For any sports gambling aficionados (or stock market junkies) out there who happen to venture by the site, a very good friend of mine from college has just started MLBcharts.com (although he also covers the NBA, NHL, NCAA, and soccer therein.) Basically, he’s been applying stock market valuation principles to sports gambling, with positive results (for him, anyway — a few March Madness games notwithstanding, I’ve been watching his success from afar.) At any rate, go check it out!
Category: Soccer
The Win Done Ghana.
Well, that’s that, then. Ghana knocks the US out of the Cup with a 2-1 victory that may have hinged partly on a questionable PK. (Being in research mode, I didn’t see the game — Still, it seems like a lot of the games this Cup have swung on bad calls, and we needed a win, not a tie, regardless.) Oh well, there’s always 2010, I guess. At any rate, congrats to Ghana on getting through, and here’s hoping the Togo Sparrow Hawks can play spoiler to France tomorrow…
Czech yourself, soccer fans.
Ugh. And I thought Miami’s performance last night was bad: America’s hopes for this Cup pretty much wither away entirely after an egregious 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic this morning. The US now must beat — or maybe tie — Italy this Saturday to have any chance of moving on to the second round…It’s not looking good.
Joga Bonito, trabalho feio.
As if the Dallas-Miami NBA Finals (ok, I was way off) weren’t sports bliss enough ’round these parts, the 2006 World Cup has begun, with host Germany defeating Costa Rica 4-2 and Ecuador besting Poland 2-0 on Day 1. Alas, since I have to maximize my research time while I’m briefly back in the 202, and since the Manuscript Reading Room of the Library of Congress aggravatingly keeps bankers’ hours (and charge $0.20 a photocopy, but that’s a whole ‘nother rant), it looks like I’ll be missing much of the first round. But I promise to make it up on the back end.
Red Bull gives you Wingers.
In a happy collusion of one of my favorite sports and one of my favorite drinks, the New York Metrostars are now Red Bull New York. Mmm, Red Bull. I’m not usually one for blatant corporate sponsorship, but I think I may have to buy some RBNY paraphernalia close to immediately. Now if only we can get Guinness to buy the Revolution…
E is for Football.
The groups for World Cup 2006 are drawn, and while there’s no “Group of Death” this time around, the USA will face some tough competition in Group E: Ghana, the Czech Republic, and Italy. Update: Salon‘s Andrew O’Hehir sees trouble ahead for the USA.
Sixth and Rising.
In happier news, the US qualifies for the 2006 World Cup with a 2-0 victory over archrival Mexico.
Offsides.
Iraq’s Olympic soccer team ask to be removed from Bush re-election ads. “‘My problems are not with the American people,’ says Iraqi soccer coach Adnan Hamad. ‘They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything.'” Sorry, y’all…it’s just that Dubya has very little to fall back on these days. It’s not like he can campaign on his domestic record.
Bend it like Baker, Pertwee, and Davison.
Word is BBC’s new Dr. Who will face David Beckham and a handful of other celebrities when the Autons take over Madame Tussaud’s in the forthcoming new series. I hadn’t heard that Christopher Eccleston has been confirmed as the ninth Doctor before, either. That’s not bad, although he’d probably have made a better Master.
Bend it like Adu.
In something of a coup, MLS signs 14-year-old Freddy Adu, widely considered to be a potential soccer superstar, to a six-year deal. (Dallas had the first pick, but he’ll play for DC United, the closest team to his MD home.) Suddenly, LeBron seems like the old guy in the club.