Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Whirled Cup Fever
Don't call it a comeback.
Australia's World Cup soccer team - down 1-nil in the 82nd minute, put one on the boooooooard (YES!). And then another. And then another. Three goals in the final seven minutes and change to beat Japan, 3-1. It's their first trip to the World Cup since 1974. Exciting stuff.
I spent most of this past weekend watching it. Why? Because it's compelling. And rich. It's a month full of Super Bowls. For instance, how about Trinidad & Tobago tying Sweden? That's a big deal! It's almost Princeton/Georgetown in 1989 big.
You can scoff at the World Cup and ESPN's seemingly tireless self-promotion of it, but for my viewing dollar, it's pretty simple: anything that slows the global economy by almost 20% for a month is worth my time.
On an aside, let's not all jump off the U.S.' bandwagon because they got beaten by the Czechs, 3-nil yesterday. The Czech-mates are ranked #2 in the World, according to the FIFA rankings, and the U.S. still has a terrific keeper in Kasey Keller.
Now, if his backline could stop leaving him naked out there, giving the opposition point-blank looks, the U.S. will be fine. Oh, they're playing Italy next?
Shampoo.
-----
I like Ben Roethlisberger (except when he lines up against the Pats, of course) and we here at TLBR wish him a speedy recovery.
And I also hope he learns whatever lesson you're supposed to cull from hitting a windshield with your face.
On a related note, I'd like to see the Manning brothers on matching Vespas.
Or, like my man Jeffy so succinctly said: "There's one more thing that Tom Brady is better at: driving." So wrong. But so right.
-----
Back to the World Cup - a TLBR loyal made a comment about the large Korean contingentcy at the Korea-Togo match: "Man, there are a lot of fruit stores closed right now."
(Ok, fine, the comment was mine)
But a real TLBR loyal sent me this link about a similar comment from Roger Clemens, during the World Baseball Classic: "They said, ‘You’ve got no chance,’ they told me,” Clemens said. “I said, ‘I’m going to get it tomorrow, right?’ And then she goes, ‘No chance, we’re going to the game.’ So we couldn’t get dry cleaning done out there, but I guess the neatest thing about them was there were about 50,000 of them at Anaheim Stadium, Korea and Japan."
That got swept under the rug, eh?
-----
Yet another TLBR loyal sent me this link.
For those who don't know, Geno's is one of two prominent cheesesteak places in Philly. Pat's is the other, located in the same general locale as Geno's.
Ironically, when ordering at Geno's, the English you use is bastardized. "Cheesesteak wit" (or "Whiz wit") means you want a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and fried onions. An "American wit" is a cheesesteak with American cheese and fried onions, while a "Provolone wit" is, well, you get it. Don't want onions? Say "witout" (for those who speak the King's English, that is roughly translated into "without") instead of "wit."
Bottom line: screw the Xenophobes at Geno's, forget Pat's, and go to Jimmy's.
And they have a lot, a lot of culture there. They've got the Liberty Bell...it's like a baby New York.
-----
Every time "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan comes on the radio (wmvyradio.com), I close the door to the office, turn it up to 11, and forget about the world for a little less than three minutes.
-----
Today's YouTube clip: the trailer for the upcoming movie "Borat."
I'll be the first in line for this one. Jagshemash.
To the next step.
One.
Australia's World Cup soccer team - down 1-nil in the 82nd minute, put one on the boooooooard (YES!). And then another. And then another. Three goals in the final seven minutes and change to beat Japan, 3-1. It's their first trip to the World Cup since 1974. Exciting stuff.
I spent most of this past weekend watching it. Why? Because it's compelling. And rich. It's a month full of Super Bowls. For instance, how about Trinidad & Tobago tying Sweden? That's a big deal! It's almost Princeton/Georgetown in 1989 big.
You can scoff at the World Cup and ESPN's seemingly tireless self-promotion of it, but for my viewing dollar, it's pretty simple: anything that slows the global economy by almost 20% for a month is worth my time.
On an aside, let's not all jump off the U.S.' bandwagon because they got beaten by the Czechs, 3-nil yesterday. The Czech-mates are ranked #2 in the World, according to the FIFA rankings, and the U.S. still has a terrific keeper in Kasey Keller.
Now, if his backline could stop leaving him naked out there, giving the opposition point-blank looks, the U.S. will be fine. Oh, they're playing Italy next?
Shampoo.
-----
I like Ben Roethlisberger (except when he lines up against the Pats, of course) and we here at TLBR wish him a speedy recovery.
And I also hope he learns whatever lesson you're supposed to cull from hitting a windshield with your face.
On a related note, I'd like to see the Manning brothers on matching Vespas.
Or, like my man Jeffy so succinctly said: "There's one more thing that Tom Brady is better at: driving." So wrong. But so right.
-----
Back to the World Cup - a TLBR loyal made a comment about the large Korean contingentcy at the Korea-Togo match: "Man, there are a lot of fruit stores closed right now."
(Ok, fine, the comment was mine)
But a real TLBR loyal sent me this link about a similar comment from Roger Clemens, during the World Baseball Classic: "They said, ‘You’ve got no chance,’ they told me,” Clemens said. “I said, ‘I’m going to get it tomorrow, right?’ And then she goes, ‘No chance, we’re going to the game.’ So we couldn’t get dry cleaning done out there, but I guess the neatest thing about them was there were about 50,000 of them at Anaheim Stadium, Korea and Japan."
That got swept under the rug, eh?
-----
Yet another TLBR loyal sent me this link.
For those who don't know, Geno's is one of two prominent cheesesteak places in Philly. Pat's is the other, located in the same general locale as Geno's.
Ironically, when ordering at Geno's, the English you use is bastardized. "Cheesesteak wit" (or "Whiz wit") means you want a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and fried onions. An "American wit" is a cheesesteak with American cheese and fried onions, while a "Provolone wit" is, well, you get it. Don't want onions? Say "witout" (for those who speak the King's English, that is roughly translated into "without") instead of "wit."
Bottom line: screw the Xenophobes at Geno's, forget Pat's, and go to Jimmy's.
And they have a lot, a lot of culture there. They've got the Liberty Bell...it's like a baby New York.
-----
Every time "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan comes on the radio (wmvyradio.com), I close the door to the office, turn it up to 11, and forget about the world for a little less than three minutes.
-----
Today's YouTube clip: the trailer for the upcoming movie "Borat."
I'll be the first in line for this one. Jagshemash.
To the next step.
One.
