sent gas rising through the system that carries warm water into the cap in order to prevent crystals.

I just want to scream.

Topic 4: How About Some Good News?

From msnbc.com:

Dozens of people who were blinded or otherwise suffered severe eye damage when they were splashed with caustic chemicals had their sight restored with transplants of their own stem cells — a stunning success for the burgeoning cell-therapy field, Italian researchers reported Wednesday.

The treatment worked completely in 82 of 107 eyes and partially in 14 others, with benefits lasting up to a decade so far. One man whose eyes were severely damaged more than 60 years ago now has near-normal vision.

"This is a roaring success," said ophthalmologist Dr. Ivan Schwab of the University of California, Davis, who had no role in the study — the longest and largest of its kind.

Let's end on that note of optimism, shall we?

"Moment of Awesome!"

YES!!!!!!!!!

World Cup Update and Predictions

Full disclosure: I was way too ambitious in my plans to cover the World Cup. Analysis will be significantly less wordy from now on. It just takes too long, and frankly, there are better writers who are giving better insights than I can offer. That being said, I intend to finish what I started, so...

Topic 1: The World Cup

Results

Mexico 0-1 Uruguay

France 1-2 South Africa

Uruguay wins group A, Mexico advances.

Nigeria 2-2 South Korea

Greece 0-2 Argentina

Argentina wins Group B, South Korea advances.

ANALYSIS

Group C

Slovenia (1-1-0, 4 pts, +1 gd) The Slovenians are fortunate to be leading the group heading into a decisive match with pre-tournament favorite England after a referee-assisted tie with the United States. They need only a draw to advance, and with the way they can clamp down on defence combined with a listless and disorganized opponent, a 0-0 result seems quite possible. it would be the upset of the tournament thus far if Slovenia were to advance.

U.S.A. (0-0-2, 2 pts, 0 gd) The United States was robbed of victory by a phantom foul on a set piece that would have netted the winning goal vs. Slovenia, and now must beat Algeria to clinch advancement into the knockout round for the first time since 2002. They have a bad habit of falling behind early, but pick up momentum as the game goes along. If they score first against Algeria, they should go on to victory tomorrow.

England (0-0-2, 2 pts, 0 gd) Along with France and Italy, one of three massively underperforming traditional powers. Wayne Rooney, one of the games premier goal-scorers, has been conspicuously silent on the field, and distressingly verbose off it. If he and the rest of The Three Lions can pull their act together in time to knock off Slovenia and secure advancement, all will be forgiven, at least until their next match. Lose, and Franc-level national shame awaits.

Algeria (0-1-1, 1 pt, -1 gd) Algeria have yet to show anything offensively, but have compensated somewhat for their punchless offense by being extremely pesky on defense. They will need to score tomorrow if they hope to advance, which remains a distinct possibility with a victory.

Predictions

Slovenia 1-3 England

U.S.A. 2-1 Algeria

U.S.A. wins Group C, England advances.

Group D

Ghana (1-1-0, 4 pts, +1 gd) The Black Stars have been the most impressive African team thus far, though that's damning them with faint praise. They have yet to score a goal within the normal flow of the game, finding both of their scores thus far on penalty kicks. They wasted a golden opportunity to all but lock up advancement, drawing with a clearly inferior Australian side which was missing its best player. They now find themselves needing a result against a desperate German team with superior talent at almost every position.

Germany (1-0-1, 3 pts, +3 gd) The Germans need a win to assure themselves of advancing. They will win. They are the best team in the group, and must be looked upon as one of the favorites to win the Cup.

Serbia (1-0-1, 3 pts, 0 gd) The most boring team in the tournament. I hope they don't advance. Next.

Australia (0-1-1, 1 pt, -4 gd) The Socceroos (Really. That's their name.) are old, tired, and ready to be put away, but they will go down fighting. They have a sliver of a chance to advance to the knockout phase, but must beat defense-first Serbia and hope Germany blows out the Ghanaians to make up their massive goal differential deficit. Multiple goals are not likely, so a clean sheet from their stud goaltender Mark Schwarzer is vital to their hopes of advancement.

Predictions

Ghana 0-2 Germany

Australia 1-1 Serbia

Germany wins Group D, Serbia advances.

In other World Cup news, my vuvuzela arrived this afternoon. I plan on putting it to much use throughout the rest of the tournament.

6/21/10

Topic 1: The World Cup

With the conclusion of today's matches, we have arrived at the end of round 2 of the group stage. What follows are brief thoughts about each side's performance thus far, and their prospects moving forward through the competition.

Before I begin though, a brief explanation of the standings. Each team in a group plays the other three teams in that group. 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw (Yes, they still have those. Get over it.), and 0 for a loss. Once all the teams have played each other, the top two squads advance to a single-elimination tournament playoff to crown a champion. The winner of Group A faces the runner up of group B, so there is an incentive to win your group, as it affords an easier match-up in the next phase. Ties in the standings are broken by goal differential. For example, Switzerland through two matches has scored 1 goal and allowed 1 goal, so their differential is 0. Brazil has scored 5 goals and allowed 2, so their differential is +3. North Korea has scored 1 goal and conceded 9, making their differential -8. Got it? Good. If goal differential is identical, the team that has scored the most goals advances. If the number of goals scored is identical, whoever won the head to head match advances. If the head to head match ended in a draw, a coin is flipped to determine who advances (seriously). So, with that out of the way:

GROUP A

Uruguay (1-0-1, 4 pts, +3 gd) Uruguay have done themselves proud thus far, earning a draw against France before their complete implosion, and spanking south Africa, all but ending their tournament in the process. They have yet to concede a goal, and need only a draw with Mexico to win the group and probably bypass Argentina for another round. They also have wonderful uniforms.

Mexico (1-0-1, 4 pts, +2 gd) The Tricolores recovered from an uninspired showing against a hyped up South Africa (they were lucky to escape with a draw) to humiliate France and all but assure themselves a spot in the round of 16. A victory is of paramount importance in their match with Uruguay, as the three points would secure top standing in the group and spare them from facing Argentina in the round of 16. I should say here, in the interest of full disclosure, that I HATE THE MEXICAN TEAM. I hope they lose 150-0.

France (0-1-1, 1 pt, -2 gd) The French are an embarrassment. Their fans are rightly ashamed by their men's performance both on and off the pitch. That they have yet to win could be understood, if not condoned, but they barely seemed to try. The underperforming players have been openly feuding with their (incompetent) coach, resulting in one player, Nicolas Anelka, being kicked off the team mid-competition, and the rest of the team refusing to practice in protest. With a final match against South Africa still to be played, Les Bleus have a slim hope of advancement, though they justly no longer control their own destiny. They will need to hope for a non-draw between Mexico and Uruguay, and they will have to beat South Africa by a wide enough margin to make up the goal differential. Really though, you get the sense that France just want this whole thing over. I would say they were playing for pride, but they lost that several days ago.

South Africa (0-1-1, 1 pt, -3 gd) Bafana Bafana have largely performed to expectations, playing energetic but undisciplined soccer against the superior competition in their group, and so find themselves on the verge of becoming the first host in the history of the tournament to fail to advance beyond the group stage. If anything, considering the dearth of world-class talent on their roster, they ought to be quite proud of their 1-1 draw with Mexico in the tournament's opening match. They have a chance to notch a signature victory against an imploding France, and while their goal differential disadvantage is likely too great to be overcome in the event of a tiebreaker with Uruguay or Mexico, they can exit as victors over a world power, giving them momentum and making a statement going forward into the future.

Predictions

Mexico 1-0 Uruguay

France 1-2 South Africa

Mexico wins group A, Uruguay advances.

GROUP B

ARGENTINA (2-0-0, 6 pts, +4 gd) The most impressive side in the entire tournament through two matches, the Argentineans can wrap up the group against a weak Greek squad with either a win or a draw. Look for them to win handily, and look also for Lionel Messi, the best player in the world today, to score at least once. They have looked scary without Messi playing his best, and if he gets going as I suspect he will, Argentina will reach at least the semifinals. They have arguably the most talented roster in the world, and much maligned coach Diego Maradona has yet to make a significant tactical error while bringing some much-needed levity to the sidelines with his cheap suits and excitable manner.

SOUTH KOREA (1-0-1, 4 pts, -1 gd) It’s hard to get a handle on the Koreans, as they have played against a Greek team beat itself, and ran into the Argentinean buzz saw. They face a depleted and desperate Nigeria in their final group match, and can expect to advance out of the group with a win or a draw. They play very disciplined soccer, but have yet to show the flashes of quality that have marked them in past tournaments as a team to fear.

GREECE (1-0-1, 4 pts, -1 gd) Greece, after looking like the worst team in the field against South Korea, beat shorthanded Nigeria to put itself in contention to advance. To do so, they must beat mighty Argentina, likely by multiple goals. That will not happen. Regardless of that match's outcome, this tournament will be looked at in the future as at least a minor success; prior to this year, Greece had never scored in a World Cup match, let alone picked up a victory. They can console themselves with that knowledge after Argentina finishes running them off the pitch.

NIGERIA (0-0-2, 0 pts, -2 gd) The wonderfully named Super Eagles held their own in defeat to Argentina, and looked to be on their way to an easy victory over Greece before Sani Kaita momentarily lost his mind and tried to kick a Greek player in the stomach, which got him ejected with an hour left in the match. Nigeria was unable to hold their lead playing 10 men against 11, and fell 2-1. Despite the two losses, Nigeria finds itself in decent position to advance if they can defeat South Korea by more than 1 goal. Such a result, combined with the likely Argentinean victory over Greece, would put the Nigerians through on goal differential. They had better advance, for Kaita's sake; since his blunder, he has received a reported 1,000+ death threats.

Predictions

Nigeria 1-1 South Korea

Greece 0-2 Argentina

Argentina wins Group B, South Korea advances.

That's enough of that for today. Tomorrow, Groups C and D.

Topic 2: Watch this Movie!

June 17, 1994, directed by Brett Morgen

Do you remember where you were on June 17, 1994? No? Let me rephrase the question: do you remember where you were when the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase happened?

In June 17, 1994, Brett Morgen chronicles the events of the sporting world on the fateful day of O.J. Simpson's all to public fall from grace. He does this not through interviews or anecdotes, but by cutting together raw footage from the day's events in chronological order. The various pieces of footage comment back and forth on each other, drawing a compelling portrait of the day that permanently and irrevocably ended the paradigm of unquestioning hero-worship of star athletes, arguably created the "Reality TV" genre, birthed the modern gossip industry, and paved the way for all of those idiots who are "famous for being famous." More a piece of social commentary than a sports movie, the film explores the need of media to create a narrative, and what happens when that narrative is subverted in real time. Watching the normally unflappable Bob Costas and Tom Brokaw trying to reconcile the O.J. they knew as a football legend, broadcast colleague, nice guy (he was supposed to play the Terminator, but it was determined that he was "too nice" to be believable in the role) and friend with O.J. the double-murder suspect and fugitive from justice is riveting.

It's not all O.J. all the time. Even without the Bronco chase, June 17, 1994 would have been a historic day in sports. On that day, Arnold Palmer played his final round at the U.S. Open, The New York Rangers had their Stanley Cup Championship Parade (their first in over 50 years), Ken Griffey, Jr. tied Babe Ruth's Record for most home runs before June 30 with roughly two weeks to spare, the World Cup began, and the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets were playing a crucial game 5 in the NBA finals. Each a compelling event that would be worthy of a film of its own, and yet even combined, they pale in comparison to the Bronco.

In his review for avclub.com, Noel Murray sums up the experience better than I can:

June 17, 1994 is structured like a day of television as experienced by a restless channel-surfer, and yet it becomes about the different ways the media tries to hold our attention and keep our hands off the clicker, by making every moment into something we can’t afford to miss. That approach to storytelling is summed up by a reporter outside the Simpson estate, arrogantly wasting the nation’s time by muttering into his microphone, “It looks like something… is going to happen… right now.”

I would argue that behind 9/11, June 17, 1994 was the defining moment of my generation, and who wouldn't want to explore that?

June 17, 1994 airs in an encore presentation on Wednesday, June 23 on ESPN2 at 10 pm Chicago time. It only lasts an hour, and is well worth your time and attention. Watch this movie!

http://30for30.espn.com/film/june-17-1994.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxqP1_MFPnc

Topic 3: Stuff I Read or Saw That I Thought Was Interesting Today

This is the link section. The title should be fairly self-explanatory.

Politics

-Texas GOP proposes the outlawing of "sodomy" in its official platform

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/06/texas-gop-platform-calls-for-making-it.html

-Huckabee '12?

http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/the-secret-frontrunner/

-Not Palin '12?

http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2010/06/18/no-really-palin-has-no-political-future/

-Are Teabaggers hurting the GOP more than they're helping?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7842229/The-Tea-Party-is-a-turn-off-for-US-moderates.html

Movies

-Armond White is wrong (mild Toy Story 3 spoilers).

http://www.nypress.com/article-21357-bored-game.html

-"I Am Love" trailer (coming soon)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZBrWVvn9xA

-"Winter's Bone" trailer (now playing)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE_X2pDRXyY

Hello, etc.

Hello, and welcome to my blog. Thanks for stopping by.

I have no idea what I am doing, or what shape this place will ultimately take, but for now, I'm just gonna write about stuff that interests me, and link to things that I find interesting. As I get the hang of this, you can expect movies, music, politics, sports, updates on my life, maybe some audio or visual content, advertising for my projects, advertising for friends' projects, jokes, rants, the occasional pun, long stretches of inactivity, short bursts of torrential output, and anything else I deem worthy of my, and by implication, your time. No matter what happens down the line though, I make the following promise: Whatever I write about, I will write honestly.

One more thing: please leave comments if anything strikes you as worthy of discussion. I am prepared to discuss anything I write, and eager to be corrected and challenged. Write if you agree with me, or if you disagree. Just write.