Nooduitgang!

 woohoo!
The US vs Ghana World Cup match set an American ratings record for ESPN and Univision. The match was seen by 14.9 million on ABC — an American record for the tournament — and an additional 4.5 million on Univision. Wow, those are staggering numbers.

Today's multi-cultureal adventure was a 300 yard (or is it meters?) walk down Hall 8 of the IBC to say hi to Fernando (El Presidente of LA) and Zach Hart(Mark Cuban's arch enemy)  working for Univision.

Seems like their work experience has been as busy as mine, this being the first day I had time to find them.  (editors note: the above photograph in no way represents an endorsement from the blog author or any of his family friends or pets!)

Show me the money!
Here in South Africa, the Rand is the common currency.  Currently trading about 7.5 to 1 for the US Dollar, it's always a suprise when dinner costs 150!   The rand or ZAR takes its name from the Witwatersrand (White-waters-ridge in), the ridge upon which Joburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. And I thought it was a tribute to my bro!
The acronym ZAR, comes from the Dutch Zuid-Afrikaanse rand. (South African Rand).  Going to the ATM, I withdraw 1000 at a time. Sheesh, makes me feel loaded... like my nephew William after a family-pounding game of Monopoly!


Spain's David Villa once again become the hero as the World #1 beat a fierce Portugal 1-0.  The over-paid, over-exposed, over-dramatic Cristiano Ronaldo failed to have an impact...again.

Earlier in the day, Parguay advanced to the Quaterfinals defeating Japan on Penalty kicks.
 
Now that we are down to the best 8 teams on the planet, the tournament now takes a few days off.Set your alarms for Friday the 2nd- 7aPT kickoff for Brazil and the Netherlands!

If the bus ever has an accident, I can always jump out of the Nooduitgang!

hmmmm, so many commments, so little time.


gottago!  my next adventure awaits-with a few days off from work, I ramble on to Capetown.
Please pardon the blog break. I promise I'll re-post in few days. Adios Amigos!

Joburg stats and Chicken Liver!

Bem-vindo a Joanesburgo!

yes, in honor of Brasil's 3-0 destruction of Chile, today's blog is written with a Portuguese accent! please listen closely.

I've yet to really experience the real Johannesburg, but here is what I know so far.  Population is about 10 million.. or just 7 million in Joburg proper...according to our driver, Marko (13 yr resident from Serbia) 8 million in the metro area, with another 6-ish million in Soweto.  However, it's impossible to get a true census there because the nature of a slum, with a constant flux of undocumented births, deaths, immigration and emigration.  Government population surveys are done with Statistical Inference Sampling, so there is no true answer.  In a nutshell, this place is huge.

On a surface level, this place feels a lot like Houston; mass suburban sprawl, too many freeways, lots of pollution, over abundance of strip-malls.  Every weekday, I look out at a layer of smog, part from industry, part from grass burning,( which is rampant and unregulated)and even more comes from small fires in and around homes for cooking, heating, etc.  I seriously fear for the health of my lungs. We will all need some major detox after this trip.

I asked Marko where the river is. His silent, quizzical look answered the question. Joburg is the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.  Built on the Gold and Diamond trade, the evidence of mining is everywhere. Each morning, we shuttle past these large hills that, at first look remind me of a garbage dump covered in soil with a few trees planted to give the appearance of a natural hill. Yet these are much larger and the trees are more mature.  These are mine dumps or slag, soil and rock that was taken from the earth and filtered to extract the gold.  Over 200 such dumps dot the Joburg skyline, some rising hundreds of feet and spreading 20-40 acres each.  Slowly, the dumps are being removed, as small amounts of gold, about a third of a gram to every ton of sand can be recovered. Once removed the site is made available as prime real estate.

Yesterday marked the return of Arjen Robben to the Dutch Starting 11. He wasted no time slicing around defenders and launching a deft touch off his left foot into the corner in the 18th minute.  As predicted the Netherlands passing game was more than Slovakia could handle in a 2-1 victory for the Orange.  Sneijder also scored off an extremely crafty assist by Kuyt before the Slovaks scored a too-little, too-late Penalty Kick.  The Netherlands face Brazil on Friday in the Quarterfinals.  oooooh!

Keeping with the aforemented theme of the day, Audio Mixer To The Stars, Chris Allan and I found ourselves at the local Portugese restaurant.  Ya know when you order something and you're not quite sure you will like it, but you want to be adventurous and try it anyway? Well, I couldn't remember if I had ever tried liver before, so I ordered Chef Fernandos Special Saland with grilled Chicken Livers and Chouriço sausage. At first bite, I knew exactly why I hadn't ordered any liver product in years!  Instantly, I was taken back to my first introduction to this horrible food. yep! still hate it! Thankfully,  I had avocado, vinegar and Grolsh to wash it down.  Please remind me to NEVER do that again.

Speaking of Portugal, Pretty Boy Ronaldo and friends take on mighty Spain today at 11aPT in a cross-border clash.  The early game has Japan and Paraguay at 6:3aPT.

as if I didn't get enough iron in my diet by way of that most disgusting barnyard bird organ!

London Calling and Caveman

  Guten Tag freunden! or as they say in the UK, 'Good Day'.

The drama continues. Will it ever stop?
 nah! it's fun when it happens to another team..and makes good fodder for blogs!!






 agian.....   HAHAHAHAHa
England got clobbered by Germany 4-1.

True, they got robbed on a Lampard non-goal that clearly crossed the line.  That is one Ref's Assistant that should lose his job. or maybe FIFA will consider a Video Review.  England Press our outraged! I'm not sure what you saw at home, but after further review, it looks like the ref was correct in not allowing a goal. (see photo) Rules state that the ball must completely cross the line!
In reality, it was futbol karma that bit the bewildered Brits in the behind.  In the '66 World Cup Final, England beat West Germany 4-2, the third Brit goal was eerily similar, bouncing off the underside of the crossbar, to the ground and out.   That one, however, did not cross the line, but the goal was allowed anyway.  I now break it down to Plato-nian Philosohpy: Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug!

Outside of that controversy, Deutschland was outstanding, running roughshod over a confused England defense in an offensive Blitzkreig.  That was good soccer.  Basically,  England played like the rusted, debilitated Jaguar XJ12 that sits under a blue tarp in my neighbors driveway. Contrarily, Germany played like a finely tuned BMW S1000RR superbike powering through the chicane at Laguna Seca raceway.

 So easy, even a caveman could do it!
scenes from Argentina's 3-1 destruction of Mexico.

Carlos 'Caveman' Tevez scored twice.  Afterward, Tevez was heard grunting "grrrrrr, I kick ball,  gnnnngggg, I score goal, grrrr". And a second shoutout to Coach Tom Lathrop of Westview High!

Meeting up with the Zampino siblings and ESPN's Rock of Production Managment, Jonathan Feder, here we enjoyed the buzz of Vuvuzelas from Block 531, row L.









Today brings match-ups of Netherlands vs Slovakia at 6:30aPT and then Brazil vs Chile at 11aPT.


I can't wait to see the passing of the Clockwork Orange and the samba-soccer of Brazil!

On another programming note. The Lion Whisperer story airs during our World Cup PrimeTime show, 2:30pPT.  This is an amazing tale of Kevin Richardson who walks among wild lions.  He wrestles, plays with and befriends a pride of lions. They accept him as one of their own.

Mutli-Ethic or Anthropologically challenged?
this hombre wears a German jersey, Mexican sombrero and roots for Argentina with his mates.

Attendance at Soccer City Stadium announced at 87,413, which did not include the 87,413 Photogs, writer, announcers and miscellaneous press.

This fella invented the VHMED, the Vuvu Harmonic Modification Extension Device, giving it the sound of an ancient Shofar,  or some horn from Lord of The Rings battle scenes!

Though always aware of my own musical ineptitude, I can't figure out why my vuvu didn't quite sound the same.

Can't Always Get What You Want.

well,well, that was big, fat, stinky bummer!  Ghana 2, US 1.

Paint It Black.

 Not much I can say about that one. We were defeated by a better, faster, stronger team.  Sadness settles upon the control room, living rooms and bars around the country.

Shattered.
This photo on the right was my view in IBC's HD Cinema. With all my colleagues working, I was the lone US fan in the room. Like most of you, my emotions were full of highs and lows, like riding bareback on Wild Horses.  Most of us are feeling a bit despondent today. After all this excitement, we are all in need of a little Emotional Rescue.

Can't Get No Satisfaction.
At least we were were beaten on one of the best goals of the tournament! Wow, as sad as it was, ya gotta admit, Asamoah Gyan's goal was outstanding.  Taking a ball out of the air, off his chest, then absorbing a strong shoulder charge from Carlos Bocanegra that would have knocked most stickers to the ground, Gyan held his composure and launched a light speed volley past Tim Howard and into the net, thus crushing the hopes of US Soccer geeks and bandwagoneers across the country.  Although very sad for us, the country of Ghana needed this. Africa needed this.
Coach Bradley commited his 19th Nervous coaching Breakdown, by starting Clark at center midfield, who gave up the ball, resulting in the first Ghana goal. Conceding early goals continues to be the Beast Of Burden for Bradley's boys.

Obama settles a bet (on USA-England) with a cold one: President Obama settled his World Cup debts at the G-20 summit -- Chicago style. Before the U.S. played England in the World Cup, the president and British Prime Minister David Cameron bet on the game, which ended in a 1-1 draw.  Obama gave Cameron a bottle of Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat Ale, which is brewed in Chicago. Cameron offered a bottle of Hobgoblin, which is made in a town in his constituency. "I advised him that in America we drink our beer cold," Obama said, drawing a laugh. "So he has to put this in the refrigerator before he drinks it, but I think he will find it outstanding. And I'm happy to give that (Hobglobin) a shot, although I will not drink it warm." Faced with a tie, the two leaders decided they would each pay off their side of the bet. The pair, who flew to Toronto for the summit in Obama's helicopter, traded beers Saturday following their first meeting since Cameron took office last month.

Start Me Up.
Mick Jaeger was on hand to cheer on our boys, but even his mojo didn't help.  But all is not lost.  Throughout this run, interest soccer in US has grown considerably. TV ratings have been outstanding.  I await the results of the seeds planted this month.  Makes me excited about 2014 in Brazil, gets my hopes up that MLS will attract more international stars and develop more great local talent, like US players with MLS experience; Howard, Donovan, Dempsey, etc.

I realize the bandwagon fans now depart, thanks for jumping on. But futbol junkies and true fans of sport worldwide will continue to experience the drama unfolding, nations uniting, the athleticism and teamwork that is the World Cup.


I'd like to wish Happy Birthday to my sweetie pie, Shelby! See you in a few weeks!

Play With Fire.
WAIT, it ain't over till the Octopus sings???  Lots more soccer soap opera to come!
Mexico challenges Argentina at 11:30aPT.  We are still waiting for Messi to unleash his frantic futbol funkiness.

Germany vs England today at 7aPT- Fish-n-chips vs Schnitzel. Mercedes vs Range Rover.  Scoprions vs Rolling Stones. This is will be interesting, lots of story lines here.  Drama on the field, riot police in the stands.  FIFA big cheese Sepp Blatter did not want this matchup. These two do not like each other- something about a war.

'Psychic' octopus predicts Germany victory over England

A "psychic" octopus is said by its aquarium owners to have predicted the country's football team will knock England out of the World Cup.

When consulted, Paul the octopus chose a mussel from a jar with the German flag on it ahead of one in a similar jar bearing the cross of St George.

Check tomorrow's blog, as this Midnight Rambler is going to tonight's Argentina/Mexico match. GO MESSI!!!

 After all the sadness, our US boys made us proud.  They played with class, showed great toughness, didn't fake any fouls and captured the hearts of the country.  Nice work dudes. Next up, Brazil, Aug 10 at the NEW Meadowlands Stadium.


Our US team may have lost, but the fans have not lost the spirit, as proven by Monkey Man and his 'Manscaping'.

TODAY US!

US vs Ghana THIS MORNING at 11a on ABC.
It took 2 years to weed 205 teams to 64. In the last 2 weeks 64 has become 16.  Today starts the knockout stage- lose and go home. Win and chase the dream of a nation.

As a proper, get-yoself-pumped-up tune, check this rockin ditty by Weezer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7nCt6vWOxQ
..a tribute to US Soccer, full of images from world cup qualifying games.  If this don't get ya pumped for the game, call a medic!
This is THE game. If you missed that last 3, Do not miss this one.  US has been here before, in Korea 2002. But this one seems much bigger. That one seemed a big surprise, this time around, the US is ranked 14 in the world. We should be here. We should win. We should advance. Expect it. It's gonna be rockin!!


To find a place to watch the game near you:
http://www.gousabid.com/page/event/search_simple?source=email&utm_source=full&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20100625

With a day off yesterday, Steadicam op, James Lytle, and I toured the Apartheid Museum.  A slap-in-my-face education with very sobering stories of oppression, segregation and, eventually, equality.  Obviously, the life of Nelson Mandela is the public face of this saga, but there are countless, thousands of others who gave life or family to help progress this nation to democracy.

Imagine civil unrest with these vehicles patrolling the streets.  kinda intimidating huh?  I was reminded that some of the key events in this story, happened a mere 15 years ago!!!  That is hard for me to comprehend, since our own country's battle with segregation ended a generation ago (although, too much racial inequality still exists). There is so much information displayed at the museum, it would take weeks to understand.  Yet, the one the lasting thought I have is: why didn't we know more about this tragic situation?  Maybe it was my own self-absorbed life struggling to pay rent or fix my car during the early 90's, but all I have is vague memories of news footage of protests and riots, then it seemed to fade away. With a new book in hand and the desire to engage more locals in conversation, I hope to understand this more. Stay tuned to this rambling blog and join me in my education. I have so much to learn.

As the evening cool descended on Joburg, we ventured to Mandela Square meeting up with Merideth and Joe Zampino, Shaw's Bro-n-Law and Sis-n-Law to watch Brazil/Portugal, who finished 1st and 2nd in Group G. Great to hang with friends and fellow travel adventurers. ...and thanks for the ride home. ...nice work driving the opposite way in a roundabout!


Also today, Uraguay and South Korea at 7aPT.

Yesterday, Spain beat Chile 1-0, both advance.


This is what brings the country together/ reactions to the US goal that sent us into the next round:
(it takes few moments to build up, keep watching, the country unites because of one game)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w&feature=popular
Today, it all takes place in Rustenburg ( I love that name). 

Hangin with 'Madiba' in Madela Square. I'm the one on the right... the short one.

As I was taking picts, some stranger invaded my 'personal bubble of space'.  Weary of pickpocketers, I backed off a bit, looked at the intruder, then a doubletake, and a triple-take. It was Alix! ESPN security dude from previous trips to Central America.  We caught up and reminisced about our not-so-close friend, Jorge.  I'll save that story for a longer blog.  In short, Jorge is a child porn ringleader, lying SOB and international dirtbag. Mi amigo Alix, is the exact opposite of that.




confusion on the Montego Bay menu- what in the wide, wide world of sports is 'Rocket'?

Merideth assisted in my cross culture culinary vocabulary- Rocket is simply another name for Arugula!

Old School Champs are done!

Bust A Move.
Apologies to the Leonardos, Cirellis and Fonzarellis, but Arivederci to the defending champions Italy.

 I have two words for the fake-diving DeRossi-  Karma sucks dude! (wait, how many words was that? I'm tired, can't count)
With a convincing 3-2 win Slovakia shocked the world and the Italians, who looked unorganized, confused and lethargic...kinda like the French team!  When you see an Italian anywhere in the world today, they may need a hug.

Fight for Your Right.
Slovakia and Paraguay advance from Group F. Italy finished last with 2 points. This is the first time both finalists from the previous cup (Italy/France) failed to advance to the knockout stages.
 Netherlands and Japan cleared Group E. The Dutch played pinball perfect passing to down Cameroon while Japan executed 2 of the best free kicks since my nephew Alexander  knocked over 6yr old during practice.

Get Down On it.
I wish we had a documentary of our ESPN set up. In terms of size, this is an unprecedented remote production combining over 200 crew from the states with 300 more from South Africa and around the globe.
My Producer, Amy Rosenfeld, says this is by far the biggest single event ESPN has broadcast.

It all starts with HBS, the host broadcaster, who produces each game in HD, including replays and natural sound.   ESPN and hundreds of broadcasters from around the world get a generic feed from each game, to which we add our Announcers and graphics.  HBS also offers all all camera angles available via a digital network. My job, along with Todd Kulis, Simon Fewing and Eric Valdez, is to Edit Halftime and Postgame hightlights as well as playback a gazillion video elements for SportsCenter and WorldCup Live. More details to come in future blogs.

Can't Touch This.
From our research dept- During the last 20 mins of  the US/Algeria game, volume on the trading floor of the NYSE was 33% lower than normal.

It was the highest-rated and most-watched soccer game in the history of ESPN networks, delivering a 4.6 rating. Adding the Univision US broadcast to the mix, the tally becomes 8.6 million viewers. whew!


from Larry Tiscornia at MLS headquarters "Amazing! The whole MLS office was at a bar with hundreds of other people.  When the goal happened, the insanity was almost overwhelming.  Greatest single moment in US Soccer history".
I hear ya brotha.  The question has already been asked: Where were you when Donovan scored?

NEXT US GAME IS SATURDAY at 11:30aPT vs Ghana.

Super Bowl Champ Reggie Bush at our studio today -He's a tight friend of Jozy Altidore. interviewed on our air..."That's why I like soccer. It's on a such a bigger scale that American Football..."




"uh, I was told there would be no math"
Ying Shi (our translator from '07 in Shanghai) brings this mindbender to the internet table.

Brazil : 1994 + 1970 = 3964
Argentina: 1986 + 1978 = 3964
Germany: 1990 + 1974 = 3964
Brazil: 1962 + 2002 = 3964
So this year's winner: 3964-2010=1954 (that year Germany won)
...OK, so Germany is supposed to win this year ;-)

It's Tricky.

I hope you are awake early today. Portugal challenges Brazil for top of Group G at 7aPT while Ivory Coast and N. Korea are pretty much eliminated.

"later', at 11:30aPT, Chile and Spain play for the top of Group H, But Switzerland and Honduras still have a chance to advance. Gonna be an interesting soap opera!

Things That Make You go Hmmm.

this from my buddy Andrew McConneville, who has also been scouring the country for new food!

YOU ES AYE !!!

"HOLY CRAP"!!
seems to be the most popular e-mail, text and tweet phrase thought, read or heard around the ESPN control room.
That was cussin amazing!  

"Mine goes to 11".
Did you hear us?  no? neither did I, it was probably too loud where you were also.  Our control exploded in cheer, like so many households, pubs and offices around the US, as Landon Donovan blasted home the biggest goal in US history.  Decibel levels reached unmeasurable numbers,  louder so across our intercom.

This was a game that showed the true grit of US soccer.  No, it was more than that. "We embody what Americans are about" reflected Donovan in an emotional interview just after the match.  True dat.  With too many chances being oh-so-close and another controversial goal disallowed, our boys fought valiantly to the end. Let this be a lesson to all athletes and competitors in any genre of life to never, NEVER give up.
Apparently that lesson was simultaneously being taught on the grass courts of Wimbledon as tennis players Nicolas Mahut and John Isner fought their way to a 59-all stalemate as dusk fell...after 10 hours of play. WOW! (to be continued today).
But, it still doesn't compare with the 9p-2am Bush Park tennis, where John Fergeson, Rich Cowan, the Cross Bros and this Stefan Edberg wanna-be challenged each other in the summer of '85.  Somehow, ESPN missed that one.

Tunz for the day come from producer Wayne Edwards who offers up Brooklyns Santigold, 'You'll Find A Way".  A perfectly appropriate theme for the US Men's National Soccer team.
http://www.myspace.com/santigold

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hdQzlwgCyz262rAiZ65z9tzgrD4wD9GH6SO81?index=0

AND, we win the group!!!!...ahead of England...HAHAHAHAhahaha.
first time since 1930 we've accomplished that!

England beats Slovenia 1-0 on Defoe's goal, Capella keeps his job.
The same cant' be said about General McChrystal.
British press are very relieved...(about their team, not our General)


Germany and Ghana advance out of Group D. Adios to Serbia and Australia- sorry, Socceroos, the refs didn't do you any favors this time around.   Bummer for my Aussie friends, Kieran, Pod and the gang. Hey, did I tell you I ran into Ken Suttcliffe at our hotel? good to see a familiar face. I worked with him at the Masters for 5 years with Autralia's Channel 9... and enjoyed some of their outstanding imported red wine.

Today has Group F at 7aPT- New Zealand vs Paraguay (leading the group with 4pts) and Slovakia (2pts) vs Italy (2pts).

Group E, at 11:30aPT) has Denmark (3pts) vs Japan (3pts) and Cameroon(1pt)/ Netherlands (6pts).

 


Did you know?
more tickets were sold in the US than Germany, France, Mexico and Brazil....combined. 

take that soccer haters!

next opponent for our boys, Ghana, who took second in Group B.  This is the team that knocked us out of World Cup 2006.  Remember the 'Phantom Foul"?

Yes, those are my feet.. and, yes, those are fish...eating my feet!
Last eve, this young American strolled over to the Little Italy casino, past a South African duo harmonizing something in French to a Thai restaurant/ massage bar.  (I'm suddenly feeling so counterfeit international). These harmless 'Nibble Fish" (Garra species) eat dead skin. It tickles at first, then, once you get over that fact that you may not have apendages below your knees anymore, you relax and it becomes quite soothing.


I know it's not quite as authentic as Gary and Vicki Erikson trekking through the real Thailand, but wow, my feet sure are pretty :)  I'm now ready for that Foot Modeling job. Ya think George Castanza needs a business partner?

big, BIG US soccer match TODAY

Today is it! do or die for US.  6:30a PT on ESPN US plays Algeria.  Simultaneously, England and Slovenia on ESPN2.

The simple low down -win and we are in!

The scenarios exponentially complicate the mind if a tie occurs. 

Group C looks like this:

If we tie and England wins, we are done, goin home.
If we tie and ENG/SLO tie, we are in, unless England score two or more goals. If goal difference and goals scored is tied, lots will be drawn. 
If we tie and England loses, we are in. If we lose, well, you know....


Also today, Group D- Ghana/Germany and Australia/Serbia at 11:30a PT






Look for the Stadium in Pretoria to be Packed with Red, White and Blue, as US fans have had a very strong showing at every game.  Sam's Army continues to show up en mass like paparazzi on a Lindsay Lohan sighting!
Rumors around the edit room are the Edson Buddle should start at Forward along with Altidore.  This should open up some creative scoring chances.  The stakes are enormous, HUGE, massive, elephantine, herculean and MUCHO GRANDE!!   Wahoo! bring it!

 Last night, I was able to pursue my investigation into the mysterious MonkeyGland sauce as Chris Allan and I took to the cobblestone-ish streets of fake Italy.  

After a culinary discussion with South African native, but current Toronto resident, Leonard Fisher, we learned that MonkeyGland isn't at all what you think.  It's actually a bit tangy balanced with a sweet fruit flavor. It tasted sublime atop my medium rare Ostrich Filet, which was a new one for me.  Much darker than I expected, almost venison-like, yet more tender. 


Meanwhile back in Group A, South Africa looked like they would waltz over decimated France, but a 2 -1 victory was not enough to get them through as Uraguay beat Mexico 1-0. Mexico and South Africa both have 4 points, but El Tri advances on goal differential. Sorry Bafana squared.  It was a nice run while it lasted.


Group B Has Argentina and South Korea advancing. So long to Greece and Nigeria- Gone Fishin!  Alex, can ya make me up a humorous photoshop thingy?

Part dos of last nights culinary excursion was being introduced to the Don Pedro!  sounds Spanish eh? not sure of it's origin, but it's darn tootin tasty.  A scrumptious combination of ICE CREAM and SCOTCH!  yes, Scotch. 2 of my favorite treats in one!  

Shelby?? Why haven't we had this???????????
Call your bro STAT!

(Mr Fewing), Simon Says: "We should have all been checked for our potassium levels when we started this show and then checked again at the end as all there is to eat here is bananas ....."








Stay tuned during the next few days, as I'll attempt to give y'all the scoop on what we do here and some information on the SA culture.



This confusing vocabulary from the office Water Cooler.   hmmmm

Fool In The Rain

Get The Led Out!
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was right, he predicted goals would flow. After a slow start and a 1-0 halftime score, the Too-Many-Magazine-Covered Ronaldo was looking like a fool in the Capetown rain.  But then, the levee broke, Portugal turned up the pressure pounding North Korea SEVEN to ZIP!   It had been a long time since he rock and rolled a goal (none in 2 yrs of qualifying), Ronaldo finally got one of his own, although he even laughed at how lame it was.  The so-called Peoples Republic of Korea must have forgot to defend the DMZ.  FIFA can now proclaim Portugal the eventual winner based on goal differential alone.  but let's play the rest of the games anyway!

Did y'all see David Villa's first goal for Spain last night as they beat Honduras 2-0?
One of the best individual goals I've seen since the Mighty McNary Celts' Mark Cross danced around  Saxon defenders as a freshman!
check it! (David not Mark )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JMG_JPOFm4

The Battle of Evermore.
Today begins the final round of group play, when 2 games are played from each group involving all four teams.
In group A, France and South Africa battle on ESPN2 while Mexico and Uraguay fight it out on ESPN, both at 7aPT.

MEX / URU winner will advance. France and South Africa need a win and lots o goals to advance on goal differential. Most everyone here is rooting for the underdog, South Africa.  A Bafana Bafana loss for the host would surely be a Heartbreaker.

Dazed and Confused.

French return to training after government intervention: France players returned to training today, ending their boycott in protest at the expulsion of Nicolas Anelka.  France coach Raymond Domenech described his players today as acting like imbeciles in protesting against Nicolas Anelka’s expulsion by refusing to train only two days before the match that decides their World Cup future.“I tried to convince them that what they were doing was an aberration, an imbecility, a stupidity without name,” Credit Agricole SA, one of France's largest banks, announced today that it was suspending its sponsorship of the French team in the midst of the scandal. And although  fellow sponsor adidas said it would continue its support as long as the team remained in the World Cup tournament, the team practiced today in plain blue kits, with only the manufacturer's label visible. French sports minister tells team: “You have tarnished France’s image" but urges they "give it all you have, fight for it" today.  Sounds like a Communication Breakdown to me!

 Dancing Days are here again!

Crashing as often as Windows ME,  Coffee 2.0 (nescafe) has been upraded.  We are now running Coffee 3.2.  It has been scanned for virusses and ready for immediate consumption. yep,  I smuggled a pound of Human Bean Organic from Coffee People at PDX as I departed. Susie from Libero graphics: "that coffee is clutch" .





In the 11:30a games of Group B, Argentina takes on Greece on ESPN, while Nigeria  could be first team in WC history to advance out of group play after starting 0-2; would need to win and have Greece lose to Argentina and they can spoil South Korea's chances - ESPN2.   These matches take place Over the Hills and Far Away in Polokwane (farming community) and Durban, (the South Beach of SA). More drama guaranteed, sure to be Good Times, Bad Times.

From the back bench in one of our Houses of the Holy (aka Control Room A), Shaun Coy is ready for today!
Nice work on the graphics SC!
by the way, SportsCenter totally stole your initials. 




 The Song Remains The Same.
 North Korea watches live as its team loses big North Korea picked the wrong moment to allow its people to see a bit more of the outside world. The authoritarian regime was so proud of its soccer team in the World Cup that it allowed an unprecedented live broadcast back home of the match against Portugal - a rarity for the communist nation that normally exerts strict control over the media. What ensued was a different sort of history: North Koreans, used to seeing only positive news about their reclusive country, watched as their soccer team received the worst drubbing so far in this year's tournament and was prevented from advancing to the next round. As the 7-0 loss to Portugal concluded, the North Koreans quickly halted Monday's coverage. "The Portuguese won the game and now have four points," the Korean Central Broadcasting commentator said. "We are ending our live broadcast now." It then cut to factory workers and engineers praising North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
 I know it's What Is, but it's really What Should Never Be. Come on Lil' Kim, lighten up baby!

Before I Ramble On....,
seen in our local Deli, not even sure what it is, but I'm intrigued. stay tuned as I must try this oddity.













yes, Fool in the Rain is my all time fave Led Zep song. what's yours?

Super Samba Sunday

cookies before futbol!
a HUGE shout out, thank you, gratzi hugs, danke, obregado, gracias, high fives, meri and exploding fist bumps to Jen Brown for baking us the best ever home made chocolate chip cookies!   and equal thanks to Merideth and company for  terrific trans-Atlantic Tupperware transportation.  Among all the new food here, it's wonderful to have a taste of home.

Once again, I was fortunate enough to be done with work at a most opportunistic time where I could walk 1/2 mile to Soccer City Stadium to catch Ivory Coast taking on Brazil.  Great game, despite obvious double handballs by Fabiano on his second goal and a ridiculous red card on Kaka for not doing anything.  At the game, we could not see the infraction.  I watched all the slo-mo replays this morning, it's clear that Keita was not looking where he was running, bumped into Kaka, then fell down holding his face.  That's cussin wrong! As Bob Ley says " Keita receives a minor blow to the chest and experiences grievous pain in his face".
regardless, it was still amazing to watch 5 time World Champion Brazil play their jogo bonita, score some great goals in front of more than 90,000 soccer nuts. Brazil advances to next round.  Wish my Bros were there with me!

also met up with Larett and Co again! check it-

http://seanl2010worldcup.blogspot.com/

Yesterday's surprise came from the Kiwi's with an upset tie vs the cheating Italians. DeRossi apparently ran into a mysterious invisible blockade, fell over, cried and got the penalty.  dude, that is lame.  a disgrace to soccer.  They got lucky, but New Zealand considers it win vs the reigning champs, each gaining 1 point.

Today has Portugal vs North Korea 4:30aPT ESPN  (ooops, it just started). Portugal’s Ronaldo: “Goals will come, today, tomorrow or in a few years” It's raining in Capetown. That combined with the Jubalani ball could create some interesting goals.

Chile/ Switzerland at 7a PT.  ESPN
Spain takes on Honduras at 11:30a PT on ESPN.

Trouble in the France camp.
After dispute on field, French team refuses to train: French players walked away from a training session today in a show of support of Nicolas Anelka, who was kicked off the team and sent home for insulting coach Raymond Domenech. The France coach read a statement by the players in which they explained they had decided not to train to protest the decision to send the striker home. The players, saying they were "unanimously against the French Football Federation’s decision to expel Nicolas Anelka". Video footage we air yesterday clearly showed arguments during training.
France fiasco also cautionary tale for England (New York Times):  Franck Ribery is leading an unofficial investigation to find out who spilled to the news media the details of Nicolas Anelka’s outburst at France Coach Raymond Domenech.

and the drama is not only for France:
ENGLAND TEAM MEETING: Capello refuses to let players speak (The Mirror): Fabio Capello stunned England’s reeling players by gagging them at what was supposed to be a clear-the-air meeting. He had been expected to allow his squad to have their say over Friday’s dismal performance against Algeria, which left a group of nine seeking widespread changes. But instead the England coach told players they could not voice their opinions on what was wrong. “Everyone had gone to the meeting expecting to be able to have a frank chat about what could be done to put things right,” said a source close to the team. “But Fabio made it plain straight away that was not going to happen. He stood up at the front of the room and made it clear to the players he would not tolerate any debate. He just stood there and said ‘nobody speak, nobody speak’.
oy! like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives.

here's a taste of last night:

Queen Esther created our toll rate sheet in response to the crowd of people that seem to congregate in our room, while we are working.
so far we have made over 20 Rand!
We put a yellow line on the floor to indicate our boundary. Yesterday, it even stopped Jurgen Klinsman from entering our zone!