This is the moment. This is the country. This is destiny. Brazil has waited since 1950 for the chance to win the World Cup on home soil.
(insert record player scratch here.)
Loud cheers erupted throughout the IBC as the German TV employees celebrated. The video feeds we have from Munich, Hannover and Berlin are scenes of dancing Germans, sounds of joyous polka, hands raised with steins of Bitburger Pils. It's a fun night in Marienplatz! Germany finished the game with seven goals on 14 shots. Compare that to the one goal the Germans scored on 13 shots against the United States in the group stage.
Music of The Day.
If I were home, I'd go my garage, find my box of LPs, dig out the John Mayall records and show Brazil how to break the blues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-fD9fD61kA
What went wrong? Everything. It wasn't just that Brazil missed Neymar and Silva. They were missing their Samba Mojo. Every pass was a stride behind. Defenders were standing around like an after-shcool dance in Jr High. There was no offense. Big Phil had no answers. They were just slow, like setting your phonograph to 33 when playing a 45. This tied their worst loss ever. Collectively, all Brazilians are saying Fahrvergnuugen!
You can take that record of love songs and snap it over your knee, just like you did breaking up with what's-her-face at the end of 8th grade!
With that German hailstorm of goals on the field, the Brazilians looked to the Savior for comfort. Here in Rio, another storm storm rolled through yesterday. It hit our IBC first with a roar of giant drops an the metal roof. It usually lets up within 5 mins. Not this time. It may have lasted 20 before settling in to a regular rhythm. Then the storm rolled over up the beach to the Host Set. There, it decided to stick around a while. With water flowing near power cables and a lightning strike within a 100 meters of the set. Amy and the Production team calmly transitioned everyone into a contingency plan. The set was cleared, plans were made for us at the IBC to to possibly produce the entire halftime show. Somewhere along the road, each of us have been through something like this before. No time for chaos, just get to work. Make sure we have all the elements, stand by to have an announcer host the show from here. Stand by to play back all elements. As it turned out, the Host set were able to cover one segment. We covered another. crisis averted. It continued to pour into the evening. So much so that the rain could be heard over the microphones at the Host Set during post-game discussion.
Picts of the Host Set and Control Room. This is where a lot of the magic happens.
nope, you won't see me here. If you watch the live shots, you can sometimes see TK, David or Shaun. Fluff and Valdez are kept in padded rooms just out of sight. It's just safer that way.
hey Logan, what wax are you spinning today?
On Tap Today
This lines up to be another epic clash. It seems the Dutch are reclaiming the Clockwork Orange days of old. Just need a championship to seal the deal. This game is another test of a true team vs one outstanding player. Yesterday, we saw how that experiment went. Messi may be the best player on the planet at the moment, but today, he will only get by with a little help from his friends. In the game vs Belgium, I overheard the Argentine announcer describe the play. It went like this ; "Messi,..Messi, Messi, Messi.....Messi, Messi, messi, MESSI!" that won't work today. Futebol is the ultimate team sport. You can't win without teamwork. If there is a weak link, the opposition will break you down and find it.
The Dutch Angle
I'm rooting for The Netherlands (Jeremy, I'm even sporting my Ajax jersey today.) I like the Dutch style of play better. Their fans are absolutely gonzo! They have a much better color scheme. Plus, I'm petitioning to become half dutch. Esther of Orange can sponsor me. Here's why: http://www.oranjetrophy.nl/2014/route.php
This group of Dutch has travelled 80 days and 26.5 thousand kilometers through 14 countries in a caravan of SUVs, VW busses, BMW Sedans, KTM & BMW Adventure bikes. I want to join! They shipped their vehicles to NY (New Amsterdam to them), then drove to LA, down the Baja coast, ferried across to the Mexican Mainland, down through Central America and along the West Coast through Peru and Chile where they hung a left through the Argentine mountains and deserts to the coastal city of Salvador. It was worth the trip, they immediately witnessed the Dutch Brothers devour defending champion Spain 5-1. I hear they are making plans for Russia in 2018. hmmm, this would give a good excuse to get another motorcycle.
Another little Tantalizing Trivia Tidbit: the dutch Queen is actually Argentinian! yep. Queen Maxima was born in Buenos Aires. Married prince Willem-Alexander in 2002 and became Queen last year, becoming he first Dutch Queen consort since 1890.
Sugar Rush. Our local runner, Thiago, brought in some local tastiness the other day. Have you ever had a Brigadeiro? um, wow! It's a traditional Brazilian dessert for birthday parties. Made from a base of condensed milk and cocoa. Reg calls it chocolate crack wrapped around chocolate crack! true dat.
Dailey Dopple Doublegåangér
Second best player in the history of soccer dopples nicely with anther historic a-hole.
The nation of Brazil is still in tears. The night was a lot less chaotic than I would have expected after such a devastating loss. I think they are too stunned to fathom what just happened. The nasty weather also may have played a part, keeping people indoors and off the streets. whew! When teams lose big games, they usually step back, re-evaluate, make a plan and rebuild. Example A: look at what Mexico has gone through in the last 2 years. For Brazil, time to hit the reset button. Clean the slate. Search for the kids that dream bigger. Find the players that want it more. Build the team that mixes style with substance. I suggest they start by going to Radio Shack to buy a new needle for the record player.
get out and live outside the box !
(need to work on that myself)
God Bless,
~Uncle Crusty
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