Friday, June 13, 2014

Everybody Was...

The 2010 World Cup final pitted two of the world's most skilled and dynamic teams...in a match that was among the most desultory in the history of the championship.

The Netherlands' thuggery was personified by Nigel de Jong's brutal foul on Spain's brilliant Xabi Alonso. The only thing worse than the cleat-first heart massage was the fact that it only drew a yellow card.



I'm a sucker for the Oranje, so I'm planning to forget all about that unfortunate series of events this afternoon when the same teams meet at 3:00 EST in their Group B opener in Salvador. The match marks the first time in history that finals opponents meet in the group stage in the subsequent Cup.

Hup, Holland, Hup!

50 comments:

zman said...

Shlaras NY Times link in the last post was an interesting read. I've been rocking Lavers for almost twenty years and zfather has been wearing (not rocking) Nylites for over fifty years. zpeople are very ahead of the curve.

zman said...

I assume "the Oranje" is a euphemism for some deviant act involving Teej and OJ.

Clarence said...

TJ, OJ, and Rusty Staub in a Syracuse bar. Drinking vodka and Orangina.

T.J. said...

Carrot Top was there as well.

rob said...

john boehner and george hamilton were sharing a table in the back.

rob said...

i believe today's match is at 4:00 est, rather than 3. having a bit of a rough go with time zones.

Catpell said...

my schedule says three for today's game. i don't know how you can root for the netherlands after the last final. they played beyond ugly.

Clarence said...

Shut up, Catherine.

Mark said...

It's a 3 pm start. Pretty excited that we get this match followed by England-Italy tomorrow.

Mark said...

I just remembered that I watched the first half of the Spain-Netherlands game with Greg and his batshit crazy girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend).

rob said...

the 2010 final was bizarro netherlands. they're so much better and more fluid than they played in that match. pretty sure it was fixed.

rob said...

'course, i listened to that match on the radio on the drive back to virginia from cape cod, so all i have to base my opinion on is tommy smyth's growing shock and displeasure with holland's play.

Mark said...

You're spot on. That's what was so disappointing. Not the thuggery but who was committing it.

rob said...

yep. that match had the potential to be soccer at its best. instead, the netherlands tried to drag spain into a pub league brawl. they deserved to lose.

Whitney said...

If only they'd had Ned Nederlander.

Or some purple passion.

Shlara said...

The NYT takes on fraternities today:

Numerous studies show that members of Greek organizations drink more heavily than other students, and alcohol abuse is strongly tied to other forms of misconduct. But in interviews at multiple campuses, fraternity members said that their reputations had been tainted by the bad acts of others.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/13/education/fraternities-are-focus-of-measures-to-reduce-assaults-and-misconduct.html?emc=edit_th_20140613&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=59612748

zman said...

Neadlehead Ned?!?

zman said...

Isn't facilitating underage drinking the whole point of joining a fraternity? And avoiding the commute from Dillard.

Mark said...

Interesting kit choices from Spain and Holland. Can't I say I recall ever seeing the Dutch in dark blue.

Mark said...

So...this game is pretty great.

rob said...

oranje crush!

Mark said...

Not anymore. This is embarrassing. Terrible defense and even worse goal keeping for Spain. Wow.

rob said...

casillas isn't having his finest moment, for sure.

Dave said...

good call, rob! netherlands looks like they want it. the problem could be that the spanish team is forbidden to have sex during the cup.

also interesting . . . a 3-1 soccer game is sort of boring, but once it becomes 5-1 it gets more interesting . . . the announcer just called it a "demolition."

rob said...

at 4-1, the announcer said, 'spain's embarrassment is complete'. lord knows what 5-1 means.

rob said...

and did dave just break out the hoary 'they want it more' chestnut. for shame, dave. for shame.

Mark said...

I thought it was Mexico that was forbidden from sex during the World Cup.

Holland's runs and finishing in the box were, at times, brilliant today.

rob said...

indeed - they sent teasing, penetrating balls into the box the entire second half. ecstasy ensued for the dutch partisans.

zman said...

Tease the balls. Penetrate the box. Hoary chestnut. rob's writing a bodice ripper today.

Dave said...

not "they want it more." they want "it." sex. with hot dutch women . . . or dutch prostitutes. either way. you need to re-read my world cup preview from 2010.

rob said...

terrible job by me. carry on, dave.

Mark said...

Nobody's watching hockey?

Mark said...

I did not see this coming from Costa Rica.

rob said...

that header was sick. incredible skill.

Mark said...

All three Costa Rican goals were different forms of brilliance. One hell of a performance.

zman said...

I bought a new vacuum today. I wanted a particular Panasonic because it was a Consumer Reports best buy. The salesman tried to convince me to get the Miele equivalent that cost more than twice as much. Part of his pitch was "it's built like a tank." He jumped up and down on it and said "I'd never do that with a Panasonic, it would break." I replied "I don't want anyone to jump on my vacuum, I just need to suck up dirt and cat hair. Gimme the Panasonic." He was deflated.

TR said...

Cote d'Ivoire is a big fan of wearing rash shirts as jerseys.

Dave said...

that salesman wants it!

go italy

rob said...

put my daughter to bed, settle in to watch some soccer. five minutes later she's screaming at the top of her lungs. she shifted in bed to get comfortable and whacked the back of her head on her bedside table. now we're in the emergency room getting surgical staples in her melon. good times.

TR said...

I just realized that Tim Wright, a kid who went to my high school and Rutgers, had 54 catches and 5 TDs for the Bucs last year. Bad job by me.

Sorry for the ER trip, Rob. Never a good time.

Mark said...

So this is the high scoring World Cup featuring sick headers? I strongly approve.

TR said...

I always loved Drogba, even though I hated Chelsea. Good to see his entrance make an impact.

TR said...

Sayanara Japan! Mark's comment was prophetic.

Mark said...

Tim Wright came on very strong late last year. He's in store for a big sophomore season. I'm a fan.

Rob- eek. Sorry. Japan-Ivory Coast isn't exciting at all.

rob said...

kid just told us she wanted to turn the game on, without my prompting. just in time to see drogba come on. proud dad moment.

TR said...

So the England team medic who got carted off? He was celebrating their goal and jumped. He landed on a water bottle and dislocated his ankle. The hospital reset it but he's out for the rest of the World Cup.

zman said...

Was it Martin Gramatica?

rob said...

hello, gheorghies. back from the hospital for a nightcap. that kid owes me a couple of beers.

Mark said...

Bill Gramatica is the Gramtica who tore his ACL celebrating. Sorry to be "well actually" guy but I can't let Bucs hate stand.

zman said...

According to LeBron, "history is made to be broken." This is why athletes shouldn't be role models.