Word of the Day

I guess the Wellers have a leg up on Kramer. Last I checked, "Kramerism" isn't in the dictionary.

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World Cup, Elimination Round

Before we look ahead to the knockout stage of the World Cup, let's take a gander at my predictions. 11 of 16 teams correctly picked. Not too bad. I said Argentina and Netherlands would do well and they did. I said France and Italy would disappoint and they did.

But enough about my savvy picks. How bout the U.S.??? If the U.S. was ever going to advance to the semifinals, this is the time. You will never, i mean NEVER, get an easier group than Ghana, South Korea and Uruguay. I'll be a homer and take the U.S. over Uruguay to advance to the semi's (my head says Uruguay to the semi's, but my heart screams U.S). In the bottom half of that bracket, give me Brazil over the Netherlands. In arguably the toughest quadrant I'll take Argentina over England. The Germany/England round of 16 game should be a classic--shame it's happening so early. And finally, I'll take Spain over Paraguay. In reality, it'll be the Spain/Portugal winner, but they should do enough to sneak by the Portuguese.

My semifinal picks haven't changed much, so I'll take Spain over Argentina and Brazil over the U.S. Call it Brazil 2-1 over Spain in the Finals.

At this point, you might be asking if this makes the U.S. one of the four best teams in the world? Absolutely not. In any World Cup, you need a little luck and a little skill. Skill was not losing a game in the opening round. Luck was having to face Ghana and Uruguay/South Korea.

BK for Brunell

Mr. Brunell should have consulted with TS or Salmon and Marshall before investing in these deals.

Three Cheers For Financial Reform!!!

Never have more pages (1050) accomplished less. But hey Barack, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, right?

Evan Turner Makes Bryant Gumbel Look Like Malcolm X

I haven't heard a sillier voice on a professional athlete since this.

Mad Men Season 4

Does the image wet your palette?

Ugh

I only posted this picture as a reminder in a year that the Yankees, Duke, and the Lakers won championships, there is some justice in the world.

P.S - Kobe, pulling the Michael Jordan move of standing on the press table and pumping your fist after going 6-24 makes you a wanna be yet again.

Gary Matthews Juicer

Omar Minaya is one of the worst talent evaluators in MLB. The Gary Matthews Jr. trade doesn't get enough attention because of the dollars at stake, but I think it is just as inexcusable as the Oliver Perez signing. The Mets placed Matthews on release waivers as of Friday. If another team claims him within 72 hours he will play for that team; otherwise, the Mets will cut him today. I think we can all easily predict the outcome for a 35-year-old batting .190 in his part time role.

Matthews was named in the Mitchell Report for allegedly receiving shipments of human growth hormone in 2004, but he denied he used HGH. His best season came for the Rangers in 2006 when he hit .313 with 19 homers and 79 RBIs, leading to his big free agency contract. Matthews signed a 5-year $50 million deal in 2007 with the Angels. Isn't it convenient that his breakout season coincided with free agency? The Angels are one of the best franchises in MLB, but this deal will live on as a bruise to their reputation as Matthews never had a productive season before 2006.

After finding out about Carlos Beltran's knee surgery this January, the Mets traded RHP Brian Stokes for Matthews. The Angels are on the hook for $21.5 million of the $23.5 million owed to Matthews. The Angels received Stokes, who was a perfectly serviceable and cheap reliever in the NL last year.

The other SAFO writers can attest to our readers that I threw up all over this trade in January. I know we're only talking about $2 million (plus the cost of replacing Stokes), but if you run a sports franchise, how can you justify giving away something (i.e. Stokes and $2 million) for nothing (i.e. Matthews and his .257 career avg)? I always thought Pagan would be Beltran's replacement, and he has proven his ability to start CF for just about any MLB team.

Farewell Gary Matthews Juicer...don't let the door hit you on the way out. Hopefully another NL East team will be just as unfortunate to sign you.

Flyer's Forum

And so it goes. I'm such a prescient author I hardly even need to write new posts at this point. 3 goal blackhawk win? Check. Leighton looking like a waiver wire pickup? Check. Pronger looking like he can't remember where he put his false teeth? Checkmate. Kids, it really is this simple sometimes. In game four, the Blackhawks put forth the type of effort they should provide every night. I mean this is the Stanley Cup Finals guys, what were you waiting for? And the Flyers had no answer. None. I mean it was as lopsided a 3 goal win as you will ever see. They scored whenever they wanted to. If the hawks play that way tonight the series is over and Chicago can go ahead with that parade they've planned for Friday.

But here's the thing. I don't think they will. Not even close. Actually I think Chitown scores first, then loses focus. And these Flyers don't quit. Tonight they storm back to win 4-3 (I'll be in the hospital with heart palpitations) and send this series to a game 7, where anything goes. Book it.

The Next Generation of Phillies Fans:

Hores

I'm pretty sure Puddy Island wrote this. The man loves his hores.

World Cup Preview

The Definitive World Cup Preview

The World Cup kicks off on Friday, and that means as the self-appointed soccer correspondent for Shallow and Fairly Obvious, it's time for your preview.

The Basics:

-32 teams qualified
-8 groups of 4 teams, roughly divided up between geographic area
-Top 2 teams from each group advance from round-robin stage to single-elimination round.

U.S. History:

- The U.S. didn't qualify from 1954-1990
- This is the fifth straight qualification for the U.S.starting in 1990.
- Our best finish was 3rd place in 1930 (ancient era); quarterfinals in 2002 (modern era)

World Cup History:

- Past winners: Brazil 5x, Italy 4x, Germany 3x, Argentina 2x, Uruguay 2x, England, France
- Host country has advanced past round-robin stage every tournament
- No European country has ever won the World Cup when it has been played outside of Europe
- Only South American and European teams have ever won the World Cup.

Before I get to my picks, here's a rundown of the groups and my predicted finish:

Group A

1. Mexico - El Tri are consistent and usually advance.
2. South Africa - gotta go with the home side here even though this is the worst of the bunch on paper
3. France - Boom or bust side squad. Classic under achievers. Either Mex or France win the group though, with SA coming in 2nd.
4. Uruguay - A couple of world class players surrounded by mediocrity.

Group B

1. Argentina - One of my semifinal picks. Coaching is overrated at this level, so I don't see Maradona being a distraction. Plus, Messi is unreal.
2. Greece - Stingy defense and a deadly counter-attack keep Greece alive. Their games are usually low scoring affairs..
3. Nigeria - The Nigeria/Greece match up should decide the 2nd place winner in the group. I'll go with organization over the home continent advantage.
4. South Korea - It's easy enough to dominate the Asian competition, but a rung below the rest of the group.

Group C

1. England - Injuries aside, they're the class of this group, and it's not that close.
2. U.S. - Even though I expect a loss to England in the first game, we should cobble together enough points to advance. Call is 1-1-1, 4 pts, and we sneak by on goal differential
3. Algeria - Scrappy African lot will be tough to break down.
4. Slovenia - They are certainly talented, but will be over matched in this group

Group D

1. Germany - Death. Taxes. Germany advancing the the quarterfinals. Only sure things in life.
2. Serbia - The other three teams can all make strong cases for second place, but call it a gut feeling.
3. Ghana - Losing Michael Essien is brutal. Tough luck for this strong African side.
4. Australia - Just like South Korea, the competition is much better than Asian qualifying.

Group E

1. Netherlands - Total soccer should waltz through this group pretty easily.
2. Cameroon - I expect the Cameroon/Denmark game to decide 2nd place.
3. Denmark - Surprise qualifier should have their hands full with the Dutch and Cameroon
4. Japan - They just don't have the talent to hang in this group.

Group F

1. Italy - This side hasn't looked sharp recently, but playing in the easiest group always helps.
2. Paraguay - If this were any other group, I'd pick Paraguay to finish 3rd or 4th
3. Slovakia - They are just happy to be here.
4. New Zealand - New Zealand...Rocks!!! Probably the worst team in the World Cup.

Group G

1. Brazil - Best team in the world will handle the group of death with authority
2. Portugal - Before the Drogba injury, I was picking the Ivory Coast to slip by. No longer.
3. Ivory Coast - If Drogba plays, Ivory Coast/Portugal could be the best round-robin match.
4. North Korea - I'd be surprised if they score a goal in the tournament.

Group H

1. Spain - The class of Europe should not find any resistance in this group.
2. Chile - Switzerland/Chile match up should determine 2nd place. Let's give the nod to the South Americans.
3. Switzerland - About as boring a side as they come. Expect lots of 1-0, 1-1 games from these anonymous players.
4. Honduras - They are just happy to be there.

Predictions:

If England, Brazil, Argentina and Spain all win their groups, they would be on a collision course for the semi's. I like Brazil over England in one semi, and Spain over Argentina in the other. Remember how I said no European team had ever won the World Cup outside of Europe...well, that's not going to change. Call it 2-1 Brazil over Spain in the Final. Certainly not going too far out on a limb with a Brazil/Spain final, but they are easily the most talented teams.

In general I like Argentina, Engalnd to do well. France, Italy will disappoint. If you're looking for an underdog look at Argentina and Netherlands. Very exciting stuff.

At The Movies

Avoiding the Florida-like humidity this weekend, I saw Get Him to the Greek. It was pretty standard fare. Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, and Puff Daddy basically play themselves, though Jonah Hill looks like he added all the weight Seth Rogan lost. Peggy Olson also plays essentially the 2010 version of herself. There were some good laughs, and Puffy got some choice lines as you'd expect. As with all these movies, the plot and humor lost all steam with 30 minutes to go.

However, the Tim Wattley award for breakout performance goes to Rose Byrne. She is on the show Damages, which apparently gets good reviews, but she never struck me as anything special. Whether it was the English accent or the lighter hair, Rose brought her A game this weekend.

Overall, it should be a decent addition to the HBO 5 rotation in 2012.

French Open Recap

I had previously predicted a Nadal/Federer final with Nadal prevailing in 4 sets. I got the victor right, but not the victim. In yesterday's final, Nadal looked more like the 19-year-old that dominated the French Open field in winning his first major back in 2005. Soderling was rattled and couldn't serve consistently or pressure Nadal with his heavy forehand. Other than a couple "are you kidding me?" points by Nadal, there wasn't much else to focus on other than Nadal's $525,000 watch. Nadal isn't a flashy guy at all, so this is a somewhat surprising display by him. Apparently he signed an endorsement deal with the watchmaker - Richard Mille. This watch is one of the lightest in the world with a titanium casing and a precision tourbillon that will keep proper time even when Rafa is playing like a human backboard. I guess if someone is willing to pay you to wear a $525,000 watch, then why not? There are only 50 in the world, so hopefully Rafa will be careful on the Paris Metro.

More importantly, I think yesterday proved that Nadal is back to his 2008 form. Roger Federer must be having nightmares thinking about the grass court season. Nadal is now slimmer, and last year's injuries were a wake-up call. He now understands the need to make adjustments to his game so he doesn't wear out by the age of 25. Nadal is going to serve more aggressively and hit flatter ground strokes in the grass and hard court seasons. Bjorn Borg is giving into the reality that Nadal will break his French Open record of 6 titles. And Federer knows that Nadal is back.

Right now the game of tennis has two of its greatest players in their primes (albeit Roger is probably just past his peak). This is the equivalent of Sampras/Agassi. Nadal has 7 majors at the age of 24. Federer won his 7th major at the age of 24 (2006 Australian). I don't think Rafa can threaten Roger's 16 titles, but I think he will get to double digits. Yesterday Rafa tied McEnroe and Wilander with his 7th major. With his next major, he will tie Lendl, Agassi, and Connors. I don't think Federer will ever beat Nadal in the final of a major. Mentally he is so rattled (i.e. 2009 Australian). The Wimbledon final has the potential to be the second-greatest match ever after the 2008 final. I can't wait.

Flyers Forum

Well, with the exception of the Carcillo benching, I was wrong about pretty much everything to do with game four. And I couldn't be happier. If I had one hundredth of the heart the Flyers showed on Friday, I'd probably have better things to do than write on a blog that nobody reads.

With that being said. I'm going with the Blackhawks again tonight. 4-1. I hate picking against my own team, but as great as the Flyers have played, it's still a game 5 on the road, and if Chicago doesn't show up tonight they are a worthless collection of losers and should all go play in Sweden next year alongside Peter Forsberg's corpse. Seriously. Anyone who watched the Olympics (or the first 3 rounds of the playoffs) knows Toews can perform on the big stage. They take this one, setting up for an epic game 6 on Tuesday.

Larry Craig

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Player to watch

Jonathan Toews.

No goals in the series so far, but he's too good for that to last any longer. Expect a big game from the Chitown captain tonight.

Flyers Forum

It was not my intention to turn this into a Flyers only blog, but as no one else appears interested in posting I really have no choice. To recap, if you read my game 3 previews you really didn't need to see the actual game. I was that good. So what will happen in game 4? Well, for one thing Dan Carcillo is going to be back in street clothes where he belongs. Laviolette has made some tremendous moves this postseason, but playing Carcillo was not one of them. To his credit Lavy figured this out midway through game 3 and DC rode the bench for the rest of the contest, but enough messing around, get Van Riemsdyk back on a line with Giroux and wait for the magic to happen.
The other main theme for tonight is that the Hawks will be ready to play. And that's bad news. Up 2-0 in the series, they didn't show much desperation on Wednesday, and the game still went to overtime. They'll be fired up tonight, and I expect them to beat the Flyers, 5-3.

Claude Giroux

Needs to step the F up tonight. He's the most talented player on this team and they should be able to get some favorable matchups for him at home.

Flyers Forum

Tonight it is do or die. The Blackhawks will not turtle like the Bruins did, so if the Flyers want to win this series they need to take both games at home. The issues that I mentioned in the Montreal series remain the key problems for this team. After admitting in a news conference that the 35 year old future hall of famer could not continue to play 30 plus minutes a night, Laviolette featured more of his 3rd pair of defensemen and cut Pronger's ice time in game two.

Meanwhile Michael Layton continues to be a guy who is big but struggles with controling shots and with his coordination. There is no way he should allow a goal to Ben Eager from that far out. He went down way to early, and then couldn't move his glove in time. Unlike the Canadians, the Blackhawks have the skill and speed to exploit his weaknesses.
That being said, man for man the Flyers were clearly the better team in game 2, and they will be even more desperate tonight. Look for the Flyers to score first and hang on for the win, 4-2.

Roland Garros

Tennis super agent Sam Duvall wined and dined me for four memorable nights in Paris. One highlight included player box tickets to watch Serbian mega-babe Anna Ivanovic on Court 1 (photo to the left was taken by the Maestro).

Here from right to left are: Super Agent Sam Duvall, Michael Stunt-Cock Greenway, and Bob Cobb.