(Get) A Sporting Life

The Start Of Something?

2008-07-21T13:26:00.004-06:00

Last evening I did something I had been threatening to do for some time; I went to a Minnesota Thunder game. The Thunder is the Twin Cities representative in the USL First Division (former A-League), so, according to my way of thinking, it is alright to begin to follow them as they represent a different level of soccer compared to DC United and MLS.

And, yikes, what a different level it is! The wife and I were part of the teeming throng of 3176 people who witnessed the clash against the Rochester Raging Rhinos. The Thunder lacked some qualities, it must be said. So did Rochester. Former Wycombe Wanderer/Leicester City (and, briefly, DC United) winger Steve Guppy featured for the Rhinos, while the home side included former DC United hand Steven deRoux, so here is a little cross over to grab my attention at least. The play, however, was pretty lackluster. Minnesota started brightly enough and looked more likely to score in the first 12 minutes or so, but after a freekick from Ricardo Sanchez whistled by the post, the Thunder never really threatened again.

Not that Rochester was peppering the goal either. Still, when Menyonger one timed a cross into the back of the Thunder net in the 19th minute (by far the most stylish play of the match), you never got the feel that this was going to get away from Minnesota. The rest of the match was rather uneventful. The Thunder goalkeeper made two nice saves, and the Thunder cleared two balls off their goal line...which resulted in the loudest cheers of the entire match....never a good sign. The Rhino goalies made one save, according to the stats, but I don't remember it.

This is not to say the Thunder is a complete lost cause. They have some nice pieces. Melvin Tarley can play the center forward back-to-goal role pretty well, but he got zero help up front. Luchi Gonzalez has a great soccer name (and bright red shoes) and if he ever felt like actually playing the wing he was assigned to, he might be able to whip in some useful crosses. He spent most of the game ducking inside to display a variety of useless one-on-one moves that left me groaning. DeRoux is a useful little player, but he was manhandled by a bigger and stronger Rochester right back. Still, he never quit. Ricardo Sanchez obviously has a little bit of class, but he got frustrated early and wasn't nearly as effective after the first half hour. (I think he also got tired of watching Gonzalez run into the middle to get dispossessed.)

No other Thunder player made a noticeable impact upon the game. Kyle Altman made one promising run from the midfield, and would have been through to the keeper but for a wrongly decided offside call. That was it.

Still...the stadium was pretty good, the parking was free, the popcorn and soda were not terribly overpriced...so things could have been worse. However, they didn't have beer on sale because the beer truck "got held up." Unfortunately, they didn't mean by armed men looking for some hoppy refreshment. No, they meant the beer truck was doing too much business elsewhere to be bothered to serve 3000 soccer fans (of whom only about 1000 could legally drink, I must admit.) Bush league!

I'll have to wait and see if the USL soccer thing will catch on with me.

What A Sporting Night

2008-07-17T19:40:00.005-06:00

A man waiting for his Jack Ruby.

Occasionally, the stars do align or worlds collide or perfect storms occur...or something... and serendipity hands you a perfect evening. With absolutely no forethought, this evening started with a great workout at the gym, an hour of fun on the tennis courts with friends who have moved back into town and then seared, mustard-marinated lamb chops on the grill washed down with a .750L of Chimay Cinq Cents. Hell, that was perfect without even trying.

But is gets better. At the last minute I recorded the KC/Columbus MLS match and am now watching the second half of a cracking match while tracking the Cards game online. In ten minutes I will switch over to VS. and watch the end of Stage 12 of the Tour de France and an hour later catch the recap of the first round of The Open.

Then The Goat just sent a great e-mail:

It really does baffle me how an All-Star who is leading the team in RBI can be on the bench the first day back after the break and fucking Chris Duncan is in the line-up. Surely Jeff Gillooly could use some work these days.

Oh, did I mention I have another bottle of Chimay Rouge chilled in reserve? And Joe Mather homered just as I was getting ready to hit PUBLISH POST. I am one sexual favor away from Nirvana at the moment.

Well Done, Again

2008-07-12T21:46:00.002-06:00

As I was watching the Card's disgraceful melt down against the Pirates, I was also trying to keep an eye on the last 30 minutes of the Chicago/Toronto MLS match. Once again, it looked like a helluva lot of good attacking soccer was on display. It has been very hit and miss for me getting to watch the MLS this year, but what I have seen has been damned exciting and the parity has to put a smile on the face of league officials.

The Worst Thing About The Post-Dispatch

2008-07-12T10:25:00.003-06:00

Without a doubt the worst thing about the sports coverage of St. Louis' major daily newspaper is the incessant moralizing of Bryan Burwell, who seems to consider himself some sort of Pope capable of dealing out final judgements at the drop of a hat. There is a "good" example of this in his column about Mark Mulder:

So for all the stupid and irrelevant angst the chat room grumblers and call-in nitpickers claim they are experiencing, none of it measures up to what Mulder has suffered. "I just keep getting let down. I don't know really what to do," Mulder told the Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss after Wednesday's crash and burn.

I can't tell you how annoying it gets to read the narrow-minded stupidity of "fans" who claim some sort of victimization from Mulder's medical misfortune.

Oh, give me a break. Do some fans get a little too emotionally involved? Sure. Do they take some ill-considered positions about players or managers? Undoubtedly.

But, that is the fucking point of being a fan. (Which reinforces my belief that Burwell has no real connection to the St. Louis teams. Someone like Jeff Gordon keeps his professional detachment, to a point, but you can tell the Blues missing the playoffs bugs the crap out of him.)

These "stupid" and "annoying" fans are not getting paid to follow these teams, in fact it usually costs them money to do so. They are literally "invested" in the team/players in a way Burwell isn't. So Burwell could easily keep his bitching about fans to himself, since he isn't one of them.

Well Done

2008-07-10T23:18:00.003-06:00

It wasn't always pretty but tonight's Chivas/Galaxy match was balls-to-the-wall fun. In the past couple of years I've seen countless matches among the top four in the EPL. While they are not technically derbies, they are hyped to the max as the matches that matter, whether they are EPL, FA Cup, League Cup or Champions League. They almost always disappoint as defensive (not in a good way), tentative, shitty soccer. Invariably, the soccer punditry in England bitch about how worthless these matches are, lament that none of the teams are willing to play an open go-for-a-win game and someone points to the lower leagues as the proper example.

Nonetheless, whenever the MLS is mentioned to these same types, it is ridiculed as a lower English league. Yep. And tonight they proved the point by playing some damned enjoyable soccer. And Razov's goal was an absolute gem.

A Lack Of Conviction

2008-07-10T13:24:00.004-06:00

I like trying new beers. When I hit the local liquor store I'm more likely to pick up a six of something I've never heard of rather than go with an old favorite. It isn't that I think there is anything wrong with the beers I already like, I'm just always open to having "new" favorites. When I peruse the shelves and see nothing interesting then it is always nice to "fall back" on a trusty old friend.

Well, it's my turn to bring the booze for the weekly wargaming night, so I hit the store this afternoon. In addition to the brew I picked out for this evening (Old Peculiar) I also picked up something new (to me at least.) Colonial Pub Pints come in four packs of draught cans, which I've grown to like immensely thanks to Boddington's and (especially) Belhaven's. I picked up their Brown Ale and headed home for a tasting.

When you open it, the first aroma that hits you is reminiscent of home brew...that's not entirely a good or bad thing...but it pours easily, with just the right amount of carbonation, by American standards at least. The color is just right for a Brown Ale, and after it is in the glass you can detect hints of toasted malt and caramel in the nose.

So far so good. In fact, I really got my hopes up. The packaging has prose playing up the English origins of the ale style and I thought for a brief moment that the brewers (from Minnesota) had actually made an English style Brown Ale.

No such luck. When you drink it you are hit by their very aggressive hopping. I know this isn't uncommon among American Style Brown Ales, but its all wrong for something selling itself as British inspired. It simply is too close in flavor to a Pale Ale for my tastes. If you want to make something that hoppy, why not stick with Pale Ale, so maybe an Extra Special Bitters? The beauty of a nice English Brown Ale is the toasty, nutty quality of the malt, where the hops add only a hint of bite.

Putting my disappointment side for the moment, I have to admit this is a pretty nice beer if you like American Brown. Despite the home brew smell at the outset, there is nothing of that in the finish. The only aftertaste is a slightly bitter hoppiness, that is actually quite pleasant. The ale holds up nicely as it warms as well. It actually mellows a little bit as it warms to a more English like serving temp.

I entitled this "A Lack of Conviction" because I fear the brewers had actually wanted to make an English style beer, but decided they didn't want to go against American expectations. Its a shame because the American habit of hopping every beer to within an inch of its life is getting kinda old. As is, this is a good beer and worth a pour. But it misses being a great beer by a very small margin.

Shitfuck

2008-07-09T18:27:00.005-06:00

Fuckshit.

IMW Adds:

I don't know...by this point isn't there a "death & taxes" finality about Mulder? The only thing more certain than an eventual Mulder breakdown is the inevitability of every rag-armed minor league lefthander being treated like Cy Young by Cardinals hitters.

It's A Home Run Or Nothing Here On Home Run Derby

2008-07-09T08:01:00.008-06:00

Paging the Nothing Party.

Joe Strauss:

PUJOLS IN DERBY?
Seven-time All-Star Albert Pujols says nobody has asked him, but he's ready, willing and able to participate in next week's Home Run Derby at All-Star Game festivities at Yankee Stadium.

In the Pantheon of Stupid MLB Ideas, the Home Run Derby deserves its own special wall - a long endless one.

Did you hear the one about the guy who died in the Pantheon?

He ran himself to death looking for a corner to shit in.*

*I hope we can all overlook the odd dangling preposition in a poop joke. Somehow, "he ran himself to death while searching for a corner in which to defecate" just didn't have the same ring to it.

Six One, Half Dozen The Other

2008-07-07T10:15:00.004-06:00

From the BBC:

New Zealand rugby fans watching a regular sports programme found themselves viewing hardcore pornography instead on Sunday afternoon.

Four minutes of pornography interrupted sports coverage on the Prime Television channel, after what a spokesman described as a distribution mix up.

Good thing it wasn't gay porn, otherwise no one may have noticed the difference.

Fucking Cubs...Again

2008-07-07T09:54:00.005-06:00

"Let me just drop trow and perform a little colon blow on all you baseball fans again."

Once again, MLB has fucked me over. I got to see Friday night's Cards/Cubs game on WGN and Sunday's on TBS (their broadcasts are a pleasure to watch compared to pretty much everything else out there). Of course, the lone victory in between was blocked out here on FOX so we could see the Yanks/Red Sox play for the 1,267th time in four years.

It is wonderful to see this Cardinal team playing so hard and winning some exciting games. Still, I'm growing weary of announcers who constantly extol the team's grit and determination for want of much else to praise. All in all, I'd happily return to the days of yore when they were slack-jawed at our offensive production and a staff that was piling up quality start after quality start. I think it is safe to say that one World Series title from a shitty division and post-season overachievers is the quota and we're more likely to get our next pennant and/or championship from teams of the 2000-2005 ilk. I'm afraid I don't see the horses on this team to pull it off. As one friend put it to me this morning: "Playing from behind at home against your arch rivals all Fourth of July weekend is a crime."

Oh well, I promised not to bitch about this club. It's hard to believe we're 10 over .500 and still within 4 games in the loss column a week ahead of the All-Star break. If we can manage to hang around within six or eight games until September when we have two series with the Cubs, this will be one helluva season.

¡Viva España!

2008-07-07T09:33:00.003-06:00

Spain wins Euro2008, Alejandro Valverde wins the opening stage of the Tour de France and Raphael Nadal takes the Wimbledon men's title. Not a bad week. Add paella and the fact that the women of Barcelona are among the most gorgeous, stylish creatures in the world and you have an embarrassment of riches.

Since Valverde is one of the favorites (4.5 to 1, I believe), I guess I wouldn't be betting against him standing on the podium in Paris on July 27th. In the meantime, I might also put a few bucks on Sergio García to win his first major at Royal Birkdale next Sunday.

Cautious Optimism

2008-06-26T09:22:00.004-06:00

I'm not holding my breath, especially since we won't be seeing these kids for a while, but it sounds like Weber may have a chance to get the "can't recruit" monkey off his back. ESPN is pretty high on his recruits from the Class o' 2009.

H/T to Chin-Chin for the link.

Euro2008 Predictions, Sort Of

2008-06-26T07:45:00.005-06:00

What the fuck do I know about soccer? Well, actually more than this Southlandish guy.

Time for a prediction for the last Euro2008 semi-final. Why not. I'm in a masochistic mood, having just returned from the Disney area of Orlando. In a moment of weakness, I agreed to accompany Mrs. Southlandish to a conference. There are five days of my life I'll never get back. The vile, venomous vitriol I spewed describing the area in e-mails, shocked even some of my hardened friends. The English language is bereft of words to describe just how much I loathe that fucking place.* A single day's experience at Epcot a dozen years ago was enough to tell me that Disney should be avoided at all costs and for 18-plus years I successfully dodged it. As hot, muggy shitholes go, it is worse than in my nightmares. The whole place looks like an architect eating Skittles puked on the plans and some genius declared, BUILD IT! Think of Houston and East St. Louis producing a Technicolor urban love child, minus their respective culture and style. Add $14 hamburgers and $15 martinis. Worst of all, the whole sweltering cesspool is teeming with humanity. The experience left me yearning for a holiday in the slums of Calcutta.**

A water view and penny a pint local grog, you say? I'll take it.
It's already better than the Disney crap heap where I last stayed.

OK, enough of that rant. On to the inevitably wrong predictions. Spain will bring the Russian train to a halt with a 2-1 win. With that established, I'm going to leap ahead and predict a Russian victory over the Germans on Sunday.

*It was appropriate that George Carlin died while I was in Orlando. In his honor, for 120 hours I failed to utter a single sentence that did not include a combination of his infamous seven words.

**Since I am so clearly a glass-half-full kind of guy, I'm always looking for silver linings. In this case, it is safe to say Mrs. Southlandish will not me requesting my presence at Orlando conferences in the near future. Mission Accomplished.

Blues Draft Review

2008-06-23T21:03:00.002-06:00

Well...in some ways it went as I expected. The Blues wound up taking one of the highly touted defensemen (and quite clearly the best one available at #4), and, as I had thought they might, the Blues took a goaltender with a second round pick. In neither case did the Blues get the player I would have preferred (I would have liked Bogosian over Pietrangelo, and Pickard over Allen), but I like the approach.

The Blues had three third round picks which they used on forwards, which makes a lot of sense for a franchise that is so set on the blueline. If one or more of them turn into useful pros, then the Blues will have something.

The one thing missing is that one winger with real goal scoring upside. Maybe this is something the Blues feel they can address in free agency (I doubt), or via the trade route (possibly.) A part of me was pained to see someone in our division pick up Filatov. If he pans out we may have a pain in the ass in Columbus for years to come.

Still, on balance the Blues did well. Picking up Mason from Nashville also fills a hole at backup goalie, which will be helpful. I was sort of sad to see long time Blues forward Jamal Mayers go in a trade...but we do have a surplus of 3rd line forwards. Jamal bled Blue, but we needed to go in a different direction.

Apropos Of A Crazy Euro2008 Match

2008-06-20T22:31:00.004-06:00

The BBC's That Mitchell & Webb Look is one of my favorites and I've been meaning to post a few videos lately so tonight's the night. Even Mrs. Southlandish stops what she is doing to laugh at these two:

And then, just because to me this is the best play-by-play duo since Statler and Waldorf:

Filatov

2008-06-20T12:34:00.004-06:00

Based upon my continued reading leading up to this NHL Entry Draft, I have to make a slight alteration in the GASL Draft Board for the Blues. I listed the probability of Nikita Filatov being around at #4 as 90%, but the more I read from him, the more it becomes clear that he really wants to play in the NHL. If NHL teams are sold on that, then the only issue that comes up with him is if he will ever fill out his skinny six foot frame to survive the rigors of North American hockey. Most scouts believe he will.

Given this, I will have to revise my estimate. This will also alter chance that a couple of other players on the GASL board would still be around.

The Changes:

#2) Zach Bogosian, RD: Was 15%. Now, make that 25%.
#3) Nikita Filatov, LW: Was 90%. Now, 50%.
#5) Alex Pietrangelo, RD: Was 90%. Now, 100%.
#6) Colin Wilson, C: Was 98%. Now, 100%.
#7) Drew Doughty, RD: Was 85%. Now 90%.

If the Blues don't decide to trade the pick, I increasingly get the feeling Doughty will get selected. This is reinforced by the rumors I hear that the Blues have been talking up Luke Schenn. That has the feel of trying to discourage teams in the Top Ten from attempting to trade up to #3.

How Do You Manage To Get Swept By This Royals Team?

2008-06-19T14:36:00.003-06:00

Yikes.

It's not over yet (its 4-1 KC in the 9th), but it might as well be.

Come back Albert.

Euro2008 Quarter Final Predictions

2008-06-19T07:42:00.005-06:00

I am as good at showing my ignorance as the next guy, usually better, in fact. So here goes:

Portugal v. Germany - For no good reason, I'm going with the upset. The Germans have been unimpressive and are bickering, but they will get it together enough to win a 2-1 squeaker.

Croatia v. Turkey - The Croats are too much for the Turks and will control possession for a 3-1 win.

Netherlands v. Russia - The Dutch have been brilliant. I missed yesterday's match against Sweden but read that the Russians were dominant. They'll need it. This could/should be the match to watch in the quarter-finals. In the end I think the Dutch will clip them in a 4-3 thriller. C'mon, a guy can dream, can't he?

Spain v. Italy - This one came to pass as I predicted last week, saying Italy would make it through to the semis. I'm not going to back off now, though the absence of Pirlo and Gattuso in the midfield more than gives me pause. Against by better judgment, I'll say a 1-1 draw with the Italians through on penalty kicks. At some point doesn't Luca Toni have to pick up at least a garbage goal in front of the net?

I see I have just predicted 16 goals that would set up a Germany v. Croatia rematch and Netherlands v. Italy. Talk about blind optimism ruling the day. I'll actually be rooting for Portugal and Spain make it through despite my predictions.

Encouraging

2008-06-16T22:42:00.003-06:00

This is not the sort of thing you read every day:

Now there's word that [Blues prospect Patrik] Berglund has arrived in St. Louis from Europe two weeks before the start of the Blues' development camp, which begins June 23 at Scottrade Center.

"He paid his own airfare, his own hotel ... that's telling me that he wants to play," said Davidson, who said Berglund is up nearly 15 pounds to 210. "If he has a good summer and really works, then he's got a chance.

So many times when the Blues drafted a European they showed little interest in making the transition to the North American game. It's refreshing to see a Blues European prospect who seems enthused about the possibilities.

Hopefully, this attitude will keep the guys from St. Louis Game Time from calling Berglund a pussy.

Drinking In The Pleasure That Is Euro2008

2008-06-16T07:20:00.003-06:00

The best looking blonde I've seen since perusing the crowd at Sweden's opener.

A mouth-watering rundown of the beers from participating Euro2008 countries.

World Cup Qualifier: US (Scads) - Barbados (Not A Sausage)

2008-06-15T17:02:00.002-06:00

Well, as predicted, there was not a lot to learn from playing Barbados. The US scored three in the first half and added five more after the break, while Barbados knocked the ball around a little bit with looks on their faces that said, "I sure hope I don't get hurt."

You couldn't even tell what we are doing with our midfield exactly because they moved Beasley around so much, playing him centrally from time to time. I think they were giving him a break as he's just coming back from injury, which makes sense. There is no reason to run your legs off against Barbados.

My man of the match would have been Michael Bradley.

Blues Draft Preview

2008-06-14T15:46:00.003-06:00

Alright, this is not much of a preview because, lets face it, I've no idea what the draft board for the Blues looks like. After all, do I look Finnish to you?

That being said, I see no reason why GASL shouldn't have a draft board of their own. Here is how I think the Blues draft board should set up from #1 to #10.

#1) Steven Stamkos, C - Unfortunately, the kid probably already has a Florida drivers licence. 0.00% chance he will be around at #4.

#2) Zach Bogosian, RD - Probably the best upside of the defensive prospects. Probably won't be around at #4. I'd say maybe a 15% chance he's still around.

#3) Nikita Filatov, LW - I'm betting this high potential forward is still around, but I doubt the Blues would take a chance on a Russian player however talented they are. 90% chance he's around at #4.

#4) Mikkel Boedker, LW - Oh, he will be there at #4, but will the Blues value another potential number 3 or 4 defenseman over offensive depth? 100% chance he will be around.

#5) Alex Pietrangelo, RD - The next best defenseman. 90% chance he's still around.

#6) Colin Wilson, C - I know the Blues don't really need another young center, but he's still aways from making the jump. He's got good size. 98% chance he's still around.

#7) Drew Doughty, RD - Ho hum. Another defensman some people like. (And the player the pessimist in me believes the Blues will actually draft.) 85% chance he's around at #4.

#8) Cody Hodgson, C - Two way center the Blues could draft and use as trade bait? 100% chance he will be around at #4.

#9) Joshua Bailey, C - Now, I'm just putting in guys because I don't want the guy I've listed at #10. Bailey is also more of a two way player. 100% Bailey is around at #4.

#10) Luke Schenn, RD - If the Blues select this player, who sounds like the next coming of Murray Baron, with the #4 pick, I will run screaming from the room. 100% chance he's still around at #4. If he falls to the Blues in the second round I will celebrate...but not at number four of the first.

I'll add, since there are no big name goaltending prospects around this year, the Blues would have a chance to get the best of this bunch with a later pick. As we went through goalies in this organization rather quickly this year, it might not be a bad idea to grab another with some potential. Thomas McCollum, Chris Carrozzi, Chet Pickard, or Dustin Tokarski (love the name) could be such an option.

Massive Celtic Comeback Promises Quick End To NBA Season

2008-06-13T08:28:00.001-06:00

We hope.

Did The Cards Take A Hostage?

2008-06-13T00:25:00.000-06:00

This is something I'd missed on the rundown of Cards' draft picks:

Shane Boras, 2B, Junipero Serra Catholic HS: Yup, he's the son of Scott Boras. I guess it can't hurt to have the devil's kid on the payroll, huh?

I can hear the threats now: "Give us a 'hometown' discount or the kid gets sent to the Quad Cities!"

Memo To ESPN: Keep Andy Gray

2008-06-12T12:31:00.003-06:00

I have loved listening to Andy Gray's commentary during Euro 2008. God knows, he doesn't have much to do during the summers while he's waiting to resume his duties for Sky Sports. So why not have him do some MLS?