Today was my worst performance ever in the World Cup "pool" -- 0 for 4! I have gone from being a contender on the leader board to a total bum. And I must confess to having watched exactly 0 minutes of live action, catching only the occasional highlight reel.
It was a tough day to make the right calls -- even our "pool" leaders went 2 for 4 at best. But those folks aren't going to be able to see me much longer, tiny in their rear-view mirrors.
Comments (9)
If soccer is going to make it in the states they will need to make scoring easier as we Yanks need to see some action and we will need lots of time-outs for TV commercials.
Otherwise, we will continue waiting for the highlights on late night news.
Soccer doesn't need to change a thing. Okay, lose the horns. But the game is great entertainment when it really matters.
I think the Algeria result won the USA huge support around the world. That was electrifying and Landon Donovan is now one of my favorite players.
I believe we've become a soccer nation in that we are fielding a genuine team that can play with authentic flair.
Up 'til now I thought we were clunky, doing it with will and atheletic chops but not really speaking the language.
How can I put this? Have you ever heard a blues band from Russia? They go along sounding pretty legit then someone does something that exposes them. You can tell they came to it late.
I always thought our soccer team looked like that, but this group? They displayed a lot of skill and threw a ton of great action at this match. They belong on the world stage. The buildup to the goal, with Tim Howard throwing the ball ahead, was world class in every way.
Even getting screwed out of a few goals
makes it feel like we have arrived.
Ghana is going to be tough but the thrill of a match like Wednesday can carry this team for a while. Go USA.
Just watched "Invictus" with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Good movie -- and also suggests to me that Americans are much more ready to watch rugby than soccer.
Try to catch the first 30 mins. of Portugal-Brazil match this morning, Jack. Or Chile-Spain later. Should be good shows. Easy to do while multi-tasking at a desk or table. Also, it's early still in pool -- a couple upsets in coming rounds and lots of folks could jump to the front of the pack. With the crazy refereeing (imo - a lot harder than NBA or NFL ref'ing), this could be the year of the underdogs. Bow wow wow!
P.S. -- Will somebody please send a memo to the comics of the U.S. and tell them to lay off the lame vuvuzela stuff, and go back to trying to write a good Lincoln joke. Enough already.
you haven't been a very good babysitter of this pool. I filled out everything on the fill-in-the-blanks sheet thing on the first day of the World Cup, selecting wins based on the countries I would most like to visit, and then sat back to "watch".
Yesterday I discovered there was a SECOND ROUND, and that I hadn't filled everything out on the first day after all, and that it was too late to do so; I had missed a ton of fill-in-the-blanks and now....I have NO HOPE of winning.
Some of us need HELP here with this stuff. A coaxing reminder email next time would be appreciated.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (9)
If soccer is going to make it in the states they will need to make scoring easier as we Yanks need to see some action and we will need lots of time-outs for TV commercials.
Otherwise, we will continue waiting for the highlights on late night news.
Posted by Abe | June 24, 2010 8:30 PM
Soccer doesn't need to change a thing. Okay, lose the horns. But the game is great entertainment when it really matters.
I think the Algeria result won the USA huge support around the world. That was electrifying and Landon Donovan is now one of my favorite players.
I believe we've become a soccer nation in that we are fielding a genuine team that can play with authentic flair.
Up 'til now I thought we were clunky, doing it with will and atheletic chops but not really speaking the language.
How can I put this? Have you ever heard a blues band from Russia? They go along sounding pretty legit then someone does something that exposes them. You can tell they came to it late.
I always thought our soccer team looked like that, but this group? They displayed a lot of skill and threw a ton of great action at this match. They belong on the world stage. The buildup to the goal, with Tim Howard throwing the ball ahead, was world class in every way.
Even getting screwed out of a few goals
makes it feel like we have arrived.
Ghana is going to be tough but the thrill of a match like Wednesday can carry this team for a while. Go USA.
Posted by Bill McDonald | June 24, 2010 8:49 PM
I have to agree with Bill. This Copa Mundial has been a great one, is exciting, and really fun to watch.
Go Spain.....
Posted by Ricardo | June 24, 2010 9:04 PM
Just watched "Invictus" with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Good movie -- and also suggests to me that Americans are much more ready to watch rugby than soccer.
Posted by George Anonymuncule Seldes | June 24, 2010 11:39 PM
Try to catch the first 30 mins. of Portugal-Brazil match this morning, Jack. Or Chile-Spain later. Should be good shows. Easy to do while multi-tasking at a desk or table. Also, it's early still in pool -- a couple upsets in coming rounds and lots of folks could jump to the front of the pack. With the crazy refereeing (imo - a lot harder than NBA or NFL ref'ing), this could be the year of the underdogs. Bow wow wow!
P.S. -- Will somebody please send a memo to the comics of the U.S. and tell them to lay off the lame vuvuzela stuff, and go back to trying to write a good Lincoln joke. Enough already.
Posted by Mojo | June 25, 2010 2:55 AM
They're just being vuvuzealous.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 25, 2010 2:57 AM
Vuuuuuuuuuuuu. Vuuuuuuuuuu.
Posted by Mojo | June 25, 2010 7:45 AM
Jack,
you haven't been a very good babysitter of this pool. I filled out everything on the fill-in-the-blanks sheet thing on the first day of the World Cup, selecting wins based on the countries I would most like to visit, and then sat back to "watch".
Yesterday I discovered there was a SECOND ROUND, and that I hadn't filled everything out on the first day after all, and that it was too late to do so; I had missed a ton of fill-in-the-blanks and now....I have NO HOPE of winning.
Some of us need HELP here with this stuff. A coaxing reminder email next time would be appreciated.
Posted by gaye haris | June 25, 2010 8:23 AM
Was watching for a few minutes, kids said "Dad, I thought you said it would be 17 years before the Cicadas returned." Man, those horns, they gotta go.
Posted by Grady Foster | June 25, 2010 8:25 AM