i know its a little late, but this is the best thing i've read about the whole lebron fiasco.
http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2010/07/lebron_react_never_has_being_a.html
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
bravo!
Well done Spain, I think everyone with half a football brain can agree that the best team of the tournament (and the past 4 years) won, so we can't really have any complaints. And thats what they were too, a team. Reina helping Iker, everyone putting aside their Real Barca squalls to play together, kudos. And as for Holland, with all their total-fotballing reputation, that to be fair, is more of a product of the press than anything else, they approached the final like a Birmingham of sorts. And when u come into a game like that, well, you've got no one to blame but yourselves. You just sensed that Robben's miss was it for them. You knew they were going to get their chance, and that was it. Fair play to Iker though, he came up with the goods against Paraguay too.
I thought Howard Webb could have given more cards if anything, and Robben was lucky not to get sent off for kicking the ball away, if you want to talk about consistent yellows. People want to point fingers at Spain for overreacting, well fucking everybody does that. hello? you dont just play to play. its part of the game. I shouldn't even have to write that sentence. I could live without the players appealing for cards though, that does annoy me, and perhaps the Spaniards are a little more guilty of that than others, but thats beside the point.
The point is, for all the talk about German efficiency, (which at this point has turned into my #1 most overused european cliche and is the equivalent of hearing nails on a chalkboard) it was Spain who were the model of efficiency this tournament. They stuck to their guns and did it, grinding out results. Just as Barca triumphed over Chelsea in last years Champs League Semi, passing wins again. Even if you don't like Spain, you have to appreciate what they've done.
my best 11: Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Sergio Ramos, Casillas, Robben, Forlan, Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Sneijder.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
le finale
Lets hope it will be as entertaining as the third place game.
Deyan - Netherlands vs Spain is the dream final for soccer purists out there. Both teams play the game the way it is supposed to be played, with skill, timing, and precision. Even though both squads like to play with possession, Spain is arguably the best team ever at controlling the ball and pace of the game and will dominate possession in this one. The Netherlands are capable of playing with a defensive shell and use their speed and technique to score on the counter. Even though Spain is better in every position on the field and are heavy favorites entering this match, I chose Netherlands over Spain before the tournament started and I will not change this prediction now that my predicted final is finally here. The only advantage the Dutch have is rest, with their whole squad having one more off day then Spain to rest their legs, and two starters, De Jong and Van Der Viel, going into this match with a full week of rest. This will benefit the Dutch in the later stages of the match and potentially maybe even in extra time. Van Persie finally needs to step up to the level he is capable of playing and put the ball in the back of the net. I believe that will finally happen. While Spain is a much better squad (arguably the best of all time) and this match has 1-1 written all over it, I will stick with my original prediction from a month ago, Netherlands win the title over Spain 2-0.
Sam- Hold the phone! Honestly, I've been more impressed with the dutch in the build up to these finals than in the games in this actual tournament. It will be interesting to see how well they adapt to chasing the ball for the first 60 minutes, and whether they can stay disciplined. It seems like everyone is supporting the dutch for whatever reason. I'm not talking about pundits, I'm talking about tourists, and Europeans, and people that don't know anything about football everywhere. Everywhere you look theres some orange balloons floating around. My dutch friend told me that of the 16million of their population, they had 12million tune in to the semi-final. This kind of hysteria is something that we don't see in any other event in the world, apart from a world war.
Anyhu, there's nothing stopping Spain from sticking to their passing guns and persevering for one more game. Again, whoever scores the first goal is likely to win, because Spain will have to open up if they concede. Holland will have to get a little luck and take their chances. But Spain are even money right now to win in regulation and 1:2 to lift the trophy, that feels like a pretty good bet. Spain 1-0.
Deyan - Netherlands vs Spain is the dream final for soccer purists out there. Both teams play the game the way it is supposed to be played, with skill, timing, and precision. Even though both squads like to play with possession, Spain is arguably the best team ever at controlling the ball and pace of the game and will dominate possession in this one. The Netherlands are capable of playing with a defensive shell and use their speed and technique to score on the counter. Even though Spain is better in every position on the field and are heavy favorites entering this match, I chose Netherlands over Spain before the tournament started and I will not change this prediction now that my predicted final is finally here. The only advantage the Dutch have is rest, with their whole squad having one more off day then Spain to rest their legs, and two starters, De Jong and Van Der Viel, going into this match with a full week of rest. This will benefit the Dutch in the later stages of the match and potentially maybe even in extra time. Van Persie finally needs to step up to the level he is capable of playing and put the ball in the back of the net. I believe that will finally happen. While Spain is a much better squad (arguably the best of all time) and this match has 1-1 written all over it, I will stick with my original prediction from a month ago, Netherlands win the title over Spain 2-0.
Sam- Hold the phone! Honestly, I've been more impressed with the dutch in the build up to these finals than in the games in this actual tournament. It will be interesting to see how well they adapt to chasing the ball for the first 60 minutes, and whether they can stay disciplined. It seems like everyone is supporting the dutch for whatever reason. I'm not talking about pundits, I'm talking about tourists, and Europeans, and people that don't know anything about football everywhere. Everywhere you look theres some orange balloons floating around. My dutch friend told me that of the 16million of their population, they had 12million tune in to the semi-final. This kind of hysteria is something that we don't see in any other event in the world, apart from a world war.
Anyhu, there's nothing stopping Spain from sticking to their passing guns and persevering for one more game. Again, whoever scores the first goal is likely to win, because Spain will have to open up if they concede. Holland will have to get a little luck and take their chances. But Spain are even money right now to win in regulation and 1:2 to lift the trophy, that feels like a pretty good bet. Spain 1-0.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
deyan's 3rd place game
Germany vs Uruguay has as much importance as every other third place game in history. Both teams are pissed they didn't make the finals and the only thing that really matters are the players vying for the Golden Boot. With Forlan and Klose in contention for the Golden Boot and the match having little other significance, I see a high scoring affair. Uruguay will not play in the same defensive shell they have been doing all tournament and Germany will capitalize on the counter. Germany wins this one 3-1.
sam's note*
also, Klose who is rumored to miss out with a bad back, has a chance to catch and pass ronaldo as the leading world cup scorer of all time. not bad for a polock.
sam's note*
also, Klose who is rumored to miss out with a bad back, has a chance to catch and pass ronaldo as the leading world cup scorer of all time. not bad for a polock.
Friday, July 9, 2010
reds phillies thursday night
if you feign any sort of interest in baseball at all and you have 14 minutes on your hands, i'd encourage you to check out the condensed game of reds phillies from last night.
not to mention a botched suicide squeeze, blown save, and a walkoff homerun, this game had three plays in particular happened in this game that you might see once a season, . let alone in the same game. the first of the three is in the bottom of the third:
victorino hits a hard ground ball to 1st baseman, who knocks the ball down but into foul territory, who flips to pitcher covering only to have his glove knocked off his hand by the oncoming runner and the ball spills away. the runner starts for second, but thinks better of it, and is dead to rights, but only the pitcher can't catch the flip for the second time from the first baseman, because he doesn't have a glove. and jimi rollins scores and johnny cueto's ego is bruised, awesome.
the second is in the top of the 8th, w/ runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, brandon phillips strikes out, has time to take off his helmet and set his bat on home plate before he realizes he should run to first base. meanwhile the pitcher has started for the ball in a freakout, allowing the alert runner to come all the way around from 2nd to score.
but the best and most unheralded might be in the bottom of the seventh. with jayson werth (who i've come to hate) on first, somebody hits a little flare towards phillips. instead of catching the ball in the air, he lets it drop at his feet and throws to first to eliminate the force. and werth is sitting there inches off the base with his thumb up his ass. beautiful. in all my years at second base i never got to do this and always wanted to. the only other player i've seen do it was robbie alomar back in the early nineties when the orioles were respectable.
oh, and why do they play a third place game? why not a 5th place game? or a 7th place game? what about horse socks?
not to mention a botched suicide squeeze, blown save, and a walkoff homerun, this game had three plays in particular happened in this game that you might see once a season, . let alone in the same game. the first of the three is in the bottom of the third:
victorino hits a hard ground ball to 1st baseman, who knocks the ball down but into foul territory, who flips to pitcher covering only to have his glove knocked off his hand by the oncoming runner and the ball spills away. the runner starts for second, but thinks better of it, and is dead to rights, but only the pitcher can't catch the flip for the second time from the first baseman, because he doesn't have a glove. and jimi rollins scores and johnny cueto's ego is bruised, awesome.
the second is in the top of the 8th, w/ runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, brandon phillips strikes out, has time to take off his helmet and set his bat on home plate before he realizes he should run to first base. meanwhile the pitcher has started for the ball in a freakout, allowing the alert runner to come all the way around from 2nd to score.
but the best and most unheralded might be in the bottom of the seventh. with jayson werth (who i've come to hate) on first, somebody hits a little flare towards phillips. instead of catching the ball in the air, he lets it drop at his feet and throws to first to eliminate the force. and werth is sitting there inches off the base with his thumb up his ass. beautiful. in all my years at second base i never got to do this and always wanted to. the only other player i've seen do it was robbie alomar back in the early nineties when the orioles were respectable.
oh, and why do they play a third place game? why not a 5th place game? or a 7th place game? what about horse socks?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
SPAIN V GERMANY
Just got back from Vienna a couple of hours ago. Enjoyed the first Semi-final with some pretty strong enthusiasm for the dutch team among the viennese. who knows if they meant it or not. Anyway, the dutch were always going to win that game as deyan predicted.
But now on to the real deal holyfield. Germany vs. Spain a rematch of 2008's Eurofinal. Take it away Deyan...
Deyan- Spain vs Germany is a matchup of the best team in the world, Spain, against the team playing the best at the moment, Germany. It has all the makings to be a classic. Both squads have star strikers in form, the best midfielders in the world, and intimidating defenders who are also good on the attack. Germany will let Spain dominate possession and try to score on the counter attack. Spain knows this so they will be cautious in bringing too many men forward and will try to not lose possession in the middle of the park. Even though the tactics of this matchup heavily favor Germany and Germany is playing far superior to Spain right now, I believe Spain will win this one because of one thing. While Mueller is out for Germany, Spain has their whole squad to choose from and a far superior bench. I see a very tight tied game til the end and Spains bench leads them to a late victory, maybe in extra time. Spain take this one and heads to the finals, 2-1.
Sam- Germany have surprised even themselves with the way they've played this tournament. I dont think they will feel the loss of Muller too much. I mean heck, he's only 20. They might have met their match here. Ozil and Bastian will have to have another incredible game for the Germans to knick it. But the difference for the Germans might be Podolski, he is kind of their wild card, and he can unleash a hell of a shot with that left boot of his.
Watching Spain try and break down Portugal and Paraguay reminded me of those agonizing second halfs of Arsenal matches. 0-0, tons of possession and nothing to show for it. Except Spain actually does win in the end.I still like the Spainards like the rest of you, but I have to say, we are all a little crazy for picking against this German team, they've looked all but unstoppable. 1-0 Spain, Fabregas does it and joins Barca next week.
But now on to the real deal holyfield. Germany vs. Spain a rematch of 2008's Eurofinal. Take it away Deyan...
Deyan- Spain vs Germany is a matchup of the best team in the world, Spain, against the team playing the best at the moment, Germany. It has all the makings to be a classic. Both squads have star strikers in form, the best midfielders in the world, and intimidating defenders who are also good on the attack. Germany will let Spain dominate possession and try to score on the counter attack. Spain knows this so they will be cautious in bringing too many men forward and will try to not lose possession in the middle of the park. Even though the tactics of this matchup heavily favor Germany and Germany is playing far superior to Spain right now, I believe Spain will win this one because of one thing. While Mueller is out for Germany, Spain has their whole squad to choose from and a far superior bench. I see a very tight tied game til the end and Spains bench leads them to a late victory, maybe in extra time. Spain take this one and heads to the finals, 2-1.
Sam- Germany have surprised even themselves with the way they've played this tournament. I dont think they will feel the loss of Muller too much. I mean heck, he's only 20. They might have met their match here. Ozil and Bastian will have to have another incredible game for the Germans to knick it. But the difference for the Germans might be Podolski, he is kind of their wild card, and he can unleash a hell of a shot with that left boot of his.
Watching Spain try and break down Portugal and Paraguay reminded me of those agonizing second halfs of Arsenal matches. 0-0, tons of possession and nothing to show for it. Except Spain actually does win in the end.I still like the Spainards like the rest of you, but I have to say, we are all a little crazy for picking against this German team, they've looked all but unstoppable. 1-0 Spain, Fabregas does it and joins Barca next week.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
stars of the quarters
diego forlan - never really been THAT impressed with him for atletico or villareal, but boy did he bring his A game this world cup. dont count our uruguay against holland either, they could win that game.
xavi/iniesta- if there are four quicker feet out there, who know how to keep the ball and weave their way out of trouble i'd like to see them. their interplay that lead to the goal was incredible.
schweinsteiger- wow, he's really come into his own in central midfield this tournament. you've got to be mentioning his name among the top 10 players in the world no? that 3rd goal where he just held his cutback pass was maybe my favorite goal of the tournament.
iker - "iker again man." In the 5 minutes of madness, it looked for a second like spain were in deep trouble, but Iker ate that penalty for breakfast, and made a huge save to stop a nonchalant roque santa cruz in the dying moments. well done sir.
louie suarez- will live forever in uruguayan folklore, even if they lose tuesday.
xavi/iniesta- if there are four quicker feet out there, who know how to keep the ball and weave their way out of trouble i'd like to see them. their interplay that lead to the goal was incredible.
schweinsteiger- wow, he's really come into his own in central midfield this tournament. you've got to be mentioning his name among the top 10 players in the world no? that 3rd goal where he just held his cutback pass was maybe my favorite goal of the tournament.
iker - "iker again man." In the 5 minutes of madness, it looked for a second like spain were in deep trouble, but Iker ate that penalty for breakfast, and made a huge save to stop a nonchalant roque santa cruz in the dying moments. well done sir.
louie suarez- will live forever in uruguayan folklore, even if they lose tuesday.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
SATADAY
Dont look now, but deyan's creeping up on me. Yesterday was incredible. Suarez is a legend.
Deyan- Argentina vs Germany can go either and anyway possible. Both teams are pretty much even with speedy, dangerous attackers and slow, suspect defenses. I am hoping for a high-scoring epic encounter and I believe there is a strong possibility that it will happen. With Messi playing, anything can happen. Hopefully for all of us, that “anything” will be goals and scoring chances in abundance. Breaking news coming from South Africa is saying Messi is sick and could potentially miss this vital encounter. However, I don’t believe he will let that happen. Im going with Messi cementing himself as the best in the world, and Argentina winning an epic encounter, 3-2.
Sam- Wow, finally we are getting into some good games here. Before the world cup you'd have to think Argentina were stronger, but Germany have looked as sharp as anyone since their first game. Maybe Messi is a little gassed. It wouldn't kill them if he came off the bench, because Tevez and Higuain are doing just fine. Anyway, it failed me yesterday, so I'm gonna stick with history today. Germany or Brazil has been in at least the semis in every single world cup but the first one in 1930. It is up to Mesut Ozil and the new look Germany to carry on that tradition. 2-2 and Germany moves on in penalties.
Deyan - Spain vs Paraguay is the most one sided affair in this quarterfinal. Excluding Torres, Spain seems to be hitting their stride at the perfect time and will look to put this game away early. If Paraguay can stop Spain from scoring early, they can hit them on the counter and cause a huge upset. This is not going to happen. Unless Paraguay can score a set piece goal to take the lead early or someone on Spain loses his head and gets a red card, Spain are just too skilled for Paraguay to handle. Spain takes this one 2-0.
Sam- I'm holding on to the thin chance of a Uruguay Paraguay final. But Paraguay doesn't have half the players that Uruguay apparently does, and have only managed to beat Slovakia in normal time. Spain have got to like their chances. 3-1.
Deyan- Argentina vs Germany can go either and anyway possible. Both teams are pretty much even with speedy, dangerous attackers and slow, suspect defenses. I am hoping for a high-scoring epic encounter and I believe there is a strong possibility that it will happen. With Messi playing, anything can happen. Hopefully for all of us, that “anything” will be goals and scoring chances in abundance. Breaking news coming from South Africa is saying Messi is sick and could potentially miss this vital encounter. However, I don’t believe he will let that happen. Im going with Messi cementing himself as the best in the world, and Argentina winning an epic encounter, 3-2.
Sam- Wow, finally we are getting into some good games here. Before the world cup you'd have to think Argentina were stronger, but Germany have looked as sharp as anyone since their first game. Maybe Messi is a little gassed. It wouldn't kill them if he came off the bench, because Tevez and Higuain are doing just fine. Anyway, it failed me yesterday, so I'm gonna stick with history today. Germany or Brazil has been in at least the semis in every single world cup but the first one in 1930. It is up to Mesut Ozil and the new look Germany to carry on that tradition. 2-2 and Germany moves on in penalties.
Deyan - Spain vs Paraguay is the most one sided affair in this quarterfinal. Excluding Torres, Spain seems to be hitting their stride at the perfect time and will look to put this game away early. If Paraguay can stop Spain from scoring early, they can hit them on the counter and cause a huge upset. This is not going to happen. Unless Paraguay can score a set piece goal to take the lead early or someone on Spain loses his head and gets a red card, Spain are just too skilled for Paraguay to handle. Spain takes this one 2-0.
Sam- I'm holding on to the thin chance of a Uruguay Paraguay final. But Paraguay doesn't have half the players that Uruguay apparently does, and have only managed to beat Slovakia in normal time. Spain have got to like their chances. 3-1.
Friday, July 2, 2010
friday
Deyan- Netherlands vs Brazil is technically the highest quality game of the tournament so far, and one of the best of all time. Both squads are completely stacked and possess star players in their prime playing in top form. Months ago when the draw came out I said that these teams would meet in the quarters and whoever wins this game will end up beating Spain in the final. At that time I chose the Netherlands to win it. Before the WC started I chose the Netherlands. So now, even though Brazil has looked far superior to the Netherlands in this tournament, I will stick by the Dutch for three reasons.
The first is that the leading playmakers of each team, Kaka and Sneijder, Sneijder is in better form and is more capable at this point in their careers of creating something extraordinary out of nowhere. The second is that the starting CDMs of the Netherlands, De Jong and Van Bommel, are simply better than their Brazilian counterparts, Gilberto and Melo. Gilberto is years past his prime and Melo was in horrible form all year for Juventus. The third reason is injuries/suspensions. For the Netherlands, arguably their best player, Robben, is back from his thigh injury giving them a complete squad to choose from. For Brazil, Elano is out, Ramires is suspended, and Melo will either not play or be playing with a minor injury. What scares me the most is in right back where Maicon can cause the Dutch all sorts of problems and Van Der Wiel is young and inexperienced. I’m sticking with my original prediction, Dutch win in extra time/shootout after a 1-1 tie, so 2-1 to the Dutch.
Sam- This is the pick of the weekend's ties along with Argentina/Germany. Its hard not to talk about the defensive resurrection of Brazil. I know everyone's been saying it, but its too difficult to ignore that this just isn't your granddaddy's Brazil. Lucio and Juan anchor the back, and they are almost disciplined even. Gilberto and Melo kind of play well together somehow. I think the Dutch will be able to hold their own too, but its hard to go against history with this match. You've got the Brazilian every other world cup theory coupled with the fact that no Euro team's ever won outside their continent. I think its Brazil and Argentina on a Crash course to the final. Brazil win. 2-0.
Deyan- Uruguay vs Ghana is an intriguing matchup that can go either way. Uruguay is the huge favorite because they are injury/suspension free and have been playing solid football throughout this tournament. However, Ghana has the entire continent behind them and could potentially use this home-field advantage to pull of this upset. I do not see this happening. The game against the USA drained them and I do not believe speedy striker Gyan can pull off the magic two games in a row. If Essien was playing it would be a different story, but he is not so I don’t think Ghana has enough in it to make it to the semis. The spectacular combination of Forlan and Suarez, combined with the solid play of their midfield and defense, makes Uruguay extremely difficult to beat. Uruguay will take this one by the hair, 1-0.
Sam- I'll be rooting for Ghana, but Uruguay have looked the better side. Neither of these teams have been that impressive though really and can both count themselves fortunate to have made it this far. But that is the way the tournament works, and whoever wins will be only 2 more games away from history. I'll go with Ghana. 1-0.
The first is that the leading playmakers of each team, Kaka and Sneijder, Sneijder is in better form and is more capable at this point in their careers of creating something extraordinary out of nowhere. The second is that the starting CDMs of the Netherlands, De Jong and Van Bommel, are simply better than their Brazilian counterparts, Gilberto and Melo. Gilberto is years past his prime and Melo was in horrible form all year for Juventus. The third reason is injuries/suspensions. For the Netherlands, arguably their best player, Robben, is back from his thigh injury giving them a complete squad to choose from. For Brazil, Elano is out, Ramires is suspended, and Melo will either not play or be playing with a minor injury. What scares me the most is in right back where Maicon can cause the Dutch all sorts of problems and Van Der Wiel is young and inexperienced. I’m sticking with my original prediction, Dutch win in extra time/shootout after a 1-1 tie, so 2-1 to the Dutch.
Sam- This is the pick of the weekend's ties along with Argentina/Germany. Its hard not to talk about the defensive resurrection of Brazil. I know everyone's been saying it, but its too difficult to ignore that this just isn't your granddaddy's Brazil. Lucio and Juan anchor the back, and they are almost disciplined even. Gilberto and Melo kind of play well together somehow. I think the Dutch will be able to hold their own too, but its hard to go against history with this match. You've got the Brazilian every other world cup theory coupled with the fact that no Euro team's ever won outside their continent. I think its Brazil and Argentina on a Crash course to the final. Brazil win. 2-0.
Deyan- Uruguay vs Ghana is an intriguing matchup that can go either way. Uruguay is the huge favorite because they are injury/suspension free and have been playing solid football throughout this tournament. However, Ghana has the entire continent behind them and could potentially use this home-field advantage to pull of this upset. I do not see this happening. The game against the USA drained them and I do not believe speedy striker Gyan can pull off the magic two games in a row. If Essien was playing it would be a different story, but he is not so I don’t think Ghana has enough in it to make it to the semis. The spectacular combination of Forlan and Suarez, combined with the solid play of their midfield and defense, makes Uruguay extremely difficult to beat. Uruguay will take this one by the hair, 1-0.
Sam- I'll be rooting for Ghana, but Uruguay have looked the better side. Neither of these teams have been that impressive though really and can both count themselves fortunate to have made it this far. But that is the way the tournament works, and whoever wins will be only 2 more games away from history. I'll go with Ghana. 1-0.
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