The Agony Of Near Disaster

Notts County could have silenced once and for all any relegation fears this season when they took on Mansfield at home today.

What's that you hear? Relegation fears of course:

Notts County had keeper Russell Hoult to thank as they earned a point against fellow League Two strugglers Mansfield.

Hoult had injured himself in the warm-up but struggled through the 90 minutes much to the relief of his side.

The keeper pulled off several fine saves while Nathan Arnold also rattled the angle of bar and post with a fierce shot for Mansfield.

It took Notts County 70 minutes to test keeper Carl Muggleton for the first time through Danny Crow.

So it wasn't a complete disaster, but this was a game Notts should have won.

Mansfield has seven games remaining and can top out at 55 points. Notts is sitting at 41 points with six games (18 possible points) to go.

That makes it 15 points from safety.

Let the countdown begin.

This Can't Be Good

This post is both a bit off sports topics (though I have always considered drinking a sport) and entirely out of character as it criticizes an innovative new way to mainstream public drinking in America. Regardless...

TALKER 2 - USA Today A3 - "Some food and alcohol with your flick? Cinemas hope so: It's all part of a nationwide trend to lure more people in to theaters for a pleasing (and profitable) time." The number of first-run theaters serving booze has grown from 14 in 1997 to more than 400 today, says a theater-owners' group.

This has train wreck written all over it. I suppose if you are married to someone who forces you to go to a movie theater it has merit, otherwise I think I saw my last Big Picture with the release of Casino Royale. I have come to consider theater visits among the worst experiences in life right after prostate exams and Devil Rays games. We pretty much limit our visits to once every 2-3 years when the horror of the last experience has sufficiently faded and we are deluded into believing, "this time it will be better". The low point was probably the literal drowning out of the Belfast brogues in The Boxer as the sound of a Giant Toilet Flushing blasted endlessly from the adjacent theater. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, some talentless ass began scream "Rose! Rose!" at the top of his lung. But I digress.

Boozing up the jackasses who flock to our nation's multiplexes to watch Live Free or Die Hard and Rambo LXVII seems about as wise as the introduction of Starbucks Methuccino. Besides, if they charge $12 for a small soda and popcorn now, what the fuck are they going to ding me for the two or three martinis required to make the experience merely insufferable? It will no doubt make the $8 beers at the ballpark seem a bargain.

Thompson's Heater

My fastball pops in the mitt like a cotton ball.

That's Thompson on the mound. When Springer came in The Goat looked at me and said, "Wow. I don't think Springer throws that hard but at least you can actually hear the ball pop in the catcher's mitt."

I'm glad Thompson is saying he's learned to contain his emotions. Here's hoping he's actually learned how to pitch because his heat up in the zone isn't exactly going to be fear inducing to opposing lineups.

The Cards in Ft. Myers....Sort of

Yes. That that beer and brat are sitting on the Cards dugout.

72, sunny and breeze. A Chamber of Commerce day, as they say. A pre-game tailgate brewski and off into the park. Not too much of note yesterday. No Pujols, Molina or Glaus in town, the latter being the a guy I'd like to see swing the bat in person.

Thompson looked pretty good on the mound. Had a rough 3rd but that was in no small part because of a Jimenez brain fart at third when he back up on a ball instead of charging and then instead of making the tag on the runner trying to advance to third or throwing across to first, he instead tossed the ball to second and just missed the force by, oh, 8 to 10 seconds. Then some jackass just behind us started bellowing at La Russa for not coaching that properly. It actually perked up Duncan's ears, who was sitting next to La Russa in a chair on the field. Before I could get the words out of my mouth, the guy next to me said, "Yeah, that was a coaching mistake, but I think we need to go back slap Jimenez' Little League coach." It was even better at the end of the inning when Jimenez came off the field. From third, the natural place to come in is the home plate side of the dugout by La Russa. Jimenez took the circuitous route to the first base side. La Russa was off like a shot in that direction as he entered the dugout. Too funny.

Otherwise, I thought Thompson was ok but he was up in the zone more than he should have been and could have gotten hit more.

If this game was the only thing I knew about Izturis I’d be singing his praises as a signing. A two-RBI rope, a couple of walks and solid at short. Ludwick hit two deep into the alley that may have gotten out on another day without the strong wind knocking it down. Ankiel just seems to effortlessly sting the damned ball. His opposite field double in the alley might have cleared the wall on a calm day and it kind of clunked off the bat. He didn’t even come close to getting good wood on it. It sounded like a short pop-up.

Speaking of pop or lack thereof, the bottom of the lineup was Kennedy, Jiminez, LaRue, Izturis and then back to Schumaker. My how we need a healthy Glaus in that lineup.

Perez was nothing if not exciting* in the 9th. The guys brings serious heat but has no idea where it is going.

*Exciting meaning the result is uncertain and not likely to end well. Think condomless sex with a Port-au-Prince streetwalker.

Optimism I Wish I Could Share

Jeff Gordon is not approaching the Cardinals season with an air of impending doom. Why the Cards may not be as bad as feared

1. Against all odds, the temporary rotation is shaping up.

Adam Wainwright appears prepared for the lead role leaving Jupiter. Free agent pick-up Kyle Lohse showed up ready to pitch, which was a pleasant surprise.

Most mid-camp additions would need a couple of extra weeks to get ready. Lohse already has impressed his new team.

Braden Looper just threw an encouraging 5 1/3 innings, relocating his sinking stuff while getting eight groundball outs. Prior to that, he got hammered.

I'll believe nothing until the season has cycled through the rotation a couple of times. As I read them we have a number 2 starter in Wainwright as our stopper, and four other guys who are all #4 or #5 starters in every other role. It is the sort of situation every team can go through because of injuries, and you certainly hope you can get by until reinforcements arrive, but try as I might I don't see Mulder coming back into his pre-St. Louis form; I worry that Pineiro will discover he has something seriously wrong with him; and I worry that Carpenter will not be at 100% until late August at the earliest.

The worst case scenario has our bullpen worn thin by the time mid-June arrives. And if that happens I'm not sure prospects from Memphis will offer much support.

2. Adam Kennedy can hit!

He was a black hole in the lineup last season, batting .219. He came to camp on a short leash, since the club re-signed reliable Aaron Miles and had slick-hitting Jarret Hoffpauir in the wings.

But Kennedy seems to have relocated the stroke he had throughout his time with the Angels. After a slow start this spring, he pushed his batting average up to .349.

Alright, this is a positive, and he has the resume to make me believe he can put last year behind him. It will help, but lets not over sell this.

3. Rick Ankiel is going crazy.

This team has many X-factors, but none is greater than this guy. Will Ankiel post solid, Ryan Ludwick-type numbers (.267, 14 homers, 52 RBIs in 303 at-bats) in his first full season as a big league outfielder?

Or will he add an impact bat to a lineup needing all the offense it can find? Chris Duncan’s spring struggle underscored this team’s need for another strong hitter.

Ankiel’s spring training performance (.397, three homers, nine RBIs) has raised expectations.

If Ankiel shows he can fill that spot between Pujols and Glaus than we may be able to score some runs. But we will only win games if the rotation holds up. Even with a productive Ankiel we will not be out-slugging many.

4. Ron Villone is viable.

This is notable, because would-be lefty specialist Tyler Johnson faces an uncertain ’08 season after developing shoulder trouble. And holdover Randy Flores didn’t dominate the lefty-lefty matchups last season.

In past springs, the Cards have seen an assortment of veteran lefties fail to impress Duncan. But Villone has posted a 1.17 ERA in six appearances, generating hope he could become a key bullpen component.

This would help. But does anyone really believe Villone will offer that much of a boost?

Really?

5. The organization finally has depth.

This is a "proof is in the pudding" sort of thing. It will be great if a lot of our young kids are ready and able to contribute at the major league level, and this would include not only those at AAA like Rasmus, McClellan and Hoffpauir, but also someone like Brian Barton who will be with the big club from day one.

Besides, the ebb and flow in the fortunes of prospects can turn what looks like a verdant field into a dry lifeless desert in no time flat.

And I Miss the Old Barn, too

During their road trip, the St. Louis Blues visited "the Professor" Ron Caron this week. Somehow, in the midst of the reminiscing and story-telling, the former Blues GM managed to trade Brad Boyes to the Vancouver Canucks for an aging, second line defenseman. More surprisingly, he also signed winger Brendan Shanahan to a multi-year offer sheet.

Current Blues GM president John Davidson seemed blindsided by the series of events. "I don't know what happened," Davidson gasped in exasperation. "One minute Caron was pointing to a signed photograph of Garth Butcher, and while I was distracted, we lost our best scorer."

In an announcement the next day, National Hockey League officials immediately pronounced Caron's action to be in violation of league policies "like tampering, or something," and awarded the Blues' first round pick in the 2009-2019 drafts to the New Jersey Devils. When the New York Rangers objected that, in fact, Brendan Shanahan played for them, the Rangers were awarded a game-worn Vitali Prokhorov jersey as compensation. Rangers GM Glen Sather pronounced the compensation to be, " all in all, pretty sweet."

More Lohse

The Goat e-mailed me a dissenting view of the Lohse deal:

I really have to disagree with IM's post regarding the Lohse
signing. Yes, the Cardinals suck this year and everyone knows we're going to suck but we are a far cry from the Kansas City Royals. Having two top of the rotation starters (Carpenter and Mulder) injured doesn't make you the Kansas City Royals. If Carpenter doesn't go down at the beginning of last season we're in it until the end (and possibly win the division). You can't possibly prepare for that kind of injury especially when you don't have the payroll flexibility or farm system of the Yankees or Red Sox.

All we can hope for is to somehow keep our heads above water until those two guys (and Clement) are healthy and that's what the Lohse signing is all about. All I have to do is look ahead one season and I have a pretty big smile on my face when I think about the possibility of having a healthy Carpenter, Wainwright, a healthy Mulder (we still hold an option), and a healthy Clement anchoring the rotation with a talent like Colby Rasmus waiting in the wings.

2008 will be a long season and I have been fully expecting that since we lost 9 straight and fell out of the race last September. But something tells me that Royals fans are NOT looking ahead to the 2009 season with a great deal of excitement.

I wish I had more optimism that Mulder and Carpenter will return to even some pale imitation of top form. But I am ever the pessimist and the Illini proved me wrong in the Big Ten Tourney. I didn't see that one coming.

Lohse

From the PD:

The Cardinals addressed an innings-short starting rotation Thursday by reaching agreement with durable free agent righthander Kyle Lohse on a one-year, $4.25 million contract, pending Lohse's passing a team physical this morning.

The move occurred three days after the Cardinals said four of the five pitchers projected as starters during the season could be unavailable for the March 31 opener.

Loshe is a poor man's Jeff Suppan. (Just allow that to sink in for a moment.)

Adding Lohse will improve this rotation. (Just allow that to sink in for a moment.)

Digested that? I'll wait while you attempt to choke down some Pepto Bismol.

Lohse, 29, amassed a 9-12 record and 4.62 ERA while splitting last season between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies. Just as important, he made 34 starts and worked 192 2/3 innings. The Cardinals investigated trading for him in 2006 before the Minnesota Twins shipped him to the Reds.

"He's got a really good arsenal of weapons," manager Tony La Russa said. "He's gotten our attention before."

Lohse's best seasons came with the Twins in 2002-03, when he won 27 games combined. Just as significant, Lohse worked 201 innings in 2003 and 194 in 2004. He has made at least 30 starts in five of the past six seasons.

The club expects Lohse to report this morning.

Mozeliak took issue with describing the agreement as a panic move.

Would the word "desperation" really improve matters?

UPDATE:

From Cardinals Diaspora:

It’s not a bad move, especially on a one year deal. At this point, warm bodies capable of pitching for 150+ innings are exactly what the Cardinals need. Win now? Pfft. Compete now? Pish posh. We need pitchers to make it through the season, and that’s exactly what this is.

I can't argue with that at all.

But it leaves me wondering as to when exactly we became the Kansas City Royals.

BCTP Bonanza

I'll see your silly little cliché and raise you three.

Talk about being thrown a hanging curve. I don't think I've received as rich a gift as this since my neighbor got engaged and had to give away his porn collection. Generations from now anthropologists will point to this as the textbook example of Spring Training gibberish:

So La Russa isn’t sweating Izturis’ poor offensive and defensive start this spring.

“You just watch, he’s a real good looking fielder,” La Russa said. “He has great, quiet hands. He has an accurate arm. He’s very quick. Picks a ball up like it’s nothing. Very impressive.

“I liked him from the first time I saw him with the Dodgers. He is really fun to watch catch the ball.

“Offensively, he hasn’t had a big hitting spurt or anything like that, but he’s putting the ball in play. He’s working. He’s also shown, by the way, good legs. That’s an important part of the game.

“He’s a very useful offensive player. He can do anything. He can put the ball in play, bunt.”

WOW. File this one under Faint Praise, Damning with. I wish I had time to fully unpack this 123 word gem. Wait, I can. Izturis' offensive impact will be sacrifice bunts and pinch running.

Hmmmm, digging a little deeper I see something else, "real good looking...good legs...he can do anything." I think we can all agree on what this means. Cesar Izturis: Male prostitute.

The End Is Nigh

With any luck, by this time tomorrow Penn State will have mercifully ended the Illini's mongrel of a season.

Some Things Just Can't Be Taught

I saw this comment over at St. Louis GT talking about new Blue Cam Janssen:

On The Roll Home on 1380 today, they had John Davidson on talking to Bernie and Randy. J.D. said it shouldn’t be a surprise No. 55 hasn’t played much. He’s missed the entire year with injury, didn’t get much time in the American League and is on a new team with new coaches and a new system. He said over the summer they’re going to work on his skill with the puck. Said he has some raw skill that could be developed.

He had me all the way up until the last point.

That seems to be the way with hockey; either you got it or you don't. I can remember a few years ago watching a Blues scrimmage match during training camp. There was one player who just seemed to always be in good offensive positions; the puck was constantly finding its way to his stick; and if there was a opening in the slot he was filling it quickly. (ed. -That's quite possibly the filthiest thing I've ever written.)

That player? Reed Low. I don't think he recording a single point that day, although he must have had a dozen scoring chances. Whatever "it" is, Low didn't have it.

I think I'd have better luck teaching my hamster to fetch the morning paper than the Blues would trying to turn Can Janssen into anything resembling an offensive player.

Dire? Woeful? What Is The Word I Am Looking For?

Miss May or the Cardinals number four starter

Oh yeah, Fugly. It's March 12, four weeks since pitchers and catchers reported:

The Cardinals project a rotation of Wainwright, Looper and three others from a mix including Anthony Reyes, Todd Wellemeyer, Pineiro, Brad Thompson, Mike Parisi and Kyle McClellan. Meanwhile, the Cardinals wait for Matt Clement and Mark Mulder to return from shoulder surgeries.

This sounds about as promising as Hugh Hefner announcing the following:

Playboy projects a Playmate lineup of Tori Spelling, Amy Winehouse and three others from a mix including Oprah, Maggie Thatcher, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joan Rivers, Camilla Parker-Bowles and Courtney Love. Meanwhile, the magazine waits for Carrot Top and Steve Buscemi to return from sex change operations.

If Mrs. Sounthlandish ever reads this, I am soooo never getting laid again.

Well, That's Just Spiffy

More from the hell that is the Notts County season:

Paul Mayo's blunder gifted striker Jamie Forrester his 11th goal of the season as Lincoln won to push Notts County closer to the relegation zone.
Mayo was under no pressure as a cross came in, but the County defender managed to head his clearance straight to Forrester, who fired home.

County almost equalised when Ryan Jarvis saw a strike parried by Lincoln goalkeeper Alan Marriott.

County's best chance fell to Mayo, but his header was cleared off the line.

All I can say is thank God I don't have to actually see any of it.

Now, if I could only find a way to keep the Blues out of the media...oh, that's right...the NHL has already managed to do that for us.

Green Signs with Rams

It's a three year deal, but the last couple of years of most NFL contracts are like selfless politicians--rarely glimpsed and mostly theoretical. Even with that, this makes little sense to me. You won’t pay Isaac Bruce a 2 million dollar roster bonus, because you feel that’s too much for an aging #2/#3 receiver. Fair enough. But then you turn around and give a 4 million dollar guarantee to a 38 year old quarterback who’s suffered two concussions in the last 13 months? What, was Troy Aikman unwilling to leave the broadcast booth?

This signing, at this price, says Marc Bulger is our quarterback, but only kinda. Maybe you believe he needs to be pushed, to play with a little fear of losing his job (ala Bernie Miklasz), so you bring in a quarterback whose had a lot of success with the new OC (you can hear the locker room chants now: “Coordinator’s Pet, Coordinator’s Pet”). Or maybe you are worried about Bulger’s durability, and anticipate him missing significant playing time. Given your offensive line, that’s good thinking. But what makes you think Green is the answer to those troubles? He must be considered concussion prone at this point, and he’s about as mobile as my dining room table.

I think the only defense of this is the paucity of options—that is, if you believe you have to have a back-up who can be a credible starter, Green was the best option available, and you had to overpay for him. Maybe, but unless the offensive line is much improved (and not just somewhat), you’re going to end up paying Green 4 million dollars to recover from his next concussion.

Cardinals Can't Score in Red Zone Either

The Cardinals could manage only two field goals against the swarming Dodger’s defense in Saturday’s pre-season contest, losing 20-6. Meanwhile, the Dodgers marched up and down the field and finished with a two touchdown victory, with Rafael Furcal racking up 183 yards in total offense. Meanwhile, Braden Looper was sacked four times and hurried all day. After the game, head coach Tony LaRussa commented, "Shoot, we'll get that figured out."

Whimpering To The Finish Line(s)

You know...one would think if you support enough sports teams there would be a shotgun effect so that at any given time one of them would be playing decently. You might think that, but you'd be wrong.

Let us look at the state of things for yours truly:

The Blues: This team's inability to score is downright embarrassing. The sad truth is it is not possible to excel in this league without a number one center, and the Blues have been without one for the better part of a decade. (Even when Dougie Weight was younger he was more of a good #2 than a real #1.) So we are left with the sorry display of a team that doesn't have anything to play for anymore. Combine that with a monster nine game road trip, which we are already 0-2 on, and it is gonna be a very difficult month of March.

The Billikens: Remember when I said something about how the Bills were starting to get the hang of the Majerus system? Well scratch that, I must've been drunk. SLU is getting drilled, absolutely drilled, by terrible teams. Yesterday Duquesne, sporting a 2-13 record in A10 play, beat the Bills by 27. Luckily, the conference tourney will be able to put this team out of my misery.

Notts County: Yesterday was a huge game for the Magpies in their quest to not get relegated out of League Two. They had Barnet at home and, by all accounts, they were damn lucky to draw 0-0 with them. Notts has a quick turnaround, playing Lincoln on Tuesday at Meadow Lane. You've gotta get something from that, as they then go away to Peterborough (where the Pies will get hammered if current form says anything) and then get tough games at home against Rochdale then away to Shrewsbury two days later. It is getting late and there seems to be little confidence in the side. (It didn't help matters that bottom of the table Wrexham managed a 2-0 away win this week.)

Hell, and I haven't even mentioned the self-immolation that is an average Braden Looper spring training start.

Level Playing Fields

"We've gotten third strike calls on pick-off attempts."

From ESPN's lead article on the UNC-Duke game:

What the Blue Devils occasionally lacked in poise and execution, they made up for in grit and aggression. They harassed Hansbrough into 13 missed shots and never let him get to the foul line -- first time that's happened since his freshman year, when Carolina was eliminated from the 2006 NCAA Tournament by George Mason.

(And still the Dukies were left screaming that Hansbrough got preferential treatment from the refs. The oft-repeated chant: "Tyler travels every time!" And it wasn't just being screamed by the body-painted student horde. Also raucously shouting it were the always-demure Krzyzewski women, wife Mickie and daughters all in the act.

My heart bleeds, BLEEDS for the Dukies. They can't catch a break. I don't think I've seen them get a fair call at Cameron since the Carter Administration. It's almost as bad as the way umps constantly squeezed Glavine and Maddux, giving them nothing more than 6 inches beyond the black. Poor bastards. Miracle either of them ever won a game, let alone 300. And don't even get me started on the bias Michael Jordan faced....

Sidney Ponson?

I'll ask it again: Sidney Ponson?

Really?

Scouts for the Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals clustered behind a chain-link fence to watch Ponson's latest reincarnation. A pitcher who once huffed and puffed to muster an 88 mph fastball threw with little obvious effort and significantly more velocity.

"I'm throwing nice and free again. I don't have to force anything," Ponson said.

Weighing about 20 pounds less than when the Cardinals released him 20 months earlier, Ponson exhibited a 93-94 mph fastball, a slider that touched 88 and a changeup that hit 84. An animal with bite replaced the rolling curveball seen two years ago.

"I'm here to rock and roll," Ponson said afterward.

Someone is pulling my leg.

Project Redemption: Step Two Completed

Well, Santino Quaranta has put the second stage of his comeback journey behind him; he has made the team:

Forward-midfielder Santino Quaranta signed a multiyear contract with D.C. United yesterday, completing his return to the club with which he started his MLS career seven years ago.

Quaranta, 23, began a tryout with United last week and appeared in two exhibitions Wednesday against Chivas USA at a tournament near San Antonio.

Terms were not disclosed, but Quaranta said his base salary is lower than the $105,000 he earned with Los Angeles and New York last season. Several bonus incentives were included, he said.

Quaranta, a Baltimore native, is expected to travel with the team to Jamaica for Wednesday's first leg of the Champions' Cup quarterfinal series against Harbour View. With Ben Olsen recuperating from ankle injuries, Quaranta might see considerable playing time on the right side of midfield this spring.

Evidently, he must have impressed because United wasted no time in locking him up with a contract. Of course the injury to Ben Olsen might have put the screws to it a bit. For the moment I'll believe that Quaranta's play on the field was the driving force here; the fact the deal was for more than one year would seem to back up that belief.

Of course, Santino can't do anything without giving some pause. The day he signs his contract his hammy tightens up.

Remember Santino, you are an old man now...you always have to stretch!

Notes From The Lunatic Fringe

I'll I can say is at least Notts County is trying to right the ship. Here we are in March and the Pies are sitting in 21st position, a mere four points from the relegation zone with 12 games remaining. That would be scary enough...but its the releagation zone in League Two we are talking about.

Hopefully, some help is come:

Notts County have signed experienced Derby defender Michael Johnson on loan until the end of the season.

Johnson's move represents a return to the club where he started his career.

The 34-year-old made 135 appearances for the Magpies between 1991 and 1995 after coming through the ranks at Meadow Lane.

After the debacle against Bradford towards the end of February, it was clear that Notts needed some help to stay afloat. Hopefully, Johnson, along with the other newcomers Crow and Jarvis, can contribute to the club's survival.

At least I hope so. I'm not sure I can handle Conference Football.

Spring Training BCTP

For all of the Ball Four fans out there.

Here are a couple of more installments from the Baseball Cliché Translation Project:

GM: "He'll bring a lot of excitement to the team."

TRANSLATION: Expect him to set the team record for getting picked off first.


MANAGER: "He really has a great feel for the game."

TRANSLATION: Greatness may have eluded him on the field, but before he's done in this game, he'll be the gold standard for bench coaches.

What's In A Name?

Pujols Pounds Pitch Past Preening Pierre in Purina Park

From today's Beckhamania gossip in The Guardian:

Capello will send his general manager, Franco Baldini, to assess the 32-year-old in a friendly against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in Texas on March 15.

Pizza Hut Park. I can't read that in a sentence without cracking up. It reminds me of the days when the new Cardinal ballpark naming rights were being hashed out. To torment my father, a 26-year Cardinal season ticket holder who saw his first games at Sportsmans Park, my brother put on a straight face and told him that a decision had been made to name the new stadium Purina Park. My poor dad just dropped his head and began muttering to himself before my brother let him off the hook.

But the dream isn't dead. Maybe in a couple of years we'll be able to see Becks play against Real Collinsville at a shiny new Puppy Chow Park.

It's About Time

Steve Goff (as usual) has the news:

For those of you tired of watching the U.S. national team play Mexico, Sweden and Poland, you are in for a treat this summer. (No, I'm not talking about the showdown with Barbados or Dominica in June, although I know you are fired up for the start of World Cup qualifier.) We know the Americans will play at Spain. And we learned this week that plans are close to being finalized for friendlies against England at Wembley (May 28) and Argentina at Giants Stadium (June 8). Not bad, eh?

Now that is acceptable. Oddly, the friendlies might generate more heat than the World Cup quals will, at least from the US side of things. It's gotta be hard to get up for a thrashing of Barbados, who will probably put 11 players behind the ball, along with a sofa, a refrigerator and a couple of cows.

But playing England in Wembley?? Even a 2 or 3 to nil setback promises to be a hell of a lot more interesting. Argentina always makes for a tense match. I was in RFK to see the Nats beat them 1-0 back in the day (1999 to be precise - Keller stopped a PK to preserve the win). It was the most fun *I* ever had at a friendly.

It's unfortunate, the dollar being the way it is these days, that I'd have to sell a kidney to get to the game in the UK.

This

Can't get this to work...hmmmm.