Religious Nuts

The Westboro Baptist Church decided that they were going to show up at the funeral for those poor Amish girls that were killed. Not to show their support for the families of the fallen, not to protest gun violence or child molesters. No, instead they wanted to create a spectacle around the proceedings because Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell called them whackos, or something like that. So, because these Amish families happen to be in Pennsylvania, despite the fact they have little contact with the outside world, they would be targets of this hate group, the Westboro Baptist Church. Now, mind you they do not represent other Baptists at any level. They are even excluded from any national or world Baptist conventions or support. They are nut jobs whose sole purpose is to criticize America for its tolerance for homosexuality. They have protested military funerals for this same reason. They go on radio and television to promote their personal agenda of instituting the death penalty for all homosexuals. They actually state this on their website, www.godhatesfags.com. So, they're taking it out on the rest of the world, despite the pain we all feel. I'm calling for more poeple like the Patriot Riders, to prevent this group from interfering with funerals of all kinds. For those of you who don't know, the Patriot Riders are motorcyclists that ride around this group to keep them away from military funerals. Better yet, it would be awesome if a whole slew of gay people held a giant rally outside the Westboro Baptist Church on Sundays, ad any other time they hold a church service or get-together. Let them know what it's like. They claim soldiers, and even the young Amish girls all died at the hands of a vengeful God and that there are no innocents. They give credit to God for all death and destruction. Well, let's show them God is responsible for the intereference of their work. Let them explain that one!

Terrorists are Really Stupid

The FBI has foiled a preliminary plan by terrorists to blow up the Holland Tunnel that leads from New Jersey to New York City. It seems the goal was to flood the downtown area so a New Orleans style flood would occur, crippling the city's financial district. What these sandy bozos don't seem to understand is that flooding would not occur because the land is above the level of the Hudson River, as anyone can see simply by looking. Destroying the tunnel wouldn't cause water to flow into the city because the tunnel rises up to dry land. Water entering the tunnel space would only fill that space. It wouldn't rise above normal levels at all. It just goes to show how inept terrorists are.

The name does fit them well, though, because the only thing they really can generate is a level of fear. And, I don't think we're that afraid. New Yorkers and the military are way too pissed off to be scared and they haven't seriously threatened anyone else. I don't mean to trivialize the almost 3,000 deaths on September 11, 2001, but they couldn't even get that right. They destroyed buildings before the work day began (usually around 9am) so casualties were minimum. Out of a possible quarter million, less than 3,000 perished and that included the airplanes. They hit a Pentagon wall that had just been structurally reinforced allowing countless lives to be saved there. As we all know, the fourth plane was brought down by unarmed civilians. And maybe what is even more telling, they haven't done jack since. A train bombing in Madrid, a few backpack bombs in London, have we stopped our lives? Hell no! 9/11 was shocking but it didn't debilitate us at all. In fact, all they did was "awake the sleeping giant." The toll it took on those families that lost loved ones was incalculable, but the toll it took on our country, minimal at best. Our airlines are recovering now, our stock market is still stable five years later. Our own government has done way more to pester us than these fleas. An annoying bug, these terrorists are. So we'll swat a few flies now and then. The can of Raid is ready.

For the millions of martyrs they claim are willing to die for their cause reality doesn't seem to show quite that many. They could really be effective if...well I've got a thousand ideas, but they might read this and I don't want to give them any good ones. Lord knows they don't have any clue how to really hurt us. Let's just say the Second Amendment is our friend as much as the First if they are ever dumb enough to figure it out.

Round of 16 Best and Worst

Round of 16


Best Goal: Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina); if you saw it, you know what I mean. To take that long cross off the chest and drive it to the far corner without it hitting the ground is just phenomenal. It is the goal of the tournament for me, so far. John Harkes called it Maxi's "I gotta take a crack" shot. The fact that it was in Extra Time and proved to be the game winner just makes it that much greater. By the way, they need to reinstitute Golden Goal. Talk about anti-climactic. Ask the NHL which is better. Let's see, "I just scored a potential game winner but wait 20 minutes to be sure," or "I just scored the game winning goal in OT, dropped my gloves, fell to the ice, was mobbed by my teammates, and best of all I don't have to hope it holds up." Totti knows.

Speaking of...

Worst Call: The most heinous call of World Cup 2006 was made by Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain). He inexplicably called a foul and subsequent penalty shot for Italy in the 90th minute of a closely fought match that, in my opinion, Australia dominated but in which they never scored. Not only was there no foul, in fact it was a dive because Fabio Grosso fell over the defender who was on the ground inside the 18. It should have been a yellow card for Grosso, but the ref awarded a penalty kick with no time left. Calling a foul that wasn't is minor compared to calling it in that situation, at the end of the game, almost assuring the Socceroos flight home to be premature. Francesco Totti scored on the PK and time was called, giving Italy an undeserved 1-0 victory. Needless to say, the Australians and anyone without Mafia ties, were stunned and shocked. Australia did everything but score in the match and should have at least had the opportunity to win the game in Extra Time or a Shootout. They'll never get that chance. The soccer gods are unjust.

Worst over reaction: Referee Graham Poll (England); To retire from International matches forever, to lose sleep, and to consider retirement form officiating ever again is a bit extreme for simply failing to send off a player after his second yellow card, especially since there were only 3 minutes left in the game at the time, the player got a third yellow and resulting red at the conclusion of play, and his team did not benefit or advance because he played three undeserved minutes of a 2-2 draw. I know this was not in the Round of 16 (it was game 3 of Round 1) but it just came out today that Poll would retire. It's a shame, too, because with all of the horrendous officiating in this World Cup, he was one of the good ones, despite this mistake. That was the least important bad judgment of the tournament. I've said before, the English are cursed. It may be self-inflicted. Too bad the refs from other countries don't retire right away to insure they are no longer aloud soil this Cup.

Oddly enough, ESPN.com does not show all three yellow cards for the offending Croatian in the game summary or statistics. Maybe their system can't comprehend it.

Hats off to Ghana. They lost 3-0 to Brazil, the team they emulate going so far as to call themselves the Brazilians of Africa, but they could have won the game. Ronaldo and Ze Roberto both scored on great passes one on one against the keeper. Kingson played great otherwise by the way. And the goal by Adriano was offside in the 45th minute, which really would have destroyed most teams. Ghana, sans Michael Essien, kept playing well controlling much of the flow of the game. Brazil didn't look sharp for most of the match, but scored on the few chances they had. Ghana were not so fortunate. They missed several opportunities and Dida was always in good position in goal for Brazil. Overall, the effort by Ghana was inspiring. They should be granted Italy's spot, because those hacks deserve nothing.

Switzerland goes home without allowing a goal. That sucks, but they were terrible at penalty kicks. How come Italy can't be terrible at penalty kicks. But, I'm not bitter.

I am excited to see the contrast in styles between Germany and Argentina. Tough to call that one. If Messi plays at least 30 minutes, Argentina wins. He's awesome.

I'm worried that England will lose to Portugal. Douchebago Primero is overrated and nursing a sore thigh (aw, breaks my heart) and Deco is out due to a red card against the Netherlands, so England will blow it because they shouldn't. That's just how they are. Portugal 3-1 England.

More next week after the Quarters and Marc's wedding.

The Big Lie

In reading a Wikipedia discussion article about global warming (and arguments for and against human responsibility) someone linked to Adolf Hitler's "Big Lie." From Mein Kampf, it reads:

"All this was inspired by the principle - which is quite true in itself - that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying. These people know only too well how to use falsehood for the basest purposes. ... "

It got me thinking, did Bill Clinton try this tactic when responding to allegations of sexual conduct with Monica Lewinsky? It seems Slick Willie underestimated nature. We as a people may be subject to the big lie, but our primal instincts, deeper than our learned misrepresentations of the truth, told us that sex was to be had, so we knew it was.

By the way, none of the arguments against human involvement or responsibility in global warming held any weight compared to the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary. Unfortunately, I found even less evidence of ideas leading to a possible resolution to the problems of global climate change, regardless of the cause of the situation.

In short, it will take a global effort to limit the increase in temperatures as it has been and still is a global causation. I know some people are not concerned about the fate of polar bears, but they are the least of our worries. It only takes 13 feet of sea level rise to completely cripple this planet, from a human perspective. Obviously, 13 feet won't happen over night but it takes even less to flood populated low lying areas. Coastal cities will be flooded. Migration would lead to war, famine, and every other type of social unrest you can think of in the increasingly populated interiors that are not equipped to handle the influx of several billion (yes, billion) people. The majority of the world's population lives within 100 miles of an ocean. There will be less land area, our coastally based economies will crumble, rivers will dry up from the lack of snow melt and so we'll have over 6 billion people with nothing to drink. Evaporation will be to a greater extent, the lakes being the first to go. Rice beds will be under the ocean, wheat fields will be unproductive due to the increased humidity and decrease in irrigation capabilities, and we still won't have the capability to produce alternate energy supplies. The oil will be gone in 30 years. Cold, thirsty, hungry, and unemployed is what we will be.

Ideas? I have some and will touch on them in the coming days.

Game 3 Best and Worst

Sorry for the delay, in-laws in town all weekend.

Round 1, Game 3

Best Goal: Joe Cole (England); let's put it this way...no honorable mention because this goal was first and second. Wicked strike.

Worst call: Referee Markus Merk (Germany); OK, it may not have been the worst call, but it was the one that pissed me off the most.

Best Upset: Ghana; beating the US was not an upset for Ghana because I think we're overrated, unfortunately, but making it out of the first round was great for them...and there really weren't any surprises from other groups, in my opinion.

Worst Coach: Bruce Arena (USA); Eric Wynalda ripped him a new one on Mike & Mike in the Morning on Friday and I have to agree. It was all deserved. He didn't allow the players to go anywhere offensively because they were all concentrating so much on defense. When you're down by a goal and need to win, move some people up to forward and start attacking with everything you've got. He blamed the ref for losing the game saying "he made us chase the game." Well, tough shit! Chase the game then! Don't sit back and play the stupid 4-5-1 hoping to get two needed goals out of it. You know no one is going to feel sorry for you. FIFA isn't going to change the result and even if they did you still tie and go home. Attack, you turd! Every foward he had should have started that game. They needed goals anyway in case Italy tied the Czechs. Pray the back line holds and press forward. Show some life. I blame Arena for the losses. I hope he's gone. I'm glad Reyna is done. Let's start fresh. I have a headache.

Ugh. I'm just pissed.

Round of 16 tomorrow if I can ever get all the dishes done from this weekend.

Later.

FIFA's Failed Enforcement

FIFA tried to improve the game through the issuing of yellow cards for several offenses, but it has done nothing to improve the game because they have not been effective in forcing officials to call fouls in the area where it hurts the team, the penalty area.

For the good of the game, I am calling for FIFA and all referees to call fouls in the 18 yard box when they are legitimate. If it is called a foul outside the box, it is a foul inside the box. This will result in penalty kicks if they are consistent. After a short adjustment period defenders will adjust and not commit such fouls, freeing up space in the box so attacking players can get scoring opportunities.

Conversely, I am calling for FIFA and all referees to give yellow cards for dives inside the 18 yard box. Consistently enforcing the rules that prohibit diving will force attacking players to keep their feet and play for the goal or pass. It is easy to tell a dive because it is a completely unnatural act to fall to the ground with your arms over your head, especially if you are a world class athlete. Anyone else would attempt to brace their fall with their arms and nine times out of ten their hands and knees would hit the turf first, not the entire length of their bodies like fish on dry land.

Combined with fouls being called, the decreased diving will generate more offensive opportunities because players will stay on their feet, keep the ball under control, and maintain their attack. Again, referees must be consistent and enforce both rules.

This is not an attempt to increase scoring, although that will likely be a direct result, but rather to clean up the game for the good of the game flow and to get away from what I see as crappy soccer. The best soccer is when teams are on their feet, attacking with control and defending with position, not when they are flopping, diving, whining, crying, shoving, tripping, tackling late from behind, and generally being pussies like Cristiano Ronaldo or as I have dubbed him, Douchebago Primero.

More World Cup Bests and Worsts

Round 1 Game 2


Best Crowd: Germany vs Poland; I felt like I was there. The geography and history worked in their favor but these fans didn't disappoint. That place was just nuts and the intensity of the close game made it even better. Poland's Boruc made save after save and the crowd seemed to collectively live and die with each one. Too bad Poland didn't at least get the draw there. They played Germany tough.

Honorable mention: South Korea vs France; well, maybe just South Korea. France's fans were lame but if not for Germany/Poland the Koreans might have won the award all by themselves. The unity of their songs, cheers, and stadium rocking was like watching a game within a game. Very cool.

Super Sub: Wayne Rooney (58') (England); he injected life into a flat England team all by himself. I know it was against TNT but they may not have won without his energy. I feel bad for English fans. It's almost as if they fear the worst and it takes away from their joy of the game. Actually, they probably have good reason to fear the worst. I think the side is cursed.

Honorable mention: Carlos Tevez (58') and Leo Messi (74') (Argentina); either of them probably would have won the award on their own with their amazing skills, but the game was over by the time they came in. Great goals, nonetheless and Messi made Crespo's day.

Best Team Effort: Ghana; against the Czech Republic the team had passion, ball possession, energy...and they would have won without Michael Essien. Defender Illiasu Shilla frustrated the Czechs any time they came into his third of the field. Gyan's opening goal set the tone but they didn't rest on that goal. They pressed all day.

Honorable mention: Argentina; OK, I know it's an easy pick because they won 6-0 against Serbia & Montenegro who just didn't seem to have any desire to be on the field, but give credit where it's due. Everyone was involved, they played great, and are threatening to run over people all the way to Berlin.

Best Turnaround: Ukraine 4-0; completely different team against Saudi Arabia. They made up their goal differential in one game. No small feat after crapping out against Spain.

Honorable mention: USA 1-1; yes, I'm a homer and I don't care. They were the better team on the night even though Italy scored two goals (thanks, guys). They controlled the game and as my buddy Marc would appreciate, they were downright tough. The Italians flop more than John Kerry. Shameful.

Yellow cards: I praised the officiating in the first set of games, minus a few calls I felt were missed. The second round, however, cemented Franz Beckenbauer's claim that there are too many cards. I can't believe I'm going to agree with Marcelo Balboa, but he's right. The officials should warn players that they are coming close to a card. I know the Yellow Card is supposed to be the caution, but when FIFA mandates that two yellows in three games makes you miss the next game the card carries more weight than it should. If you run two yellow lights they don't give you a ticket for running a red and suspend your license. I think the FIFA mandates were too strong. I'd be happier if they gave the cards for diving and the occasional late, violent tackle, but to give cards for arguing with a ref or waving your hand in disgust at a bad call, or even taking a penalty kick prematurely, that's just going waaaay overboard. I know its in the rules but come on, a little freedom wouldn't be a bad thing. England's Graham Poll is an example of how to referee a match without being the deciding factor. By the way, FIFA's mandate that referees not be over age 50 has deprived us of the great Pierluigi Colina. Shame on them.

Red cards: I think the red cards in the USA/Italy match were good calls, although Pope's accumulation was harsh. It never would have happened if he didn't get the ticky tack yellow in the first half. The second yellow was deserved and should have been his first. By the way, the US Team has a habit of late tackles, in my opinion. They always look sloppy to me, maybe too aggressive in that regard. I love them but they're one of the harder teams to watch, not really all that enjoyable even when they're winning. Maybe I'm just too nervous when I watch them.

Worst Celebration: Peter Crouch (England) for not doing the Robot Dance after scoring his goal against TNT. Actually, he got mobbed by his teammates so let's blame them. I think he wanted to do it.

Honorable mention: Peter Crouch's shadow (He's still a goofy mother f'er.)