World Cup Post #8 - 6/16/06

Things are getting interesting for several teams and some groups have already been decided except for the seeding. I'm going to make some comments about each group and the cup as a whole so far.

Group A: Boy, I missed this one by a good bit. Germany is poised to get the 9 points that I predicted, but Ecuador are the surprise of this group. The hosts and the upstart South Americans have both booked their passage to the second round, having eliminated Poland and Costa Rica. I didn't give Ecuador even 1 point in my predictions and now they have 6 with their two solid wins. However, they are facing possible injuries to their two scoring stars and will have a tough time with a very confident German side. Obviously, the Poland-Costa Rica game means nothing, but the other should be exciting as both 2nd round qualifiers would prefer to get Sweden or Trinidad as opposed to England. Current standings: Germany - 6 pts., Ecuador - 6 pts., Poland - 0 pts.,

Group B: Trinidad have made a great showing having drawn to Sweden and having held out for a long time against England. Although they have also won a spot in the final 16, England needed an own goal to beat Paraguay and struggled to score against Trinidad. Sweden will be missing Henrik Larsson for their match with England, but only need a draw or Trinidad draw or loss to move on after beating Paraguay late to bring their point total to 4. Current standings: England - 6 pts., Sweden - 4 pts., Trinidad - 1 pt., Paraguay - 0 pts. I have done pretty well with this group so far.

Group C: Another group that has 2 teams already through to the next round. My prediction looks to be solid as far as placing, but Ivory Coast failed to get points so far, although they have fought hard. One thing is for sure - Argentina are everything I expected them to be. They owned possession (60%!) over Ivory Coast, but gave up a late goal after taking their foot off the pedal. There was no slowing down against the soon-to-be-separated Serbia & Montenegro scoring a huge 6-0 landslide. Look, they were up 3-0 when they brought on Tevez and then Messi - two highly prolific goalscorers. Argentina, in my opinion, have proven themselves the team to beat. Current standings: Argentina and Netherlands have 6 pts. each and Ivory Coast and S&M are at 0.

Group D: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! How do you draw to Angola. It was sweet walking around my campus of 93% Latino students who couldn't say enough about the USA-Czecj score after Mexico drew to Angola, who played down a man for the last 13 minutes. So awesome. Portugal don't look so hot either, but they controlled the match against Iran and, with their 2-0 win, landed themselves in the knockout rounds after failing to do so since the days of the mighty Eusabio back in 1966. I hope Mexico loses to the Portuguese and Angola can make up the goal differential (they are currently -3 to Mexico) while beating Iran, because it would be sweet to see Mexico knocked out early. Current standings: Portugal - 6 pts., Mexico - 4pts., Angola - 1 pt., Iran - 0 pts.

Group E: The best team in this group has turned out to be the referee in the U.S.-Italy match. How in God's name do you give out 3 red cards in a game where the only excessive physical play was a dirty Italian throwing elbows? That bastard ref had more of an impact on that game than any official should be able to. He needs to lose his job. However, the U.S. came out and played like the team that I know they are. Aggressive, tricky, smart. They held one of the cup favorites to a draw despite playing with only 9 for basically the entire 2nd half. Italy showed how little class they have by diving every chance they could and by DeRossi's getting sent off afer blatantly and purposefully elbowing Brian McBride in the face. We outplayed, outclassed, and out-hearted them. Unfortunately, we were screwed by the official. Ghana, on the other hand, showed why I love to watch the World Cup. Their 2-0 upset of the Czechs saved the U.S.'s chances of advancing and proved to be the biggest upset of the cup so far. The U.S. must get a victory over Ghana and an Italian win over the Czechs to advance. There are other scenarios, but they involve a U.S. win of more than 4 goals over Ghana, which seems unlikely. At this point, nobody has assured advancement and nobody has been eliminated. Current standings: Italy - 4 pts., Czechs - 3 pts., Ghana - 3 pts., U.S. - 1 pt.

Group F: Japan and Croatia allowed me a nice nap, but the Australia - Brazil game was so much fun to watch. Brazil has showed, in my view, that they are not the team that everyone thinks. However, if you listen to the douchebag announcers, they are still the favorite. Dave O'Brien and Marcelo Balboa saw a Brazilian team that was controlling possession and closing the game like champions. I saw a team that gave up several great opportunites to an obviously more determined, but less talented, Australian side. The problem is that nobody wants to say that Brazil is not that good. Well I'm saying it. Brazil is in the 2nd round and will win this group, but they will not get into the final. The Aussies, however, can move on with a draw against Croatia.

Group G: What a lame group this has turned out to be. France has 1 goal in 2 games and only one point. Korea has 4 points after beating a completely gutted Togo team and drawing France. The Swiss look to be getting some more points tomorrow because Togo may not actually play their match tomorrow if they don't get their paychecks from the government. If Togo quits the whole cup, France will finish with 5 points and Korea will battle the Swiss to see if they go on. It could go down to goal differential, which would favor the French and Swiss if they get automatic 2-0 wins over Togo. What a bloddy mess.

Group H: Boring boring boring. Spain kills Ukraine 4-0, their only competition in this group, and it looks like they'll actually get 9 points without trying and win this group. I think Ukraine will come back to win their last two to move on as well, but there are 4 more games in this group and they look like snorers.

Well, my boys earned back a lot of honor and now I am a big Italy fan, at least for one game. The teams looking the best right now are Argentina, Ecuador, Germany and Spain. Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands all look to be in good form and I am pleased by the strong performance by the socceroos.

I love World Cup. People all over the city stop me to talk about it when they see me wearing one of my 3 U.S. jerseys. The only World Cup anger I have seen were these two Italian twats at Lucky Baldwin's yesterday. They came in maybe 15 minutes before the game with Starbucks, sat in the doorway right in front of people that came in much earlier, honked a little bike horn whenever Italy did something good, brought Jamba Juice at halftime, and got all pissed when my brother threw a napkin at them. The guy got up all mad and threw the napkin back saying "it hit her (his wife) in the head!" I pointed out that "it was a fucking napkin" and told him to sit down. I actually chased them down to apologize, but the bitchy wife yelled at me saying "I'm an American!" like I was anti-Italian. I tried to apologize, but she took off, at which point most of the people around told me that I was being classy and that she was a bitch. I agree on all points. Don't come to the pub, sit in everyone's way, bring in outside food, don't spend a dime on anything at the pub, and expect to get treated fairly. Bitch.

World Cup Post #7 - 5 days in

OK, let's deal with the elephant in the room. At least its the elephant in my room. Why did the U.S. get bitchslapped by the Czechs? Here are my reasons: #1: Onyewu's yellow card in the 4th minute limited his ability to be physical up front. #2: DeMarcus Beasley was on the right (he's better on the left) and just played like he was scared. #3: Our balls apparently shrunk back up into our insides. Our attack and midfield simply would not go at their defenders with any confidence. Bobby Convey was the lone exception to that statement, but he was also out of position on the wing. #4: Eddie Pope is not that good. #5: we only had one striker up top for the first half. Nobody wins with a 4-5-1 when nobody on your team plays that formation in club play. #6: the Czechs are flat out really good. #7: we were overly confident and expected to just walk in and beat a favorite to win the cup. #8: We tried to play in the air with a team that is bigger than us. #9: Pablo Mastroeni forgot to show up. #10:

So can we beat Italy? If you ask most people, they would say no. However, I choose to be more optimistic because I have to be. What do we need to do to beat Italy? First, let's fix the Beasley issue. If he is on the field, let's switch him back to the left. If you want Convey there, have him play inside. Beasley's gifts are speed and a left leg. Convey is an attacker. Drop Mastroeni and have Reyna play the holding mid with Donovan attacking. Its sort of a 4-3-1-2. Put Eddie Johnson in up top to start. One straight attacker in Johnson paired with a target man in McBride. Keep Gooch in the back with Lewis on the left. Let Lewis push forward overlapping with Beasley and Convey. If not, look to Bocanegra. Let Pope stay? I don't know who else to put in the middle. Maybe Berhalter? Sounds like trouble to me. Maybe someone else on the right like Bocanegra or even Albright, who can also push up into the attack. You may notice that my strategy is heavily offensive. Well, it needs to be. We need to score early and often against Italy. If they score first, they'll drop back and defend, looking for the counter. So we need our back line to be tough. Also, look at Italy's win over Ghana. Ghana had a ton of chances against what is supposed to be a strong Italian defense. If Ghana had a shooter, they would have scored and maybe gotten a draw. There are Americans that can shoot and Americans with speed. Italy's goals came on Ghana mistakes, not as much Italy execution. Look, I know how optimistic I sound, but I am simply saying what I think needs to happen, not necessarily what will happen.

Other game evaluations:

Germany 4 - 2 Costa Rica: Germany looked stronger than I thought, but Costa Rica played no defense. Germany will get better when Ballack comes back.

Ecuador 2-0 Poland: Kind of a stunner, but Poland is a boring team and they played boring. An upset of sorts, but Poland had been struggling to score.

England 1-0 Paraguay: An incredibly lackluster performance by the 3 Lions. In case you didn't hear it from the shitty ESPN announcers the 5 million times they mentioned it, this was the only time a World Cup game was decided by an own goal. England was uninspired and their midfield was invisible. Also, they did have Marco Rodriguez as the official. He not only is the worst official in FIFA, but also looks like a Mexican vampire.

Trinidad 0-0 Sweden: I didn't catch much of this game, but it was an absolute stunner. Getting a draw with Sweden was a big deal. Getting a draw while being down a man for the whole second half is even bigger. Credit goes to the heart of Trinidad as well as a remarkable performance by Shaka Hislop - their 37 year-old backup keeper. If you want to understand how a 0-0 game can be exciting, watch this one at some point.

Argentina 2-1 Ivory Coast: The score does not show how much Argentina controlled this game. Ivory Coast was supposed to make it tough, but Argentina owned the possession throughout (60% - which is a lot). They pulled their attack too early - something they won't do from now on. No Tevez, no Messi? Yeah, they've got more in their Arsenal. I'm glad I picked them to win. I think they'll destroy Serbia Friday to show what they really have.

Netherlands 1-0 Serbia-Montenegro: The only thing the Dutch did not do was score too much. 57% possession, 11 shots on goal. They looked mighty good too. If you are not a soccer fan, but you want to be, watch June 21st at noon when they face Argentina. Depending on where they stand in the group, this could be a slobberknocker.

Mexico 3-1 Iran: This one was boring to me. Borgetti out early with a leg injury and two late goals for Mexico turned this from exciting to yawn pretty quick. Mexico played well, but this was not a top opponent. I expect them to fold when they face Portugal.

Portugal 1-0 Angola: Another surprising lackluster performance by a favorite. One thing that I have always thought that was proved correct in this game - Christiano Ronaldo is a bitch. Maybe a wake-up call for the Portuguese. Angola pushed hard, but could not finish. This not-finishing is a trend with the African teams.

Czech Republic 3-0 U.S.A.: We sucked. Read above. This ruined my day.

Italy 2-0 Ghana: Also read above. Ghana is good - about as good as I thought, but not good enough to win.

Australia 3-1 Japan: Maybe the most exciting game yet. My students all left for school around the 80th minute when Japan was winning 1-0. They hardly believed me when I told them that Australia scored 3 goals in 6 minutes to earn the 3 points. They worked and worked and worked to get the first goal, which came on a rebound. Then Cahill got #2 with a brilliant strike that hit the inside of the left post then the inside of the right post before settling in the net. #3 came in stoppage on a Japanese defense that was pushing up for an equalizer. I loved watching this team play. Maybe the surprise of the tournament (which I believe I predicted in a previous post).

South Korea 2-1 Togo: This is the first game that I did not watch. I may not watch the replay either. Good for Korea. No surprise for a Togo team whose coach quit over pay and then came back a day or two ago.

France 0-0 Switzerland: I didn't see much of this either, but its a big surprise and I'm sure the French are freaked out after they ducked out in the group stage in '02. There was a questionable non-call when a Swiss defender stopped a Thierry Henry shot with his arm. Personally, I would have given the penalty. France had chances, as did the Swiss, but nobody could score.

Brazil 1-0 Croatia: I said that Brazil was not as good as people thought, and they helped prove me right today. They had 19 shots (8 on goal) and had chances, but they did not bring the Joga Bonita today. They also only made one sub bringing young superstar Robinho on for fat Ronaldo. That's kind of a joke, by the way, since the President of Brazil publicly called Ronaldo fat. Croatia played tough and created chances, but they just did not convert. Lots of close calls. Brazil better wake up before facing Australia Sunday.

So that's that. Where is the cup going from here? A few big name teams need to figure something out: Brazil, Portugal, France, and England specifically. A few teams did a lot to give them a chance to advance: Australia, South Korea, and Trinidad. Some teams came out and showed the world what they are capable of: Czech Republic, Argentina, Netherlands. The current cup stars: Australia's Tim Cahill, Czech Tomas Rosicky, Trinidad's Shaka Hislop, Costa Rica's Paulo Wanchope, Sancho and Gray in Trinidad's backline, and Argentina's playmaker Juan Riquelme.

More first games tomorrow: Spain vs. Ukraine at 6am (should be a good one) and Tunisia vs. Saudi Arabia at 9 (insert terrorist jokes here). Germany and Poland open the second round of games at noon. Italy vs. United States at noon Saturday to start my first bachelor party (come down to Lucky Baldwin's to join us).

World Cup Post #6

OK, two days to go. Today I'll finish my picks and tomorrow give my final analysis. I'm not sure what I'll do after that since I will be pretty anxious and may not be able to sit in front of a computer for long.

So, here are the quarterfinal matches and my picks.

Germany vs. Argentina:
Being a host has its advantages. However, this is where the hosts will exit. Germany has a good team, as they probably always will. The problem is that the Argentines have a great team. Also, I think that any questions over the health of Messi will be over at this point and that will be one more threat for Argentina. Germany's strength is efficiency and they have a great keeper, but I just don't see them being able to deal with the multi-pronged, innovative, exciting attack that the Argies bring. Result: Argentina 3 - 2 Germany

Italy vs. France:
I was going to say that this is a great quarterfinal matchup, but once you get this far, they are all great. However, I think this will be somewhat of a goalfest. Both teams have reasonably good defenses, but their offenses are ridiculous. Italy will want to focus on shutting down Henry. Just like I suggested in the previous round's match, this can be done if Italy puts enough pressure on the French defense, forcing Henry to come back farther to get the ball. Italy has the talent to do just that. Plus, with France deciding to stick with Fabian Barthez, I'm actually regretting my choice to put them this far. Result: Italy 4 - 2 France

England vs. Netherlands:
Well, it looks like Wayne Rooney just might be healthy enough to play. I think its a mistake to risk it, but this is the World Cup. If he can use that foot completely, England becomes much more of a favorite. This is the round that the inexperience of the Dutch catch up with them. Although they have a strong attack, they will be distracted by a strong English midfield that gets to feed the ball to Rooney. Result: England 3 - 1 Netherlands

Brazil vs. Spain:
This is actually a tough one to pick. On one hand, I don't see the Brazilian defense (that I have heard will be starting) being good enough to get them to the semi-finals. Spain is much more balanced and will be able to get behind the slow Brazilian defenders. They have legit finishers in Raul and Luis Garcia. On the other hand, Spain chokes in the World Cup. Tough choice, but I can't go too much further without picking at least one upset. Result: Spain 2 - 1 Brazil.

That gives us the semi-final matches:

Argentina vs. Italy:
Damn, I get excited just thinking about this possible matchup. Two teams that are quick, exciting, and talented. Argentina is often called the Italy of South America. This time, though, I see the new world conquering the old world. I have Carlos Tevez on my World Cup fantasy team and I think this is where he will make his mark on world soccer. I predict a brace (two goals) to the young Argentine and a goal for the recovering Francesco Totti late, but it will not be enough. Result: Argentina 2 -1 Italy

England vs. Spain:
The battle of the colonizers. Also, I think the battle to see who will lose to Argentina. In my opinion, England's coach has not brought a full compliment of his best players. Surely, they are loaded with an amazing starting 11, especially if Wayne Rooney is healthy. As that is the current news, I will make my prediction based on his availability. Really, there is one gigantic difference between Spain and England. Steven Gerrard. Over the past two season, Stevie G has shown that he has that extra "something" to carry a team to victory. He did it in the 2005 Champions League final and again in the 2006 FA Cup final. I think he will bring that determination, skill, and magic to the world stage and carry England to the final, scoring the game-winner in stoppage time. Result: England 2 -1 Spain

THE FINAL

England vs. Argentina:
Remember my comment about the irony that always comes at some point in the World Cup? Here, Argentina will use their slogan "Remember Falkland!" and beat the inventors of the game. I have said it at every stage of my predictions. This Argentina team has something to prove and the talent to prove it. I actually think that England will have the lead twice in this match, but will fall to this spirited Argentine team late in the game with a goal by Tevez, Messi, or Crespo. Result: Argentina 3 - 2 England

So that's it. I pick Argentina to win the World Cup. Let me also clear a few things up about who I am supporting. First and foremost, I would give up a finger to have the U.S. win the cup. In fact, I will get the U.S. soccer logo tatooed on my giant right calf if they do. (By the way, my brother and I both said that we would get stars tatooed on our arms if the Galaxy won the MLS Cup last year, and we have yet to fulfill that promise. A star, also by the way, is usually put on a team's jersey for each championship that they have won.) So that is my team until they are out. After that I support England, mostly because I am a Liverpool fan and would love to see Gerrard and Carragher lift this cup. After that, I basically go for the underdog and against Brazil. Overall, though, I support this beautiful game and will love watching any team win it. Except Brazil. Fuck them. They have enough trophies. And I give no credit to any novice soccer fan that picks Brazil to win and puts it in my face later. Bugger off!

World Cup Post #5 - round of 16

3 more days until absolute bliss. Well, that and the complete wreckage of my entire nervous system and the bombardment of alcohol sent towards my liver.

Before you read on, make sure you read my other World Cup posts to see my predictions for the group stages. Here's the link to the first post and you can start there.

So, according to my group stage predictions, here are the matchups for the round of 16:

Germany vs. Sweden:
This could be a really interesting or really boring game. People who are not to into soccer would quickly choose the Germans to win, but I don't think this choice would be that obvious. The Swedes have good strikers as do the Germans. However, these teams are known for their more conservative machine-like efficiency. Therefore, I see this coming down to a 1-0 finish with a lot of play stuck in the midfield. Someone will make a mistake and the other team will capitalize. I think the Swedes will make that mistake and either Ballack or Klose will notch the game-winner from a setpiece. Result: Germany 1 - 0 Sweden

Argentina vs. Mexico:
If my predictions work out, this could be one of the top games in the second round. Los Tricolores are a talented team and matchup well with other Latin American teams. They beat Brazil in June in the Confederations Cup, with both teams basically playing their full sides. However, I feel that Mexico always has trouble maintaining their composure in the big matches. Argentina is deep at all positions and have the national experience in the big game that Mexico does not. Result: Argentina 3 - 2 Mexico

Italy vs. Australia:
Australia's biggest victory would be getting out of the group stage. That is where the victories stop. Italy is just too talented and fast for the socceroos. Australia will likely bunker down as much as possible early, but once they give up one goal (which I think will happen in the first 30 minutes) the Aussies will be forced to open up and that is when Italy will rain goals down on them. Result: Italy 4 - 1 Australia

France vs. Ukraine:
I think this is where France's age might catch up with them. This is a team that is sometimes lacking in guts and may overlook this surprisingly strong Ukrainian team. If France comes out attacking, there is not much Ukraine can do to stop them. However, if they are timid and force Henry to pull back to get touches, they could be vulnerable. I think this is exactly what will happen. If Ukraine can score first, they will bunker down a little and hold off a French offensive - which we all know is not that hard. Except there is a little problem for Ukraine and his name is Thierry Henry. My prediction is they go to penalties on a late Henry equalizer and go to penalties where the advantage switches to the French. Result: France 1 - 1 Ukraine (France wins 5-4 in penalties).

England vs. Poland:
Poland comes out of a weak group to face an outside favorite. This is where England will show their true talent, control, and speed(sort of). Goals by Gerrard, Lampard and Crouch give the English a pass to the quarters in a lopsided victory. Result: England 3 - 0 Poland

Portugal vs. Netherlands:
If my predictions are correct, this is the best matchup in the Round of 16. Both of these teams have a shot at winning the whole thing. Portugal can win if they capitalize on their speed and if Christiano Ronaldo plays like a man instead of a bitch. The Dutch can win if they push hard out of the midfield and give their 78 quality strikers some chances on goal. Unfortunately for the Portuguese, Christiano Ronaldo is a bitch and Figo is too old. Result: Netherlands 2 - 1 Portugal

Brazil vs. U.S.:
4-0 to the Americans. Yeah right. Look, I love my team and I think they can beat anybody in the world. In 1994, a much more inexperienced and less talented American team bunkered down and lost 1-0 to Brazil. This U.S. team will not follow that strategy. How can the U.S. win? The defenders need to communicate and maintain their composure. Hold the back line, but don't get caught flat-footed. Mastroeni and Gooch need to be physical with the Brazilian scorers and keep them on unsure footing. On the counter, get a very fast trio (Donovan, Beasley, Eddie Johnson) behind the older/slower Brazilian defense. Those guys need to capitalize on opportunities. If this happens, the U.S. can win. Unfortunately, I don't think all of the pieces will come together. It'll stay close, but Brazil will get a second due to a mental mistake by a U.S. defender and a third when the Americans push up to try and equalize. Result: Brazil 3 - 1 U.S.

Spain vs. Korea:
Sorry Korea. No referees to help the hosts. Spain's massive attack will completely overwhelm the Koreans. Korea scores in a valiant attempt, but Puyol seems to be reading their minds and closes down all of their opportunities. Result: Spain 4 - 1 Korea

That means I predict the following quarterfinal matchups:

Germany vs. Argentina
Italy vs. France
England vs. Netherlands
Brazil vs. Spain

However, I have more important things to do right now and will cover those tomorrow.

World Cup Post #4

Link to my last World Cup post here.

Group G: France, Switzerland, Korea Republic, Togo
Arguably the weakest group in the cup, the French are a clear favorite in this group. I think Togo may be the lowest ranked team in the cup and I don't know much about them. This is another young team, mostly in their 20s. If they are the stereotypical African team then they are fast and can't do much defensively. They do have ability as a few of their players play in Europe's big leagues (Germany, England, Italy, Spain). Korea is not the same team they were as hosts. Hosting, for some reason, makes teams to better. However, this Korean team will not likely have officials handing them upsets to get them into the semi-finals. There are quality players, but not to the level of the French. Watching the Swiss is about as exciting as watching them build their watches. Really, there is a reason this country is more into bobsledding and skiing. However, they have a chance to advance in this weak group. France, on the other hand, is completely stacked with talent. Who to watch: Maybe the most gifted player with the ball ever is Zinedine Zidane. I had the pleasure of watching him live when he came to the states with Real Madrid to play the Galaxy. He is nothing short of brilliant. In the same note as Steven Gerrard. Thierry Henry is a player that can carry a team on his back. Henry has an uncanny knack for getting the ball in the net when it doesn't seem possible. If you want to see two amazing players, check out France. This is, however, an older team. Other players to look out for: Saha is a talented player up top. Djibril Cisse is one of the fastest players in the world. They will score, but I don't think too highly of their defenders - especially Boumsong.

1. France 3 wins 9 points
2. Korea 1 win 1 draw 4 points
3. Switzerland 2 draws 2 points
4. Togo 1 draw 1 point


Group H: Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia
Another group where two teams stick out. Spain is always considered a world power, but seems to choke in the World Cup. They have great keepers, including one of the best PK-stoppers in the world in Jose "Pepe" Reina (ask West Ham about him) and Ikar Casillas. Their defense is led by one of the best of the world in Carlos Puyol. All of their midfielders are talented and two play together for Arsenal in England. Their strikers are so-so in my view. I don't thing as highly of Raul as the rest of the world and I've seen the good and bad sides of Luis Garcia. Again, they could go far, but they could also choke. I know pretty much nothing about Tunisia or Saudi Arabia except that the Saudis were the whipping boy of WC2002. Ukraine is my super dark horse of this tournament. They have a great striker in Shevchenko and an old Ukranian legend in Rebrov. However, they did well in qualifying and I think that they have an easier path to the semis depending on their success in the group.

1. Spain 2 wins, 1 draw 7 points (1st through goal diff.)
2. Ukraine 2 wins 1 draw 7 points
3 Tunisia 1 draw 1 point
4. Saudi Arabia 1 draw 1 point


That covers all of the groups. Next up is my look at how I think the elimination rounds will go. 3 more days!!!

A Non-soccer related post

So I have a few things to say that are not connected to the World Cup.

First, I have a few things to admit. I bought, drank, and enjoyed a bottle of sparkling mineral water (Pellegrino). In the last 2 weeks I have consumed more white wine than beer. I bought, use, and love the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. I'm not sure I'm going to vote tomorrow because I have no interest in any of the issues. I'm scared of geese.

OK, now that I've got that off my chest I have a story. The other night Amanda and I went out for a walk. Near the end, we were at the corner of Duarte Rd. and Rosemead waiting for the little man to tell us to cross. I felt something on my back sort of near the bottom of my shoulder blade. I reached around and sort of felt it, but couldn't quite hit the spot. So I asked Amanda if there was something on my back. Her response was "Oh my god - yes!" which of course really bothered me. She made funny noises as I danced around on a busy street corner trying to get this thing out of my shirt. Yes, what she saw was something "pointy" moving inside my shirt. I did have an undershirt so it was not directly on my skin. Once I thought I had sufficiently danced around to get whatever it was out of my shirt, I asked Amanda to check. She felt around my back and it seemed to be gone - until I felt the top of my shoulder where the giant "thing" was. I immediately grabbed my shoulder and the "thing" crunched into oblivion leaving a white-ish slime and green-yellow guts. Once I got the shirt off there were no parts remaining, so I have no idea what it was. My theory was originally a moth, but Amanda was thinking giant spider. Later I changed to beetle and Pete seemed to think grasshopper when I told him the story. Either way, it was not pleasant.

Also, Amanda and I found an apartment. Its pretty big. The landlord listed it as 1300 square feet, but I think its a little less. We also got a great deal, its secure as hell (including razor wire), and in a good neighborhood. Either way, we are stoked. My next challenge is not just to get my stuff packed, but to try and get rid of some of the things that I never use.

That's all. World Cup Post #4 is coming later today.

World Cup Post #3

Holy Shit. We are now less than 5 days from the start of World Cup and I think I am starting to get a little excited.

First, some U.S. soccer news. It looks like English club Middlesborough have beaten the rest of the world to the punch and signed Oguchi Onyewu. Good for him, going to a big-time league. Good for 'Boro for getting him before the price tag went up.

Before I get started, I invite those of you just starting your EToWJB World Cup adventure to read my first two World Cup posts: World Cup post #1 and World Cup Post #2.

Group E: United States, Italy, Czech Republic, Ghana.
This group is what most soccer fans are calling the group of death. Ghana is not expected to advance, but they have also been called "the one African team nobody wants to face." When you look at the FIFA rankings (which are pretty much a joke) you find that Group E holds the World's # 2, 5 and 13 in the same group. Shocking to most is that the Czechs are #2 and the U.S. is #5. However, I would put Italy as the favorite to win this group. They are talented, efficient, and crafty. They are super deep. In the back is who I would consider one of the best defenders in the world in Allesandro Nesta. The midfield is sparked by Francesco Totti, who is recovering from a broken foot. You may have noticed that there seems to be a lot of broken feet going around the football world. In any case, they also have a great holding midfielder in Gennaro Gattuso (although I think he's a hack and a prick). Up front watch for Inzaghi, Toni, and Del Pierro. There are maybe 5 other names I could mention as great players, and that's why this team is scary. Two things about Italy: They are known to choke under pressure and Italian football has been rocked by a scandal involving a few of their top teams possibly influencing the outcome of games by choosing their officials. Many, if not most, of the Italian players comes from one of the teams involved (Juventus, AC Milan, maybe more). How will the scandal effect the players? Hard to say. I feel like these guys are pros and will enjoy being away from Italy for the month. The Czechs also bring a wealth of talent, although I don't think they are the #2 team in the world. Peter Cech is a great keeper to have in goal. I know nothing about their defenders. Their biggest threat in the midfield is Peter Nedved, but they lost a strong player in Vladamir Smicer to injury. Jan Koller led the team in scoring during qualifying, but most people look to Milan Baros to carry them in the World Cup. This is a great team. However, I think they are beatable - and the U.S. is just the team to do it. I think this is a stronger U.S. squad than the quarter-finalist in Korea/Japan. With Brad Friedel's retirement, Kasey Keller steps in as the #1 in goal. What does the U.S. lose? Absolutely nothing. This is an area where the U.S. is arguably stronger than any other country. Keller is one of the best in the world. His backup, Marcus Hahnemann, was voted keeper of the year for England's Championship Division (2nd highest league) winners Reading. Defensively, Gooch stands out as the man picked to knock some strikers on their asses. The other defenders are so-so in my book, but I will say that Carlos Bocanegra is highly underrated. The man in the midfield has always been Claudio Reyna, but I think his injuries will get the best of him this year as well. Landon Donovan and DeMarcus Beasley make up a dangerous fast duo threat, but they are also little guys. Really, I feel like this is a very talented group from top to bottom. Watch for Bobby Convey to get some time and make a name for himself. Scoring goals could be the weakness of this team. However, I think Eddie Johnson just might make a really strong showing. He knows how to put the ball in the net and he is crazy fast. Ghana is young, inexperienced, and fast. A definite threat, but the likely bottom-dweller in this group.

1. Italy 2 wins 1 draw, 7 points
2. U.S. 2 wins, 1 loss 6 points
3. Czechs 1 win 1 draw 4 points
4. Ghana 0 wins, no points

Group F: Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan
Brazil has become the easy pick to win the cup, but I wouldn't bet on it. Look at their starting attackers alone (Adriano, Fred, Robinho, Ronaldinho, etc.) and you crap in your pants. However, look at the defenders and what do you find. Talent that will sit the bench in favor of older semi-legends. Cafu will be 36 when they play their first game and any Real Madrid fan will tell you that Roberto Carlos is not the same guy he was back in 2002 or 1998. Yes, everybody knows that Roberto Carlos can kick the ball really hard, but his weakness is defensive skill. Brazil will win this group and have a great cup, but the teams with speed and skill in the midfield and attack can beat them - if you can stop their attack first. Croatia is one of those teams that often gets carried by a star player. There is no star this time around - no more Davor Suker (led the world cup in scoring in '98). They tied Malta in qualifying and beat their only competition (Sweden) 1-0 both times. I don't see much from these guys. Japan - well, I really don't know much about this Japanese side except teams generally do well when they host, and they don't get that benefit this time around. However, they bring an incredibly passionate fanbase and are often exciting to watch. Takahara and Nakata are really talented, but Japan's defense is not so hot and they generally don't deal well with the physical nature of full international play. I can't tell you how excited I am to see the socceroos in the World Cup. It is hard for them to get here because they have to qualify out of Oceania, which is easy for them, but to get to the World Cup, they have to beat the 5th place team from South America - and they are never pushovers. They
beat Uruguay in penalties to get here and I think they have a chance to move to the second round. Their best player is Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell, who had a tremendous year for the Reds. Mark Schwarzer is a quality keeper that plays for Middlesbrough in England where he is joined by fellow socceroo Mark Viduka. Little Tim Cahill is back from an injury and had the equalizer in their draw with the Netherlands. This team will be really fun to watch.

1. Brazil 3 win 9 points
2. Australia 1 win, 1 draw 4 points
3. Croatia 2 draws 2 points
4. Japan 1 draw 1 point



Tomorrow I will hit the last 2 groups. Tuesday I will give my predictions for the first two knockout rounds, Wednesday the semis and finals. Thursday I will crap my pants in excitement. Friday I will be in heaven.

World Cup Post #2

Before reading on, look below or at this link to read World Cup Post #1 (Groups A & B)

Group C: Argentina, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, Serbia & Montenegro
Although they have two names, Serbia is not the favorite in this group. The one player to watch for from the Serbs is Kezman, who saw short time for Chelsea in their 04/05 title run. I see Group C as the toughest group after E (which I will get to tomorrow). Argentina comes in as my pick to win the World Cup. They are so talented and have to make up for dropping out at the group stage in 2002. There are several names that stick out as already established stars like Hernan Crespo and Juan Riquelme. However, when you watch Argentina, I think you should look at two players up top: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Carlos Tevez (Corinthians). I don't think a lot of people know about Tevez outside of South America, but this guy is an incredible player. He's everything you need to be a great player: magical with his feet, great striker of the ball, and uglier than sin. Watch for this guy to make quite a name for himself. Ivory Coast brings a very talented squad as well, and I have seen several people pick them to go far in the tournament. Toure and Oboue are strong defenders in the back and have the advantage of also playing together in England with Arsenal. Their most famous player is Chelsea's Didier Drogba, who is a real scorer, but is also one of the biggest divers I have ever seen. I think they could surprise somebody in this group, but only if Drogba stays on his feet and puts the ball in the net. The Dutch also bring a great team mixed with young and old. They are tough in the net with Manchester United's Edwin Van Der Sar. Liverpool's Jan Kromkamp looks to start in the back, but is also a threat to push up into the attack. I think old-man Philip Cocu will anchor the back and they are strong in the midfield, led by Mark Van Bommel. They lost Van Der Vaart to injury, which is a huge loss and they will need help to fill his shoes. Up top they are absolutely stacked with talent: Ruud Van Nistelrooij (ManU), Arjen Robben (Chelsea), and Robin Van Persie (Arsenal) are all big-time scorers. Babel is a big target as well. However, this is a relatively inexperienced team, mostly because they did not qualify for WC2002. Their coach, Marco Van Basten is a national soccer hero and took advantage of his success in qualifying by leaving out many of the older generation of Dutch footballers. This is the best team to never have won a World Cup title (they were runner-up twice in the 70s).

1. Argentina 3 wins 9 points
2. Netherlands 1 win 1 draw, 4 points (through on goals)
3. Ivory Coast 1 win 1 draw 4 points
4. Serbia 0 wins, 0 points

Group D: Mexico, Iran, Angola, Portugal
As a U.S. fan, I have to hate the Mexican side. However, they are good and will move on in this group. Two players to watch for the TriColores are Rafa Marquez in the back and Jared Borgetti up top. Borgetti is great in the air and scores all of the time with his head. I think Rafa is a complete asshole, but is a great defender and has showed that class with Barcelona since signing with them after WC2002. Portugal was dropped from WC2002 in the group stage after being upset by both the U.S. and South Korea. However, they bring a lot of talent to Germany and I think they will win this group. I think their weak point is their midfield, but not by much. One-time world player of the year Luis Figo will likely play a good bit, but the most talented (and most annoyingly one-dimensional) player is ManU's Christiano Ronaldo. He is incredible on the ball, but often relies to much on the same "two step-overs and go right" move. They are my favorite to win this group. Iran is Iran. There is talent on this team, but also incredible pressure from their government to do well. I have personally never heard of any of their players, but that is mostly because I really don't follow the German Bundesliga and, for some reason, that is where many Iranians end up. Angola is another one of those countries, like Ivory Coast, that could use a little unity right now. Don't expect much from them though. Angola does bring two exciting gifts to the World Cup table. First, their players have great names like "Love" and "Loco". Second, they used to be a colony - controlled by Portugal. So it will be a colonizer vs. colonized matchup in this group. That is one of the great things about the World Cup. Like the U.S. vs. Iran in '98 (which I'm not going to talk about - fucking Steve Sampson) and the several matchups between England and Argentina.

1. Portugal 2 wins 1 draw 7 points (1st by goal differential)
2. Mexico 2 wins, 1 draw 7 points
3. Iran 1 win 3 points
4. Angola 0 wins, 0 points

Tomorrow I'll get to Group E (U.S.) and Group F (Brazil).

World Cup Post #1

We are a week away from the greatest sporting event in the world, so I though that I would chime in and make my predictions. I will hit two groups per day and then the elimination rounds just before Day 1. Please be aware that my analysis is based only on my knowledge and not extensive research.

Here goes:

Group A: Germany, Poland, Costa Rica, Ecuador.
A pretty easy group for the hosts, although you never want to discount any Latin American team. My prediction for this group is that Germany will run the table and Poland will get 2nd. Germany does not bring their best squad, but don't count them out with Arsenal's Jens Lehmann in the net, Michael Ballack in midfield and big striker Miroslav Klose up front. Poland always makes a steady showing at the cup. although they were eliminated in 2002 by the co-hosts Korea in the final match of the group stage. I really don't know much about the Polish side except they have not looked to be in strong form recently. The Ticos (Costa Rica) are one of those teams that is destined to not get far, although not because of a lack of heart, and often are considered the "other team" in a qualifying region with the U.S. and Mexico. Douglas Sequeira, who plays professionally here in the states, is a big mean guy that can knock the ball in with his head if given the chance. I have actually seen a number of these players as the Galaxy played 2 games against Costa Rican side FC Saprissa earlier this year. He also was born on the same day I was, which really bodes well for him. They will likely take third in the group. I don't know a single player on Ecuador and I don't expect them to get a point in this group.


1. Germany 3 wins, 9points
2. Poland 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss 4 points
3. Costa Rica 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss 4 points (out on goal differential)
4. Ecuador 0 wins, 3 losses, 0 points

Group B: England, Paraguay, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago
Some analysts have called this the "group of death" though I'm not sure why. England is the best team in this group, but they are missing their top scorer, Wayne Rooney, to a broken foot. He may get action after the group stage, but it would take a miracle. Also, their coach is a complete moron and has brought a roster lacking in scorers. Michael Owen, although a great scorer, is coming back from the same injury that Rooney has. That leaves Liverpool's tall (6'6") Peter Crouch and a completely unproven Theo Wolcott, who has yet to play one minute in the English Premier League. However, if you want to see the best player in the world (in my opinion), watch for midfielder Steven Gerrard. After carrying Liverpool to a Champions' League title last season (after coming back from 3-0 down at the half) he worked miracles this season by scoring to magnificent goals to lift Liverpool to an FA Cup title. If there is anybody in the world that could will a team to victory in the world's largest stage, its Gerrard. Yes, I am biased because he plays for my favorite team, but I feel like I won't get much argument. Sweden has a load of talent. Watch for Ljungberg in the midfield and Larsson and Ibrahimovic up top. They are all world class players (especially Ibrahimovic, who has been rumored to spit out his gum, juggle it, and kick it back into his mouth without letting it hit the ground - in other words he's magical with his feet). Paraguay used to have the biggest douchebag in soccer, Jose Luis Chilavert, playing keeper for them, but he's gone and the only guy I know is Acuna, who is a strong midfielder that plays in Spain. I'm stoked to see T&T make it to the World Cup, but I think that they're going to get demolished for the most part. However, they will have fun, as will their fans. Plus, they have 8 strikers on their roster, which is twice as many as most countries. They do have some quality players though. Shaka Hislop in goal does a good job for West Ham in England, Dwight Yorke is a legend - although he's getting older, Stern John does pretty well playing pro in England, and the Galaxy's Cornell Glen is OK.

1. England 3 wins, 9 points
2. Sweden, 2 wins 1 loss 6 points
3. T&T (this is with my heart, not my brain) 1 win, 2 losses 3 points
4. Paraguay 3 losses 0 points


OK, that's it for now. Groups C & D tomorrow.

Douchebag of the Week - May 31, 2006

I'm trying to be more consistent with this, so I have been extra harsh on the EToWJB (aka the monkeys on typewriters) in trying to get this week's installment taken care of. Although I have posted maybe 20 different Douchebag of the Week winners, it still surprises me how easy it is to find idiotic people.

Here's your nominees:

Olga Rutterschmidt and Helen Golay: So how f'ed up do you have to be to intentionally run over two homeless men with your car? I would say 7 out of a fucked-up level of 10. To make it an 8, you would need to be doing it as part of an insurance fraud scheme. To make it a 9, you would need to be a couple of crazy-ass old ladies. These two, however, bring it to a 10 out of 10 with their complete retardedness. Not only did they meet the requirements of levels 7-9 on the fucked up scale, but they also bring in a history of 40+ lawsuits over the last 20 years. Like suing a grocery store for empty boxes falling on you. Or suing a coffee shop because another customer tried to tazer you. Since these scams didn't work, these two nasty looking old bitches went to volunteer at an L.A. area homeless shelter, got a couple of the homeless guys some life insurance, then ran the homeless guys over.


Robert and Versie Jackson: Its one thing to dislike your family. Its another thing to try to hire a hitman to kill them. But its another thing to only offer the hitman $100. That's exactly what these two wonderful people did. Unfortunately for them, although very fortunate for their grandkids, daughter-in-law, and the family dog (really), they were making the offer to an undercover cop. Why would they do this. Well, their son is going to be put on trial for molestation and he set up the meeting from jail in an attempt to eliminate the evidence against him. You know, there are some people that really belong in jail and really don't need to get out.


Madonna: Do you think that in a huge arena with thousands of people needs a little air conditioning? So do I. However, Madonna somehow feels that the A/C could still have a negative effect on her voice in a room that size. So she ordered the MGM to turn off the air. "Jeff, do you mean the MGM in Las 'hotter than hell' Vegas?" Yes I do. I'm sorry, isn't Madonna worrying about the quality of her voice like Jessica Simpson worrying about the quality of her songwriting?


Madonna again: This time she gets mad at a guy not dancing at her show. Who is this guy? He was probably dragged along to the show by his wife who was into Madonna when she was a teen. Plus, if you don't want people to stand around bored as hell at your show - stop sucking.


And the "winner" is...

Anybody who buys this video game: Are you familiar with the "Left Behind" series of books? If not, it is a long-running series of books written at the 5th grade level telling an completely unrealistic story of the biblical end-of-the-world. The authors are taking in cash hand over fist while uneducated tremble in fear that they are not going to disappear when Jesus comes back and be "left behind." In any case, they are now making a video game. Not just any video game, but a violent video game. Yes, very Christian of you. According to the description, players will be armed for a military-style crusade to "convert people" by blasting them to pieces. I'm hoping that they go really biblical and have crucifixions, people skinned alive, turn people into salt, feed them to the lions, etc. However, they are probably not that creative.

Sometimes the good guys actually win...

In the movies, the good guys always win. However, it seems to me that more and more, the bad guys in real life win more often. For example, a company like Halliburton gets billions of dollars screwing Americans by stealing their tax dollars through no-bid contracts and by charging $50,000 for a bed. William Jefferson gets caught taking bribes and assholes from both parties defend him saying that it was illegal to search his office...the office that we pay for with our taxes. Barry Bonds caught Babe Ruth for 2nd all-time on the home run list. Politicians and their supporters are creating a new environment of racial hatred with the immigration issue.

But then the sun shines again...

Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were convicted this week of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud for their roles in the accounting fraud at Enron. They could be sentenced to life in prison if the judge goes harsh on them, which I've heard he is expected to do. Unfortunately, they will serve time in "ClubFed", a federal white-collar prison that seems to be completely different from the popular view of Federal "Pound me in the ass" prison. I really feel like this type of crime should be considered on the same level as most murders. A murderer usually takes a few lives. These guys ruined the lives of thousands of people. I don't support the death penalty, but life is prison should be an automatic. They should also not be able to protect their assets.

Its coming...

I'm done with the joke where I talk about an exciting event this summer, get you thinking that I am talking about my wedding, then say its the World Cup. In person, I will still use this joke, however.

First, I am really excited about my upcoming wedding. The World Cup can't really compete with that. World Cup comes every 4 years where a wedding is maybe once every 10-15 years.

As far as the World Cup goes, I am suffering from terrible anxiety. This weekedn in San Diego, I saw a cat with an anxiety disorder that was missing most of the hair on the back 1/3 of its body. With only 16 days before game 1 (Germany vs. Costa Rica) and 19 before the U.S. opens with the Czech Republic, I am an absolute nervous wreck. Thinking about it now, I realize its World Cup that has cost me a good night's sleep for the last week. I got my new authentic US away jersey with the number 22 and Onyewu on the back. What does authentic really mean. The shirt is more expensive and runs really small (i.e. it shows off my "pecs"). The shirt is hanging like a Draconian sword from my deskchair reminding me that the U.S. is staring down the toughest group in World Cup and we lost to Morocco last night. Also, U.S. Captain Claudio Reyna came up lame last night, although reports said that the prognosis is good.

The reminders are constant and wherever I turn. Even ESPN and ABC keep reminding me that its "more than just a game" while Gatorade tells me "Its a whole new ballgame."

I need a beer. And HD. And Tivo. And a job that gives me June off every 4 years.

Holy Lord, please bring us victory. At least against the Czechs and Ghana. A draw with Italy will do.

Douchebag of the Week - May 23, 2006

So I'm clearing the dust off of the Evil Twin of William Jennings Bryan "Pat Robertson Douchebag of the Week" Award. Why? Because Pat Robertson is back in the news and that deserves recognition.

First, the nominees that did not win:

Jesus Camp: The award goes to the people in the movie, not the makers. "Jesus Camp" is a documentary about kids that attend a summer camp that will train them to be evangelists. Look, I'm a good Christian boy (most of the time), but I will always rail on people playing on the vulnerability of kids. The link above goes to the Variety site, where you will find a clip from the movie. Near the end the lady says something about how if Harry Potter was real he would be sent to hell, or something to that effect. Check it out. She's really peaceful sounding. Actually, I think she may be the sister of the crazy Christian lady from Trading Spouses.

Vidmantas Sungaila: Good ol' Viddy was arrested for drunk driving in Lithuania. Police reported that his blood-alcohol level was 18 times the legal limit. He should have been dead, but instead he was driving. His excuse? He has too much the night before and tried a little "hair of the dog" by pounding a pint for breakfast.

Country radio and its listeners: Yes, they deserve the award for playing country music, but that's not what this is for. Remember the Dixie Chicks? Not many people do. Their career has been on the down low since they criticized the Iraq war back in '03. Now they have put out a new album that is highly critical of Bush. Taking a page from "Hitler's Guide to Opressing Free Thought" country music stations all over the country have pulled it from their playlists. Sure, they'll play a song where the singer talks about putting his boot up Osama's ass, but not this.

William Jefferson: I know, I know. Its shocking that there is political corruption coming out of Louisiana, but its true. And before you go crazy, its a Democrat for once. So Mr. Jefferson was caught accepting bribes. Just a few weeks before, when the news broke about the possibility, Jefferson denied wrong-doing. What now? Well, he is claiming that the search of his office was aviolation of the separation of powers. OK, except, as a reporter pointed out, they had a warrant. The best line from the evidence comes from a point where Jefferson reportedly joked about him and a partner passing notes like the FBI was watching. His partner was wearing a wire. Also, he was caught in the same place as Monical Lewinsky and Larry Franklin (he was caught passing secrets to Israel). This guy really deserves to win, but as you will read, there is only one person douchey enough to take the prize.

And the winner...

Who else, but our beloved Pat Robertson. What for? Well, it turns out that our dear friend Pat claims that he can leg-press 2000 pounds. I'm not kidding. Check the link. Look, I will rightfully claim that I have very strong legs. When at the gym, I generally will do sets of leg presses at around 200+ pounds. The record for the leg press at Florida State is 665 pounds. So this guy must be full of crap. How does he do it? By drinking a protein shake. No, seriously.

New blogs

I spent the weekend in San Diego and found out that two of my friends have blogs.

Michelle (and her nerdy husband John) were my roommates for about 3-4 months after college. And by roommates I mean that I lived in their house and paid the rent by doing work for them. She recently quit teaching and is going into afklsdfskj (I really don't know what you call it, but she does facials and things like that). There are a lot of cool things about Michelle and if you should check out her blog.

Julia is a hippy vegan that criticized my blog for its simple template. Actually, she is a fellow UCSD alum and good friend. Her blog has a lot more writing than mine and she is much more poetic. Sure, she has a custom template, but I use the word douchebag a lot more than she does. Check out her blog.

Bush is a dirty spy, Part 6

OK, so the news that the government is buying our phone records is not new, but I want to add my view anyways. Really, this seems pretty innocent. I don't even have a regular phone, so they aren't going to find my records. However, I think the outcry from liberals should not be surprising since it seems like they (we...kinda) don't trust the administration to use this data appropriately. Just what are they going to find? Who knows, but if I were you I would change to Qwest just to be safe or even go with Skype or Vonage. They don't have accurate records.

Here is the real question, though. If they are so confident about the legality of these practices, why are they so secretive about these programs? The simple answer from supporters is that you need to keep these programs secret in order for them to be effective. Here is the scenario they see:

CIA: Hands up terrorist, you're under arrest!
Terrorist: You got me infidel, but how did you figure out my evil plan?
CIA: We were wiretapping your phone and heard your plan.
Terrorist: You can do that?!? I never knew that the U.S. had that ability.
CIA: That's why we control the world.
Terrorist: Man, do I feel sheepish. Well done.

Do they really think the terrorists just use the phone freely to discuss their plans? I'm sure they know that wiretapping is 1930s technology and they do a lot to protect their conversations. So I ask again, why so secretive? I would argue that they are using this technology and data for other reasons. Any terrorist plan that gets busted by wiretapping was likely going to fail either way.

In memory

Some numbers:

In 2005, more than 3 million people worldwide died from AIDS.
Every year in the U.S., around 15,000 people die from AIDS.
Right now, there are over 40 million people in the world living with HIV.

This week, my Uncle Rick lost his partner Vince to AIDS. This is the second time that this has happened to him. Vince was one of the kindest, most friendly, and real people that I got to meet during my life. That was why he was such a good match for my uncle, who is also nice to a level that I aspire to.

AIDS has not gone away. Its just not in the news as much as terrorism, although it kills a lot more people.

AIDS doesn't just infect bad people, drug users, those with promiscuous sexual habits, etc. AIDS infects people who love other people. AIDS infects children (over 500,000 died in 2005). AIDS infects people that you and I know.

When you hear someone make derogatory comments about people living with HIV or AIDS and how they were infected, please think about my uncle and Vince and how their kindness could not protect them, although it allows them to have dignity and honor.

For more information on AIDS and HIV visit the Center for Disease Control

Corrupt Intelligence Agency?

Things look like they are falling apart at the CIA. After being head of the CIA for less than 2 years, Porter Goss resigned somewhat mysteriously. Now another higher-up is stepping down. "Dusty" Foggo (real nickname, not just a porn name) called it quits as he is being investigated for ties with the same guy that bribed San Diego's Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Not only that, but many stories are talking about these "poker parties" that Foggo (and maybe Goss?) attended that were hosted by Brent Wilkes, the guy that bribed Cunningham. OK, so middle-aged men playing poker and having a few drinks is not the biggest deal, but I think the fancy hotel rooms, limos and hookers that Wilkes bought them might be.

Here's the funny part about this story. First, some of these parties allegedly took place at the Watergate Hotel. Yep, the same one that Nixon's "plumbers" broke into to spy on the Democrats. Second, what's up with these nicknames? "Duke" and "Dusty" having booze-poker-hooker parties? It makes me wonder what Porter Goss's nickname is. Maybe it sticks with the "D" patter like "Destro" from GI Joe or maybe it sticks with the cowboy theme like "Quick Draw" or "Texas Jack". Maybe it follows the nerdy "Scooter" Libby pattern and is something like "Lil' Slugger" or "Lefty". I think I need a cool political nickname, but I want to go more in the direction of Tom "The Hammer" DeLay, except without the corruption. Maybe something more like Homer Simpson's "Max Power" would be cool. In any case, Letterman had a Top 10 several years back of Nicknames the politicians would take on if they were pro wrestlers.

New Gnus

So, this is a gnu (a.k.a. wildebeest). Notice that the one on the right is a new-born, thus a new gnu.

Some comments on recent news:

Zacarias Moussaoui: So he was spared the death penalty, and I think that is good. First, it shows that despite his arrogance and lack of remorse, we are sometimes a country of logic and reason. Emotions would have told these jurors to string this guy up, but they looked at reason instead. Plus, this guy thinks he's getting 71 virgins or whatever once he dies, so he'll have to wait for that. He'll only be out of his cell for 1 hour a day, and I think that could be the riskiest one hour of his life. A great quote from the judge: "You came here to be a martyr and die in a big bang of glory...but to paraphrase the poet T.S. Eliot, instead you will die with a whimper." On his way out of the courtroom, Moussaoui said "America, you lost. I won." Really? If getting life in maximum security prison for not actually carrying out your mission is winning, then I guess Angola really has a shot at the World Cup.

May 1 Protests: OK, so there really isn't much more in the news about this, which is essentially my point. Immigration as an issue will stay in the news, but these weak attempts at protest will never stick around for too long. I'm trying to think of ideas for immigrants to make their opinions count. Besides the obvious - voting - I'm short on ideas, but I will think of something.

U.S. announces World Cup roster: Some surprises, many not. I'm actually going to go through each player and give my opinion on their role, plus what I think about those that were left out. If you are not interested, just keep reading because there is more exciting news to come.

Chris Albright: He wasn't on the first roster, but replaces Frankie Hejduk, who is injured (ACL). Chris started his career as a striker, but now starts as an outside defender for the LA Galaxy. He can play other spots, which is why I thought he would make the original roster. He needs more time to develop and I don't think he'll get much time on the pitch in Germany.

DaMarcus Beasley: At 145 lbs., DMB is a little small, but he is seriously quick. Teams have taken to the tactic of beating him up, but he usually gets up and presses on. Some say that he has not done well this season with PSV, but that club seems to like him. He is a big threat on the wing and will be very beneficial in getting behind some of the slower defenses (i.e. Brazil). He will be in the starting 11.

Carlos Bocanegra: One of the Americans that regularly starts in England, Carlos is a strong defender, but often makes the small mistakes that could cost a US team at the World Cup. I think he's 50/50 to start, but I'm sure he'll get some time.

Steve Cherundolo: Not a guaranteed starter, but will fight with Bocanegra to get time. Cherundolo is not my favorite player, but is quietly consistent. He is short (5'6") and little (145 lbs.), which makes me wonder how effective he can be at a bigger stage.

Brian Ching: I am stunned that he made this roster over Taylor Twellman. I'm not a big fan of either player, but Twellman puts away opportunities where Ching misses absolute sitters. He has been hot to start the MLS season and his height and size are pluses, which is the only reason why I think he made the roster. I don't see him getting a minute of playing time unless there is an injury.

Jimmy Conrad: I'm not surprised that he made the list, but I'm pissed that he did. Yes, he was the MLS Defender of the Year in 2005, but he looked completely overwhelmed and out of place during international competition. With the other quality defenders on the roster, I don't think Conrad will do much besides bring Gooch some water.

Bobby Convey: Convey has had a great season bringing Reading into the Premiership next season and I hope that he gets some time in Germany. However, we are deep in the midfield and he may only see time with injuries or in a blowout. However, in my opinion, he could be the breakout player this year in the midfield for the U.S. He has lots of international experience and seems to be loaded with confidence.

Clint Dempsey: The worst rapper in MLS completely deserves this spot. During our boring 1-1 draw with Jamaica last month, Dempsey came on and brought tons of energy and hustle. He is aggressive and skilled with his feet. Only 23, he will be a starter in South Africa 2010 (I think) and may get a European contract in a few years.

Landon Donovan: This guy is pretty good. I think he has accepted his role as an attacking mid instead of a scorer. Landycakes has faced a great deal of criticism over his decision to leave Leverkusen in Germany and come back to MLS. However, people that deny his ability are just kidding themselves. A sure starter, he will be the playmaker for this team and maybe the leading scorer. Although Landon has a tendency to dive internationally, he has moved away from that a bit. Look for him to make his place as an international superstar again and possibly re-gain the respect and eye of some European clubs.

Cory Gibbs: I really have not seen a lot of Gibbs on the field, but can say that he is relatively inexperienced. Don't expect to see much of him.

Marcus Hahnemann: The English Championship's keeper of the year seems to be the likely heir to Keller's throne. The US has tons of great keepers and Hahnemann is one of the best. He will become a star next year in the Premiership. Unfortunately for him, Kasey Keller has been there and done that. If Keller were to get injured, we don't lose much with this backup.

Tim Howard: What can you say about Timmer. Great keeper that looked to be the new guy for the U.S. has lost his spot at ManU and who knows what is in his future. However, I'm not sure that too many countries can say that their 3rd keeper is as good as ours.

Eddie Johnson: If he gets a shot and stays healthy, EJ just might have a break-out cup. He's super fast and has a knack for finding the net. He scored 7 goals in 7 games during qualifying, but has been battling a foot injury. Really, though, he is the next big thing up front for us.

Kasey Keller: Some (like me) were surprised that he did not start in the 2002 World Cup, but there is no doubt that Keller is the #1 guy for the U.S. and one of the best in the world. He has posted clean sheets in almost 50% of his international appearances. Kasey is a great shot-stopper and has all of the tools to stare down Italy's Francesco Totti and Czech's Milan Baros (not to mention any other striker in the world.)

Eddie Lewis: Old man Lewis is one of Arena's favorites, and why not? A bit old at 32 (old in soccer years), Eddie is still quick and has a great left leg - ask Mexico's 2002 WC team. Defensively, he could be a weak spot against quicker attackers, but his ability to push up the wing makes him a likely starter, or at least a regular sub.

Pablo Mastroeni: I hope Andrew reads this since he doesn't think much of Mastroeni. I, however, think that he is one of our better players. He is tough in the middle and has enough speed to chase down attackers. You will not see him play much of a role in the attack and his name isn't called a lot by ignorant American broadcasters, but there will be some attackers who remember his name the next morning when they see the bruises. He does need to keep his cool, although he also has the ability to get under the skin of the opposition.

Brian McBride: This will certainly be McHead's last cup, but he will for sure be the starter up front for the Americans. He is strong in the air and can set up goals as much as he can score them. Watch for him on set plays and when we get a player open for crosses on the wing. However, we need the midfield to give him quality service. If that service comes, though, he will finish.

John O'Brien: I'm also surprised to see JOB on the squad since he has been injured for most of the last year. Many of the players on the national side consider him one of the best US players. John was part of the Ajax organization (a world-famous Dutch team) since he was 17 and it has showed. Now he is a member of the shite ChivasUSA side, and we'll see if he can gain match fitness before June.

Ben Olsen: I'm a bit surprised to see Ben on the roster. He may play more into the 2010 and 2014 cups. I would be surprised to see him play this time around.

Oguchi Onyewu: During this cup I will be wearing a #22 Onyewu US jersey. Gooch is big and strong, everything that a defender should be. During the qualifying match with Mexico, he made Jared Borgetti his bitch and then stared him down. I predict that this will be a break-out cup for Gooch and that he will have some offers from one of the major European leagues. I really want to see him knock Baros out of his shoes.

Eddie Pope: Pope will likely start in the middle of the U.S., but he's not my favorite player and would not be surprised to see him benched in favor of another defender should he make a mistake or if Arena is forced to go to a 3-back formation. I'm not saying that Pope sucks, but I just think he's a bit overrated.

Claudio Reyna: The skipper is respected by players all over the world, and deservedly so. Although he has been injured a lot in the recent years, Reyna is the leader of this team and provides a calming voice of experience in the middle. Claudio is a classy player and I will miss seeing his monkey-ish face coming out of a U.S. kit after this cup.

Josh Wolff: Another player that is not a surprise, but who is not, in my opinion, the best option up front for us. He will likely be the starter though. Wolff does have the ability to create chances, but isn't much of a goalscorer himself.

Players that I am surprised to not see: Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, Gregg Berhalter, Conor Casey, Pat Noonan, Chris Rolfe

And don't be surprised to not see Freddy Adu on the list. He is only 16 (turns 17 next month) and still lacks experience playing with the big boys. He is almost a sure thing on the 2010 squad.

In any case, we are only 36-37 days from the first game on June 9 and the US opens its tough group stage with the Czech Republic on June 12th at 9am. It will be the highlight of my summer. OK, I've made that joke a few times and it doesn't get old for me.

Oh, and there is nothing else to read in this post, I just said that to get you to read all of the soccer stuff.

May 1 boycotts...part dos

I made a point to listen to some of the more conservative talk radio shows on my way home from work today. Their take was basically the same as the protests...called immigrants a bunch of criminals. KFI radio did their own take as they had people call in and say how their day was better without immigrants. Most of the comments talked about the lack of freeway traffic.

What do I think was accomplished today? The issue was back in the news. That's about it. Students that were in class today told me that their parents went and got gas, food, etc. yesterday just so they would not have to buy today. I guess 90%+ of the truck drivers at the port in Long Beach didn't show up, but they were not mostly immigrant. They worked Saturday and Sunday to get some things done and to "avoid trouble" today.

My students that did not show up missed a day of education as I went about my business as usual. They'll just have to catch up. Many probably will complain, but I told them that we would be doing what we had been scheduled to do for the last 2 weeks. Oh well. No staff members missed today at school that I know of. I was in the office when the word came thay no custodial staff was out "sick".

Numbers are mixed on the protests. Some sources say 1 million while others say 300,000 and others say 50,000. To me, the numbers are pretty insignificant. This will pass as did the other one. Until immigrants become a significant and active voting block they will be ignored. Well, unless they sing the national anthem in Spanish, which is getting a lot of people into an uproar. Hell, let's sing it in Arab as far as I'm concerned. Why does it really matter? Most Americans at sporting events barely take their hats off or even stay quiet. Do we get on their case? Nope.

May 1 boycotts

Just a little update about the effect that today's boycott has had on my classroom. I can't speak for the whole school or the whole district.

In my first period class, there were 18 students out of 38 in class. Homeroom had 15 out of 35. My 3rd period had 18 out of 38. I originally thought that it would be mostly good students in class and the rest at home. However, there was a pretty even mix of good and bad students. In fact, my 3 best were out during third. Just to give you an idea, I normally have 7-10 students absent during each class on a regular day.

What does this mean? I really don't know. Based on talking to students on Friday, I would say that a good number of them, maybe 50%, are really just staying home because they can. Then maybe 30-40% are staying home as a protest, but probably don't understand the issue and will likely not attend a rally. The other 10-20% really have an understanding, but maybe 1/2 of those or less are likely to attend the rally.

In any case, that's my first-hand view of things.

Edit: Rest of the day # that showed up. Per. 4= 14 out of 40 Per. 5= 18/38 Per. 6= 15/36

I figured (in my head without a calculator) that makes about 40% avg. attendance.