Uruguay v. France, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

Result: Uruguay 0  France 0  Take Away: France dominated the run of play but Uruguay defended well

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and it has a brand new soccer stadium to match.  Not yet as iconic as the Sydney Opera House, but certainly a stunning venue with the backdrop of Table Mountain and Robben Island a short distance off shore.

From Wikipedia:

The fifteen-story structure of the stadium features curved walls and it is clad in a translucent fabric mesh made from woven fibreglass coated with Teflon, The filigree skin changes its appearance with the movement of the sun, appearing blue at noon, rose in the late afternoon and red at sunset. On stormy days, it can appear silver, grey or even pewter. The stadium also features 360 internal lamps, which lend a transparent gleaming appearance to the outer filigree skin, revealing its interior when switched on.

I think the stadium probably shone brighter than either team today.  It wasn't the most titillating of matches.  France's Franck Ribery, recently in the headlines for this, was the most dangerous player on the pitch.  However, the best chance of the match fell to Uruguay's Diego Floran who missed an opportunity to start a weekend party in Montevideo that might have been worth getting on a plane for.  In the 72nd minute Floran had a half-volley from 12 yards.  He struck it well but missed his target badly to the left and Uruguay's best chance was gone.  

Nine minutes later Los Charruas' Nicolas Lodeiro, who came on in the 63rd minute, was sent off by the Japanese referee for a vicious tackle on Bacary Sagna.  With Thierry Henry on as a substitute, France pushed forward but couldn't penetrate the South Americans' strong defense.  There minutes of extra time brought nothing more and the day ends with all four teams in Group A tied with one point.

South Africa and Uruguay will go to sleep tonight feeling good about their efforts and look forward to their match on Wednesday.  For Mexico and France there may not be panic, but there will be a great sense of urgency when they clash on Thursday.  A loser in that match will now find themselves in deep trouble.

South Africa v. Mexico, Soccer Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

Result: South Africa 1  Mexico 1  Take Away: A Fair Result

The tournament opened today with all the pomp and circumstance you would expect for the world's biggest sporting event.  And it opened in a beautiful new venue in Joburg in front of 83,548.

The hosts played as if the eyes of the world were upon them for the first thirty minutes--tentative and uncertain.  Mexico had the run of play and in the 37th minute Carlos Vela appeared to score the opener.  The South African keeper came out to play a corner swung in from his right but was beaten to the ball by a Mexican attacker who flicked on a simple header which Vela directed into the open goal.  The commentators Martin Tyler and Efan Ekoku noted the defender standing on the goal line and Ekoku was adamant the linesman had blown the call.*  In this case, it's better the announcers were wrong.  In misplaying the ball the keeper had gone past Vela, thus he did not have TWO defenders between him and the goal when the ball was played.  It was very close but the linesman got this one right.

*With the Ireland-France handball fiasco in World Cup qualifying, the horrendous officiating in the NBA Finals, the blown call in the recent (im)perfect baseball game, this would not be a good start.  Non-soccer fans and the media would have had a field day.

The game went to the half scoreless and it was clear Mexico had squandered multiple chances.  It wasn't long before they were punished for their indiscretion.  In the 55th minute the hosts strung together a nice series of passes and Teko Modise found Siphiwe Tshabalala behind the defense.  Tshabalala scored what will be one of the five best goals of the tournament, rifiling a shot from eight meters out from the left post into the upper right hand corner.  Commentator Tyler noted that Tshabalalalalala has the perfect name for the thousands of songs that are now going to be written about him.

Mexico had no choice but to go forward and in the 79th minute Rafael Marquez leveled the match.  He was left onside when the South African captain failed to move forward with his teammates.  Marquez took a cross, settled it beautifully and beat the keeper from 5 meters.  Over a few cervezas he will tell his teammates that he meant to beat the keeper on the right, the short side, and it was a majestic strike.  No doubt he took it well and in that situation if you basically avoid ripping it into the keeper you will get your just reward.  Marquez did that.  But both he and I know he meant differently.  He was a bit lucky and I'm sure he will thank the Almighty in his prayers tonight.

The country almost erupted as Bafana Bafana hit the post in the final minute, but the scoreline held and both sides left the pitch relieved.  South Africa kept the host nation's slate clean in World Cup openers, now 15-0-5, and Mexico recovered to get a point.  The South Africans will need to upgrade their level going forward, but played 25 very good minutes in the second half and were dangerous counter attacking.  El Tri will have to do better with the chances they got.  Their road to round two just got a little more diffiuclt.  France and Uruguay up next.

Copa Mundial and a Funny E-mail

So the biggest sporting event in the world starts tomorrow.  I'm a bit surprised the poll on the site is running so strongly pro-soccer.  It is difficult to convey the passion and frenzy that this event brings out in so many people in so many countries.  I'll preview and recap some of the matches for you, but will probably spend more time pointing you to articles that I found interesting and that convey this passion.

If you are looking for some background Fox Soccer Channel is running thirty minute shows called The Contenders which preview all the teams in the WC.  They are also running half-hour shows called 500 Greatest Goals and Football Rivalries--great shows to get you in the mood.

I fear the US may have a tough go this time around.  They have drawn well by being in a group with England (Saturday, 2:30), Slovenia (June 18, 10 am) and Algeria (June 23, 10 am), and they will be the second favorite to come out of Group C.  The team seems to be more dangerous on the attack than in years past with Jozy Altidore and Landon Donovan, proven world class players.  But, surprisingly, the US looks very vulnerable in the back, particularly in the center where Oguchi Onyewu has been very slow to recover from injury.  They will find out early, opening against England one of the pre-tournament favourites (like the spelling twist?).

I got an email from Fritter a Danish-born, US resident friend of mine who is particularly soccer-crazy.  I thought it was worth passing along.  It was sent by a British friend of his living in Boston.  The British guy emailed his American buddies:

As my American friends will be unaware there is a World Tournament taking place where ALL the World got to qualify(could not resist that to all you Baseball fans)

 So the good news is the USA qualified the bad new is they get to play England!!!  Given a number of you have tried to explain the finer points of baseball, American Footballetc it seems only fair that you should come round for a Footy match to the Brits house ( and Yes those British flags will up again!)

Venue:  153 Washington Street

Time:  2pm 

Purpose: Eat and Drink warm beer( will have some cold American ones there also) and watch a game of Footy uninterrupted by commerical breaks

As Fritter notes, "The funny thing is it was sent last Thursday morning and five people showed up at his house that afternoon looking for the game.....Can't make this up."

The lure of free booze is big in Boston.  Some will even suffer through a Football Match.

Pirates Draft Recap

Major League Baseball held its First Year Player Draft Monday-Wednesday.  The Pirates haul can pretty much be summed up by the following conversation:

--Who did the Pirates take in the draft?

--A righthander....

--Which one?

--All of them. 

The first two picks, Jameson Taillon (tie-own) and Stetson Allie are big, high-upside, hard-throwing high school righties.  Taillon is from Houston, Allie from Lakewood, Ohio.  They are each going to want a boatload to sign.  I'm guessing Taillon, picked #2 overall,  gets $7.5 million and skips out on Rice, while Allie, the 52nd pick, gets $2.5 - $4 million to forego his commitment to UNC.  Nine of the Pirates' first ten picks were righthanders.  OF Mel Rojas, Jr., taken in the third round, was the lone exception.

Now it's a question of getting guys signed.  The Pirates have spent more in the draft the past two years than any team in baseball.  That may be true again this year, but the strategy will have to be tweaked.  Last year they took Tony Sanchez fourth overall and were able to sign him for the suggested slot price of $2.4 million.  Saving money up front allowed them to spend well over slot for some tough-to-sign high school pitchers drafted in later rounds.  It was unconventional, but the early returns are very good.

With this year's top two picks likely to get around $10 million, roughly equal to the team's entire draft budget the past two years, less will be available for later round guys.  The Bucs will probably sign fewer draftees overall this year, but with so many young guys currently in the organization there are less rosters spots available in the minor league affiliates.  Look for the them to focus over quality or quantity, signing no more than 20-25 of their fifty picks.

Here are a couple quotes from draft experts:

They got the two pitchers with the best stuff in the draft in Taillon and Allie.  Those are the type of pitchers their system lacks, potential ace/closer guys.  I'm not the biggest Mel Rojas, Jr. fan, but I like a lot of their later arms too.----Jim Callis, Baseball America

Q: Do you have any thoughts on the Pirates drafting so many RHPs?  How many can you really fit into the organization?

I'm big on balance, so that's why the Pirates aren't at the very top of the list.  However, they've definitely latched on to the idea that successful organizations flood their systems with pitching and let time tell as to who will be the most successful.  I respect them for not buying into the left-handed pitcher hype, as if being left-handed with equal stuff makes someone better.  They got some impact arms, and when you combine that with 2 previous years of drafting arms, I think they're really building well.----Andy Seiler, MLB Bonus Baby and author of the 2010 MLB Draft Notebook

Praise has been effusive for the Pirates draft this year, but more than any other sport, the MLB Draft takes years to play out.  High schoolers can take four, five, six years to develop.  TINSTAAPP (There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect) is many talent evaluators' favorite saying for a reason.  So many things can go wrong with high school pitchers due to the difficulty of projecting physical development, maturity and the high risk of injury.  And it isn't just pitchers.  Neil Walker was the Pirates first round pick in 2004 is just getting his feet wet at the major league level at age 24.  No doubt the Pirates hope Taillon, Allie and some others are in Pittsburgh well before 2016, but there are no guarantees.  But again, the initial returns are favorable.

Made Marian

It took thirty-one years, but the last three have provided the drama.  In 2008 he was the Hired Gun.  The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired him from the Atlanta Thrashers to ride shotgun with Sid the Kid.  He had no choice in that one.  He was going to be a free agent at the end of the season and Atlanta knew he wouldn't re-sign.  They wanted to get a return and Ray Shero offered the best deal.  He did his part and Pittsburgh found itself in the Stanley Cup Finals.  They came up a few wins short losing in six games to the Detroit Red Wings.

In 2009 he was The Traitor.  The summer after his stint in Pittsburgh he was the prize of the free agent class, coveted by all.  He turned down an $80 million offer from the Edmonton Oilers.  He turned down an offer from his new team the Penguins.  He said he wanted a ring.  He signed his name on a one-year contract offered by the Cup holders, the Red Wings.  He felt Detroit gave him the best chance to have his name engraved on Lord Stanley's hardware.  He took $8 million instead of eighty.

Pittsburgh felt spurned--and more.  The players and front office people didn't say much but the fans were mad as hell, cursing his name.  But his logic appeared sound as Detroit cruised through the playoffs and again made the Cup Finals.  Then Fate and Irony had a laugh and the Wings drew the Penguins for the second year in a row.  It came down to a Seventh Game in Detroit.  It seemed like a sure thing.  Pittsburgh had managed but two goals in the first three games played at the Joe.  He would have his moment.  Quebecois Max Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury had a different agenda.  The Cup got raised in Detroit that year, but he had to watch.

Another off-season, another beauty contest.  The belle of the ball chose Chicago this time and did it with conviction.  He signed a 12-year deal worth $62.8 million.  He missed the first quarter of the season due to surgery on his shoulder, but when he returned he was again one of the best forwards in the game.  Chicago rolled through the playoffs and found themselves heavy favorites in the Finals against the surprising Philadelphia Flyers.  Third time's the charm right?  Chicago won a thriller in OT of Game Six and took the series four games to two.   The Cup will reside in the Windy City for the first time since 1961.

And sometime this summer his name will be engraved on the Stanley Cup.  This year he's Marian Hossa, Stanley Cup Champion.

Jose Tabata Discussing His Debut 6/9/2010

Certainly a good first impression.  

Be Amazed

You probably think this is going to be about Stephen Strasburg.  It's not, but he was amazing.  The story is covered in a million different locations so I won't even point you to a link.  For those living on a different planet (see below), Strasburg is a twenty-one year old professional baseball pitcher who made his major league debut last night with the Washington Nationals.  My team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, was his foil.  Tinfoil.  Strasburg pitched seven innings, gave up four hits, two runs, walked none and struck out fourteen.  That line score doesn't even do justice to the incredibly dominating performance he authored. Here are two quotes:

"It was the best pitched game I've ever seen"--Washington Nationals teammate Adam Dunn

Just for the record, Dunn's played in 1,348 games

"It was one of the most amazing nights I've spent in a major league ballpark and I've covered baseball for thirty years."--Tim Kurkjian, ESPN

So there you have it.  He was amazing.  That isn't the point of this post.  I want you to look at one or both of these videos.  It shows the size of our planet relative to other planets, stars, etc.  The first is 4:34 long, but has the benefit of some music.  The second is 1:34, so if you pressed for time maybe that's the answer.

Stephen Hawking (if you click on that link and you're interested in space and science you will definitely kill your next hour, just tellin' ya) recently posited that many other societies most likely existed, but once they figured out the equation e=mc^2 (squared), he guesses their shelf life is/was about 10,000 years.  He doesn't think we will survive the next 1,000 years unless we spread into space because there are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet.  Not to be an alarmist, but Albert Einstein sorted the equation out about 100 years ago.  Hawking's clock is ticking.

And how many Stephen Strasburg's do you think are out there?

(Please also check out the Get Involved post below.)