Monday, June 28, 2010
Random Awesome Video of the Month
New twist on Orbit Gum. A Good Clean Feeling No Matter What. This is ingenious! By the way, make sure to watch in full screen, because if you don't, you see the transparency of the video mixed in with my background, and as amazing as my background is, it just takes away from the video's general awesomeness:)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
South African Streets
The official World Cup Anthem. The South African Soweto Choir teamed up with U2 to piece together a beautiful rendition of "Where the Streets Have No Name."
Listen to it, it's outstanding!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Drawing Board
As an avid sports fan, and an American sports fan, I am definitely not a fan of ties. At all. Except in soccer. Especially in the FIFA World Cup. Against a country the Yanks haven't beaten since 1950.
The way they tied wasn't even fair, but I will take it. Considering that the Yanks are famous for terrible starts to the World Cup (look at 06, with all the expectations, USA plays scared and the Czechs win 3-0), it wasn't a surprise to see a 1-0 England lead in the 4th minute. I immediately thought it was 06 all over again. Then our world famous keeper, Tim Howard, found himself the victim of a vicious collision with England's striker Emile Heskey. The collision looked so severe, many were wondering whether Howard could stay in the game. Not only did he stay, he dominated the English attack, constantly making breathtaking saves with relative ease.
Howard is the reason why the Yanks stayed with the Brits for 90 minutes.
Robert Green is the reason why the Yanks pulled out a tie and a crucial point in the opening game.
In the 40th minute, Clint Dempsey pulled his best Ronaldinho impression on a few English defenders before finding an opening beyond the penalty area, taking an open shot, albeit not getting the strike, that somehow found the area between the goal line and the back of the net. You heard me, the ball rolled so slowly off of English GK Green that it didn't touch the net until it finally rested on the ground bar.
No matter the excuse, Green simply misplayed it, impossibly letting it slip off his gloves, then stumbling while desperately trying to stop the slow-moving ball to no avail. The play took about five seconds, which is about the same amount of time it took for the American fans to give Green his new nickname.
Bill Buckner.
That would be Bill Buckner, the Red Sox first baseman that lost Boston a shot at the World Series in 1986. The man wasn't forgiven in Boston until 2004, when the Sox finally won it all.
Robert Green may NEVER be forgiven in his home country, even if the Three Lions do find a way to win the Cup. That's how massive of a blunder this was and that's how ferocious the Brit fans are. They're desperate for a title, and anything that stops them - or slows them down - for that matter, is immediately considered a brutal enemy.
Go to 1:00 into the video below to see Green's infamous blunder.
As a fan who loves both USA and England, the best thing I could have asked for is a draw, no matter how much I hate ties.
Looks like I got my wish, now let's hope my other wish (a USA-England World Cup Final) comes true!
In other news...
As you can obviously see, I changed my background to a more patriotic background. Kind of. At least the text is Red, White and Blue. But the background I chose is too perfect to pass up. Who knew they would actually have an option to have a BRACKET as your background? Dreams really do come true!:)
Friday, June 11, 2010
South Africa 2010
I can't believe it's already been four years.
The FIFA World Cup is the biggest, most popular tournament in the World, easily trumping the Super Bowl and the World Series.
It also holds a special place in my heart, mainly because of how and when I got into soccer. After hanging out with a ton of soccer kids at cross country in high school, they got me back into soccer; not just playing it, but watching it too. I remember watching Liverpool stun Manchester United for the UEFA Cup right before my Graduation. That got me hooked on Liverpool, and players like Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch, etc.
When the 2006 FIFA World Cup began on June 9, my life was already vastly changing around me; I had just graduated High School, got a new car (that very same day, actually), was - kind of - looking forward to running for Metro State in the fall, and was already missing the comforts of being institutionalized. Serious. Depsite the fact the I put forth absolutely zero effort in school except cross country and sometimes track, I felt safe knowing that someone else controlled the truly tough stuff in my life. Yes, Madre and Padre, that would be you. Thanks for putting up with my ENDLESS crap:)
Flash forward four years. It's June 11, things are completely different than in 2006. I live in Mormonville, am working 30+ hours a week (and actually loving it), still have the same Jeep Cherokee (with the same 2006 Tassel from Graduation...not taking that down till I graduate from college), am - extremely - looking forward to running for Utah Valley University in the fall, and am still kind of missing the comforts of home. Probably a little more than kind of, but that's generally pretty standard:).
It's funny how much can change, yet stay the same, in the span of four years. That's a little how the World Cup feels this year. Although my anticipation and expectations in 2006 were sky high, they seem to be even higher this year. Surprisingly, it's not the Yanks or the Three Lions that has my expectations so high (granted, that still has a little to do with it), it's more due to the fact that Africa is finally hosting a World Cup. You can get into the whole Political Drama that involves Africa all you want, but in my opinion, the bottom line here is hosting the biggest event in the World is a major accomplishment, and there's no better man to put it all together than Nelson Mandela. Once again, I don't care if he's black, white, purple, slightly green with a little fuschia, or even bright orange with a tinge of turquoise, he is a good man, and has done an outstanding job of bringing the Rainbow Nation together to actually be a rainbow. It's truly spectacular what he's done in South Africa.
What's even more spectacular was the inspired play by the host nation this morning. Ranked 83rd in the World, they took on a storied (and 17th ranked) Mexican team that just beat Italy, the 2006 Champs, in a friendly one week prior. After an intense first half where Mexico dominated the ball in the front, the Bafana Bafana (meaning the Boys the Boys) somehow found a way to hold them at bay and entered the locker rooms tied at nil.
The second half quickly became a different story. South Africa, energized by millions of their fans around the Nation (oh, and those annoyingly awesome horns that make it sound like Hornets are attacking the TV), started attacking the Mexican defenders relentlessly, finally finding a breakaway chance in the 55th minute, which ended in a "Beautiful Goal" in the upper 90, putting Bafana Bafana up 1-0.
Mexico later snuck behind the RSA Defense to even up the match at 1-1 in the 79th minute. South Africa had their chances near the 90th minute, including a painfully close shot off the post before time ran out, but finding a way to tie a tough Mexican squad is a major boost for the hosts.
And since I, along with virtually every other fan in the World, cannot stand France, I'm not talking much about their sloppy, lethargic play in tying Uruguay.
So with the first day of the 2010 FIFA World Cup behind us, we have a tie across the board. Technically, if the Group Stage were to end today, South Africa and Mexico would advance on more Goals Scored than the lazy Frenchmen and Uruguay.
The things that seem oddly familiar are the expectations for my two countries. The expectations are, and always will be, overexaggerated to the point of insanity for England. I will always worry about how the guys like Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, the Coles, and Head Coach Fabio Capello will handle the seemingly insurmountable pressure from the desperate Brits.
I'm surprised, and relieved, at how much pressure is also on the Yanks this year. After last year's debacle, I really thought the average sports fan (which is what America is made of) would lose interest fast and wouldn't care about US Soccer in 2010. I think 2009 forever changed that complacency from the average fan. Why? The Yanks stunned the top team in the World in Spain in the Confederations Cup Semifinal. A few days later, the Donovan-led Americans almost pulled off an upset as monumental as the Miracle on Grass in 1950 (the American amateurs shocked the Three Lions 1-0), but eventually fell to Brazil 3-2.
That run to the Confed. Cup Final raised the standards for American Soccer, even more so than the Quarterfinal World Cup run in 2002. It marked the first time in US History that the Yanks competed in a FIFA sanctioned Final. They are seeing that momentum and raising a streak of clean friendlies to prepare themselves for the sequel to Miracle on Grass. They even created a kit similar to the 1950 Uni:
And with that, here are my full predictions for South Africa 2010. I think I actually found a way to link my results while still using Excel, so here goes:
2010 FIFA World Cup Finals:
USA v England
As always, here are some enlightening articles on the Yanks and the Brits. By the way, I'm seriously bummed that I'm missing the game I've waited four long years for. England and USA square off tomorrow at 12:30 MST, so GO WATCH IT FOR ME!!! And cheer on your country, becasue the Yanks need all the support we can get!
US or England?
USA-England Preview.
'06 sucked, '10 needs to be better.
Why the Yanks need Bob Bradley.
GO USA!!!!!!
One Game Changes Everything
Here's a preview for the US. I'll have my analysis/predictions tomorrow. They're all finished, I just don't have time to type it out tonight:)
GO USA!!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
What in the World is going on?
In what has already been an unpredictable year in sports, today may have been the wildest, craziest, most unexpected day in sports in my short time on this earth. Three seperate unexpected events occured - on most days, each event would have rightfully hogged the Sportscenter spotlight - on the same day; within the same hour, actually. Each event left me in a state of shock, watching SC with my jaw resting on the floor. I still can't believe what happened today. Now I want to share my unbelief with you folks (whoever still reads my blog, that is).
STORY ONE:
USC punished with two-year football postseason ban.
It would really suck to be Lane Kiffin right now.
Kiffin recently signed on as the Head Coach of USC football, taking over for Pete Carroll, who bolted for the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks amid suspicion of violating NCAA rules. Turns out, Carroll made the smartest move of his career. After four years of ongoing investigations, the NCAA discovered that 2005 Heisman Reggie Bush played nearly an entire season while being ruled ineligibe. USC won the National Championship in 2004 and went undefeated before bowing out to Texas in the 2005 National Championship.
In a few weeks, that year may never exist. The NCAA is fully planning on revoking the Trojans' Trophy in '04, which would mean that no team was crowned a National Champ in 2004. (Hey Charlotte, there's another trivia question that you could shock your friends with....kinda like the 1994 World Series;)). Oh, and that Heisman Bush ran away with in '05? Yeah, that also doesn't exist.
My question here is: What the HELL was the NCAA doing when USC was using Reggie Bush when he was ineligible?! Surely they have SOME sort of document lying around that says "Oh by the way, the guy who's gonna win the HEISMAN TROPHY, the most coveted individual award in college football, is in fact NOT ELIGIBLE to be on the field. And now the NCAA is looking into whether it was in fact THEIR OWN PEOPLE who ruled him ineligible? I'm not the brightest kid in the world here, but I'm pretty sure that I would: 1) Know that I ruled someone ineligible and: 2) Know that he's STILL ON THE FIELD! I mean, he was on ESPN every. single. day. for two years! I don't know how they missed that one. Seriously.
What began the investigations were not actually because of his eligibility, which I find quite ironic. They looked into USC because - like almost every problem that the NCAA looks at these days - Reggie Bush was receiving "special treatment." I.E. free freaking rent for his family. USC was paying his family's rent! I knew the NCAA would dig up something like special treatment for Bush and his family; that I expected. What I didn't expect was the eligibility problem and the hell that USC now has to pay. It'll be good to see some bowl games without the Trojans. Oh, and they lose out on 30 scholarships for the next three years.
If only Kiffin stayed at Tennessee.
STORY TWO:
Tom Izzo close to accepting job as Cleveland Cavs head coach.
This surprises me mainly because of what Tom Izzo means to Michigan State, the state of Michigan and Sparty Nation. He is the reason why Michigan State is a powerhouse in college basketball and has been for over a decade. He led them to the National Title in 2000, then led many different squads with a number of new stars to an astounding SIX Final Fours in 12 seasons. That means his team survived the Madness of March to dance into the Final Weekend SIX TIMES. There are countless schools who haven't even made it to March Madness six times. Ever. And Izzo led these boys six different times with six different teams. For that reason, and other reasons, he is one of my favorite college coaches of all time. It would be extremely sad to see him bolt to the NBA. Even if it did mean he would be coaching Lebron James, which is no gurantee (another reason why this is such a shocking story: Lebron most likely will not return to Cleveland, which would mean Izzo left a great situation in East Lansing to lead a team that won't even make it past the first round in the watered-down Eastern Conference).
STORY THREE:
COLORADO ANNOUNCES ITS ACCEPTANCE TO JOIN PAC-10.
Yes, I knew this was coming for about two weeks. That doesn't make it any less surprising. Colorado belongs in the Big 12. It's as simple as that. With all due respect to Colorado State, Nebraska has been the Buffs' primary rival since 5200 BC. If you wear the Gold and Black, you can't stand the sight of the college version of the Big Red Machine. If you wear the Red and White, just the thought of a Buffalo roaming the streets of Lincoln makes you want to Husker that Corn with a violent ferocity.
There are so many - and I mean, SOOOO MANY - reasons why this idea is absolutely insane (and I mean that in the worst possible way), but the two things that really surprise me are these:
1) CU's inception into the Pac-10 marks the FIRST TIME since 1978 that the Pac-10 has added a new team. Thirty Two Years! And for the Pac-10, this is only the beginning...
2) The West Coast Powers are doing everything in their power to lure six of the current 12 schools involved in the Big 12. Colorado is numero uno. Mark Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as the other five. The big wigs for the Longhorns met with Missouri officials today to discuss their future and the future of the Big 12. Don't be fooled by what they say ("We support the Big 12." "We're working hard to stay together."). No, they're leaving, there's little to no doubt in my mind. So what does that mean, exactly? Take a look:
I remember having multiple conversations with Mark Wood about what's playing out right now, although our conversations were more geared towards BYU finding a way into the Pac-10. I'm not sure if he remembers, but the first time we talked about it was back when I was in middle school at our Ward Youth Conference in Silverthorne. I remember him telling me that BYU is more than capable of sticking with teams like Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Cal and Stanford. I remember thinking that, statistically, the Cougars actually could match up with these teams in football especially. Maybe not basketball, but, as the NCAA is proving to the Nation right now, the only sport that actually matters is football. If things fall into place, BYU will have their shot at a Power Conference. And they wouldn't even have to leave the Mountain West. Here's how:
BIG 12 DISSOLVES:
With CU heading West and Nebraska most likely leaving for the Big Ten this weekend, that should set up a chain reaction with the other five schools previously mentioned following the Buffs, which would leave just six schools (Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State and Baylor) in the Big 12.
Two of those schools, Missouri and Iowa State, are strongly considering joining Nebraska in the Big Ten, which would leave just three teams in the Big 12, effectively destroying the most dominant all-around conference in college.
So we now have 16 teams in the Pac-10. They'll split it up into two divisions, the Pac-16 West and the Pac-16 East. It will most likely look something like this:
WEST:
Washington
Washington State
Cal
Stanford
USC
UCLA
Oregon
Oregon State
EAST:
Arizona
Arizona State
Colorado
Texas
Texas Tech
Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
The Big Ten will also turn into a Super Conference, and with Missouri and Iowa State joining, that opens the door for Notre Dame, which will ultimately lead to the death of the Big East, the POWER in college basketball. The Big Ten will look very similar to the Pac-16:
NORTH:
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Ohio State
Notre Dame
Penn State
Wisconsin
Purdue
SOUTH:
Indiana
Illinois
Iowa
Iowa State
Nebraska
Missouri
Northwestern
(One more team, most likely from the Big East)
This re-alignment would probably spur the Mountain West to expand, which would most likely mean that Boise State, Kansas, Kansas State and Baylor joining BYU, TCU and Utah for MWC Dominance. I believe this would create a new BCS Conference in the Mountain West, and I am excited about that possibility.
But life without the Big East and the Big 12? And not seeing another epic CU-Nebraska Thanksgiving Classic? That depresses me, and I think it is ultimately the wrong move for college athletics.
STORY ONE:
USC punished with two-year football postseason ban.
It would really suck to be Lane Kiffin right now.
Kiffin recently signed on as the Head Coach of USC football, taking over for Pete Carroll, who bolted for the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks amid suspicion of violating NCAA rules. Turns out, Carroll made the smartest move of his career. After four years of ongoing investigations, the NCAA discovered that 2005 Heisman Reggie Bush played nearly an entire season while being ruled ineligibe. USC won the National Championship in 2004 and went undefeated before bowing out to Texas in the 2005 National Championship.
In a few weeks, that year may never exist. The NCAA is fully planning on revoking the Trojans' Trophy in '04, which would mean that no team was crowned a National Champ in 2004. (Hey Charlotte, there's another trivia question that you could shock your friends with....kinda like the 1994 World Series;)). Oh, and that Heisman Bush ran away with in '05? Yeah, that also doesn't exist.
My question here is: What the HELL was the NCAA doing when USC was using Reggie Bush when he was ineligible?! Surely they have SOME sort of document lying around that says "Oh by the way, the guy who's gonna win the HEISMAN TROPHY, the most coveted individual award in college football, is in fact NOT ELIGIBLE to be on the field. And now the NCAA is looking into whether it was in fact THEIR OWN PEOPLE who ruled him ineligible? I'm not the brightest kid in the world here, but I'm pretty sure that I would: 1) Know that I ruled someone ineligible and: 2) Know that he's STILL ON THE FIELD! I mean, he was on ESPN every. single. day. for two years! I don't know how they missed that one. Seriously.
What began the investigations were not actually because of his eligibility, which I find quite ironic. They looked into USC because - like almost every problem that the NCAA looks at these days - Reggie Bush was receiving "special treatment." I.E. free freaking rent for his family. USC was paying his family's rent! I knew the NCAA would dig up something like special treatment for Bush and his family; that I expected. What I didn't expect was the eligibility problem and the hell that USC now has to pay. It'll be good to see some bowl games without the Trojans. Oh, and they lose out on 30 scholarships for the next three years.
If only Kiffin stayed at Tennessee.
STORY TWO:
Tom Izzo close to accepting job as Cleveland Cavs head coach.
This surprises me mainly because of what Tom Izzo means to Michigan State, the state of Michigan and Sparty Nation. He is the reason why Michigan State is a powerhouse in college basketball and has been for over a decade. He led them to the National Title in 2000, then led many different squads with a number of new stars to an astounding SIX Final Fours in 12 seasons. That means his team survived the Madness of March to dance into the Final Weekend SIX TIMES. There are countless schools who haven't even made it to March Madness six times. Ever. And Izzo led these boys six different times with six different teams. For that reason, and other reasons, he is one of my favorite college coaches of all time. It would be extremely sad to see him bolt to the NBA. Even if it did mean he would be coaching Lebron James, which is no gurantee (another reason why this is such a shocking story: Lebron most likely will not return to Cleveland, which would mean Izzo left a great situation in East Lansing to lead a team that won't even make it past the first round in the watered-down Eastern Conference).
STORY THREE:
COLORADO ANNOUNCES ITS ACCEPTANCE TO JOIN PAC-10.
Yes, I knew this was coming for about two weeks. That doesn't make it any less surprising. Colorado belongs in the Big 12. It's as simple as that. With all due respect to Colorado State, Nebraska has been the Buffs' primary rival since 5200 BC. If you wear the Gold and Black, you can't stand the sight of the college version of the Big Red Machine. If you wear the Red and White, just the thought of a Buffalo roaming the streets of Lincoln makes you want to Husker that Corn with a violent ferocity.
There are so many - and I mean, SOOOO MANY - reasons why this idea is absolutely insane (and I mean that in the worst possible way), but the two things that really surprise me are these:
1) CU's inception into the Pac-10 marks the FIRST TIME since 1978 that the Pac-10 has added a new team. Thirty Two Years! And for the Pac-10, this is only the beginning...
2) The West Coast Powers are doing everything in their power to lure six of the current 12 schools involved in the Big 12. Colorado is numero uno. Mark Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as the other five. The big wigs for the Longhorns met with Missouri officials today to discuss their future and the future of the Big 12. Don't be fooled by what they say ("We support the Big 12." "We're working hard to stay together."). No, they're leaving, there's little to no doubt in my mind. So what does that mean, exactly? Take a look:
I remember having multiple conversations with Mark Wood about what's playing out right now, although our conversations were more geared towards BYU finding a way into the Pac-10. I'm not sure if he remembers, but the first time we talked about it was back when I was in middle school at our Ward Youth Conference in Silverthorne. I remember him telling me that BYU is more than capable of sticking with teams like Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Cal and Stanford. I remember thinking that, statistically, the Cougars actually could match up with these teams in football especially. Maybe not basketball, but, as the NCAA is proving to the Nation right now, the only sport that actually matters is football. If things fall into place, BYU will have their shot at a Power Conference. And they wouldn't even have to leave the Mountain West. Here's how:
BIG 12 DISSOLVES:
With CU heading West and Nebraska most likely leaving for the Big Ten this weekend, that should set up a chain reaction with the other five schools previously mentioned following the Buffs, which would leave just six schools (Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State and Baylor) in the Big 12.
Two of those schools, Missouri and Iowa State, are strongly considering joining Nebraska in the Big Ten, which would leave just three teams in the Big 12, effectively destroying the most dominant all-around conference in college.
So we now have 16 teams in the Pac-10. They'll split it up into two divisions, the Pac-16 West and the Pac-16 East. It will most likely look something like this:
WEST:
Washington
Washington State
Cal
Stanford
USC
UCLA
Oregon
Oregon State
EAST:
Arizona
Arizona State
Colorado
Texas
Texas Tech
Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
The Big Ten will also turn into a Super Conference, and with Missouri and Iowa State joining, that opens the door for Notre Dame, which will ultimately lead to the death of the Big East, the POWER in college basketball. The Big Ten will look very similar to the Pac-16:
NORTH:
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Ohio State
Notre Dame
Penn State
Wisconsin
Purdue
SOUTH:
Indiana
Illinois
Iowa
Iowa State
Nebraska
Missouri
Northwestern
(One more team, most likely from the Big East)
This re-alignment would probably spur the Mountain West to expand, which would most likely mean that Boise State, Kansas, Kansas State and Baylor joining BYU, TCU and Utah for MWC Dominance. I believe this would create a new BCS Conference in the Mountain West, and I am excited about that possibility.
But life without the Big East and the Big 12? And not seeing another epic CU-Nebraska Thanksgiving Classic? That depresses me, and I think it is ultimately the wrong move for college athletics.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Bryce Harper
This. Guy. Is. A. Freak. Of. Nature.
Seriously, he - along with Stephen Strasburg - will lead the Washington Nationals to the World Series in 2013. I am dead serious. These two guys are crazy good.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
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