Been meaning to write this for a while now...
I believe Crank Dat by Soulja Boy was first played at the UGA-Ole Miss game- the players really dug it, and among others Thomas Brown & Knowshon really got into it. I am sure that they were really digging that a current song that they liked was being played rather than the usual fare. I know this because when I was in charge of the sound system in Western Kentucky's Diddle arena in the late 90s and also tutored some dudes on the basketball team, they mentioned how lame the music was and how they wish there was better music for them to get hyped up to rather than the dated songs that seemed geared toward the much more conservative audience- as I hip hop head I commiserated with the situation and took it upon myself to upload some current tunes, and when I started playing them during warmups the players were mucho appreciado- I am guessing that something similar happened at UGA last fall with this tune.
Anyhow, they did it again at Troy, but then it really took off during the Auburn game when everyone was fully liquored up and totally hyped up for "the blackout", especially since Georgia had just stormed way ahead of Auburn and were basically putting a close battle against a huge rival out of reach- it was just after a TD as well as the break preceding the fourth quarter, and everyone went fucking nuts- the offense and the defense on the sidelines, and the special teams standing on the field waiting for the TV timeout to end so they could kickoff. It was more than your typical PA system song at a football game, and even CBS took notice- and participated:
Anyhow, the whole thing just blowed up for UGA, but this was also happening at other places across the country. Crank Dat was becoming a big time dance craze- it was silly and fun, and people enjoyed the superman part.
They played it at UCF when the Golden Knights hosted Texas, and the road team got their groove on. They even cranked the words over their PA system, which speaks to the point that I eventually am going to get around to making in a minute:
Wisconsin is never known as being hip, let alone hip hop, but even Badgers basketball coach Bo Ryan was getting into it:
And Patrick Ewing, Jr. was teaching Jerry Rice how to do it in front of thousands at Georgetown's march madness, where the words were also played:
"Kanu: good God, man, make your point- I'm falling asleep."
As often happens with the older, traditional masses, they sometimes don't understand what something from young, hip culture means. And I'm damm sure that UGA & UCF athletic administrators, nor Bo Ryan or Jerry Rice know just what the line "Superman dat ho!!!" {do not click through if you are easily offended} means as they do the most fun part of the dance.
My point: as soon as the Ned Flanders' of the world find out about this song lyric, they are going to go totally and completely apeshit and complain hard to anyone and anything involved in any promotion of this song whatsoever. And that is why, my friends, I do not think that it will ever be played in Sanford Stadium again. Whether you love it, hate it, or are ambivalent, I don't think it's coming back. Like "skeet, skeet, skeet" before it, in time people who were probably better off not knowing what it means will find out what it means.
Personally, I think it is hilarious when youth culture gets the establishment to celebrate something that otherwise it wouldn't touch with a 100 ft pole, it's ironic and funny and mischievous. It's similar to my eternal amusement at the Republicans using the song "Born In The USA" all these years when the meaning and message of the song are the exact opposite of what they think it is, although that is a little different than this situation. Wait till Bill "I Heart Ludacris and Jay-Z" O'Reilly gets a hold of this and calls for a boycott of UGA and Bo Ryan's resignation. It will be funny to laugh at the out-of-touch crowd if and when they figure it out and see that youth has been chuckling at their use of it all along.
On the other hand, it is probably a good thing if this doesn't get played in 2008 and beyond, because by next fall the fad will have passed, and there will be new hot hip hop songs and silly ass dance crazes, and we wouldn't want the repeat embarrassment of UGA playing "Who Let The Dogs Out?!?!!?!?" in Sanford a full year and two years after that fad was beyond played out, and everyone who wasn't a suburban housewife was rolling their eyes in embarrassment and thinking "why don't they just play the Macarena while they are at it?"
One thing is for sure. No matter what, no matter if there is the biggest backlash and outrage in the world against this song and its lyrics, they will still rock that shit down in Miami, because that's just how Da U rolls, playa:
Sebastian The Ibis: keepin' it gangsta fo life, bitches
*Footnote: despite 4 repetitions of the line "supersoak that ho", the artist himself denies any intended sexual meaning to his lyrics {fwiw, I don't give a shit either way}.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Cote D'Ivoire Isn't Camelot; It's Sir Mix-A-Lot
"Well, hello..."
Before Tuesday I already liked the Ivory Coast just fine- a French speaking African nation full of friendly people who are also soccer mad and have one of the best teams in all of Africa, including Arsenal players Kolo Toure, whom I love and Emmanuel Eboue, whom I tolerate. Hell everybody loved them after they were the feel good story at the 2006 World Cup when ESPN hired Bono to tell us how their qualification for their first ever World Cup led to a cease fire in their civil war.
Well now it's safe to say that I full-on *love* the Ivory Coast after learning of their recent and fervent celebration of the big round booty.
Good, better, best
It's called "Bobaraba" which literally means 'big bottom', and is a hit song and dance craze from 2007 that is still going strong. Even the Ivory Coast national soccer team were doing it during goal celebrations at this year's African Cup Of Nations, which seems rather a propos when you consider that the French word for 'goal' is 'but'.
Les Elephants dansent le bobaraba apres un but
It is a dance/celebration for both men and women, although of course the women are getting the
"There are women today with large bottoms who are embarrassed, so it's to say don't be ashamed - be comfortable"
Way better than the bookends on my bookshelf
Anyhow, here's the video:
I can't help but think that I'd really like to see Serena, in the catsuit, doing this dance.
{big time HT to DC Trojan and something called Twitter, which appears to be a sort of love child of blogging and instant messaging}
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
On A Partially Cloudy Night, In A Metro Area With Considerable Light Pollution, A Lunar Eclipse Looks Like...
... well nothing really.
{click on pics to enlarge}
Move along- nothing to see here.
It looked cool on the walk home as half of the moon was covered, but during the 50 minutes of total eclipse you couldn't see anything moon-wise, from the rooftop- it was as if the moon wasn't there.
No biggie, it's always cool up there in the evening, and I figured out the night setting on my sort of new camera, so I was able to take some pics during the couldn't even tell it was there total eclipse.
Enjoy.
Golden Gate Bridge
Bay Bridge and TransAmerica Building
An hour later, the moon is back like cooked crack
{click on pics to enlarge}
Move along- nothing to see here.
It looked cool on the walk home as half of the moon was covered, but during the 50 minutes of total eclipse you couldn't see anything moon-wise, from the rooftop- it was as if the moon wasn't there.
No biggie, it's always cool up there in the evening, and I figured out the night setting on my sort of new camera, so I was able to take some pics during the couldn't even tell it was there total eclipse.
Enjoy.
Golden Gate Bridge
Bay Bridge and TransAmerica Building
An hour later, the moon is back like cooked crack
AC Milan Beat Arsenal 0-0
Arsenal 0-0 AC Milan
That's quite a remarkable headline when you consider that:
1- AC Milan were outshot 17-8, out corner kicked 9-2, and outpossessed 57%-43%
2- Arsenal did not concede a road goal to Meelan
3- 0-0 means that Arsenal have a considerable advantage going to the San Siro in 2 weeks, as any scoring draw means that they will go through on the away goals rule {and hell, 0-0 gets them into extra time}, and if Arsenal can score a goal at the San Siro then Milan will have to score 2 to avoid elimination
Those three points above would make you think that Arsenal "won" this round 0-0. If you didn't watch the match that is.
Cesc and Rino enter The Matrix. "Whoa!"
Arsenal's youth, speed, and incessant work rate pressured Milan in the first half and never allowed them to get going, they were always under pressure, the kind they just do not see in Serie A. Arsenal particularly stifled Milan's extremely talented midfield and never gave them any space to do their thing or get into any sort of rhythm at all. Arsenal had the better of it even though no clear cut chances came of it. However, close to halftime, as you saw the Milan players really huffing and puffing and trying to catch their breath when the ball was out of play, you knew that the second half would be trouble for them.
And it was. Arsenal absolutely dominated the 2nd half, ran circles around Milan, and started creating great scoring chances one after the next after the next. It seemed only a matter of time, but Arsenal either had good shots right at the Milan reserve keeper {who looks exactly like George McFly} {also- Dida hurt his back while sitting on the bench last weekend- and had to be stretchered off from his own bench! How very Dida...} or they fell victim to the old Arsenal problem of trying to walk the ball into the net instead of shooting when a decent chance was available. To Milan's credit, they never panicked at the back when they were under siege, they were as cool, calm, and composed as you would expect them to be.
As the clock ticked down the fear became that AC Milan, after getting completely dominated for damn near the whole match, would sneak a crushing road goal from a set piece or a Kaka moment of brilliance- that would be sooooooo AC Milan. It didn't happen, and then Arsenal dominated the end of the game, only to see more shots right at McFly and then Adebayor to smash a header off the crossbar in the final minute of extra time.
How did this not go in? {nice grab Massimo Oddo}
Arsenal really would have deserved the goal that they so desperately seeked, such was their domination. They will have to settle with having the advantages described above going into the return leg in 2 weeks. A goal will would require conceding 2 to get knocked out, so hopefully they can score first. Of course, cagey old Meelan are the absolute masters of weathering storms and then beating opponents with a moment or two of brilliance, and taking their chances when they get them.
So AC Milan "won" 0-0 because they really should have been put to the sword tonight, but managed to survive and lived to fight another day: Tuesday March 4th to be exact.
Frustrated, nervous, and hopeful am I.
In other action:
Lyon 1-1 ManUtd
Manchester United got a late equalizer from Tevez in the 86th minute to get a draw in Lyon 1-1
Celtic 2-3 Barcelona
Barcelona came from behind twice to beat Celtic 3-2.
Fenerbache 3-2 Sevilla
Fenerbache got an 87th minute winner to beat Sevilla 3-2, but Sevilla's 2 road goals put them in a pretty good position: 1-0 or 2-1 at home and they are through.
Yesterday's results:
Liverpool 2-0 Inter Milan
I watched the first half on Slingbox and the 2nd half at the pub. Materrazzi was controversially sent off in the 30th minute after picking up his 2nd yellow card, each of which was fairly ticky tack and dubious and could have simply been given as free kicks. But sometimes you pay when you have the well earned reputation as one of the dirtiest players in world football, and here it came back to bite him in the ass. It almost seemed that the referee knew that he had fucked up, as he turned down at least 3 hand balls in the box by Inter- the first two were not intentional but PV4s, although not intentional either, was a move more likely to be witnessed on a volleyball court than a soccer field.
Even with a man advantage for 60 minutes Liverpool were pretty shit, squandering their chances, and it looked like Inter would escape with a 0-0 untilJohnny from Kobra Kai Dojo Dirk Kuyt got a lucky goal off a wicked deflection that left Inter keeper Julio Cesar no chance. Stevie G made it 2-0 at the death with a great goal that might have taken a deflection as well. I still think Inter will beat their ass in the San Siro and at least get to extra time if not win. One thing is sure for Inter- they cannot concede unless they plan on scoring at least 4.
Roma 2-1 Real Madrid
With the crucial road goal, Madrid will still be favored in the eyes of many to get it done at home and go through.
Schalke 04 1-0 FC Porto
Olympiakos 0-0 Chel$ea
Can Olympiakos nick a goal at Stamford Bridge and make it interesting, forcing Chel$ea to score 2?
Return legs are in two weeks, Tuesday March 4 and Wednesday March 5 and should be a great 2 days of knockout round CL footy as the field is narrowed to 8.
That's quite a remarkable headline when you consider that:
1- AC Milan were outshot 17-8, out corner kicked 9-2, and outpossessed 57%-43%
2- Arsenal did not concede a road goal to Meelan
3- 0-0 means that Arsenal have a considerable advantage going to the San Siro in 2 weeks, as any scoring draw means that they will go through on the away goals rule {and hell, 0-0 gets them into extra time}, and if Arsenal can score a goal at the San Siro then Milan will have to score 2 to avoid elimination
Those three points above would make you think that Arsenal "won" this round 0-0. If you didn't watch the match that is.
Cesc and Rino enter The Matrix. "Whoa!"
Arsenal's youth, speed, and incessant work rate pressured Milan in the first half and never allowed them to get going, they were always under pressure, the kind they just do not see in Serie A. Arsenal particularly stifled Milan's extremely talented midfield and never gave them any space to do their thing or get into any sort of rhythm at all. Arsenal had the better of it even though no clear cut chances came of it. However, close to halftime, as you saw the Milan players really huffing and puffing and trying to catch their breath when the ball was out of play, you knew that the second half would be trouble for them.
And it was. Arsenal absolutely dominated the 2nd half, ran circles around Milan, and started creating great scoring chances one after the next after the next. It seemed only a matter of time, but Arsenal either had good shots right at the Milan reserve keeper {who looks exactly like George McFly} {also- Dida hurt his back while sitting on the bench last weekend- and had to be stretchered off from his own bench! How very Dida...} or they fell victim to the old Arsenal problem of trying to walk the ball into the net instead of shooting when a decent chance was available. To Milan's credit, they never panicked at the back when they were under siege, they were as cool, calm, and composed as you would expect them to be.
As the clock ticked down the fear became that AC Milan, after getting completely dominated for damn near the whole match, would sneak a crushing road goal from a set piece or a Kaka moment of brilliance- that would be sooooooo AC Milan. It didn't happen, and then Arsenal dominated the end of the game, only to see more shots right at McFly and then Adebayor to smash a header off the crossbar in the final minute of extra time.
How did this not go in? {nice grab Massimo Oddo}
Arsenal really would have deserved the goal that they so desperately seeked, such was their domination. They will have to settle with having the advantages described above going into the return leg in 2 weeks. A goal will would require conceding 2 to get knocked out, so hopefully they can score first. Of course, cagey old Meelan are the absolute masters of weathering storms and then beating opponents with a moment or two of brilliance, and taking their chances when they get them.
So AC Milan "won" 0-0 because they really should have been put to the sword tonight, but managed to survive and lived to fight another day: Tuesday March 4th to be exact.
Frustrated, nervous, and hopeful am I.
In other action:
Lyon 1-1 ManUtd
Manchester United got a late equalizer from Tevez in the 86th minute to get a draw in Lyon 1-1
Celtic 2-3 Barcelona
Barcelona came from behind twice to beat Celtic 3-2.
Fenerbache 3-2 Sevilla
Fenerbache got an 87th minute winner to beat Sevilla 3-2, but Sevilla's 2 road goals put them in a pretty good position: 1-0 or 2-1 at home and they are through.
Yesterday's results:
Liverpool 2-0 Inter Milan
I watched the first half on Slingbox and the 2nd half at the pub. Materrazzi was controversially sent off in the 30th minute after picking up his 2nd yellow card, each of which was fairly ticky tack and dubious and could have simply been given as free kicks. But sometimes you pay when you have the well earned reputation as one of the dirtiest players in world football, and here it came back to bite him in the ass. It almost seemed that the referee knew that he had fucked up, as he turned down at least 3 hand balls in the box by Inter- the first two were not intentional but PV4s, although not intentional either, was a move more likely to be witnessed on a volleyball court than a soccer field.
Even with a man advantage for 60 minutes Liverpool were pretty shit, squandering their chances, and it looked like Inter would escape with a 0-0 until
Roma 2-1 Real Madrid
With the crucial road goal, Madrid will still be favored in the eyes of many to get it done at home and go through.
Schalke 04 1-0 FC Porto
Olympiakos 0-0 Chel$ea
Can Olympiakos nick a goal at Stamford Bridge and make it interesting, forcing Chel$ea to score 2?
Return legs are in two weeks, Tuesday March 4 and Wednesday March 5 and should be a great 2 days of knockout round CL footy as the field is narrowed to 8.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Happy Weekend
3 day weekend + 68 and sunny all three days = Big Sur.
I'm off to maybe the most beautiful place I have ever been. It's like freaking fantasyland down there.
"Tranquilo" doesn't even begin to cover it
That's Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park above. I'm also hoping to hit Point Lobos State Park and maybe even do Hearst Castle for the 2nd time.
Y'all have a great weekend, and be safe.
Laters.
I'm off to maybe the most beautiful place I have ever been. It's like freaking fantasyland down there.
"Tranquilo" doesn't even begin to cover it
That's Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park above. I'm also hoping to hit Point Lobos State Park and maybe even do Hearst Castle for the 2nd time.
Y'all have a great weekend, and be safe.
Laters.
Asskicking Doesn't Cover It. Trust Me.
Manchester United 4-0 Arsenal.
The most remarkable thing about this match, looking back on it, is that it finished only 4-0. It should have been 4 or 5 nil at halftime, and that was before Arsenal played the 2nd half a man down thanks to continually idiotic Emmanuel Eboue.
I'll write more thoughts on this later, but for now this is all you need to know: Darren Fletcher scored. Twice. That pretty much says it all, doesn't it? Is there anything more indicative of a total and complete annihilation than Darren Fletcher scoring two goals? I suppose there is one thing: a Darren Fletcher hattrick.
Congrats to ManUtd, a well deserved thrashing.
For Arsenal, fuck it: one less thing to worry about, and now they can concentrate on the EPL first and CL second.
More later- it's way too nice outside for me to be in here typing. Laters.
The most remarkable thing about this match, looking back on it, is that it finished only 4-0. It should have been 4 or 5 nil at halftime, and that was before Arsenal played the 2nd half a man down thanks to continually idiotic Emmanuel Eboue.
I'll write more thoughts on this later, but for now this is all you need to know: Darren Fletcher scored. Twice. That pretty much says it all, doesn't it? Is there anything more indicative of a total and complete annihilation than Darren Fletcher scoring two goals? I suppose there is one thing: a Darren Fletcher hattrick.
Congrats to ManUtd, a well deserved thrashing.
For Arsenal, fuck it: one less thing to worry about, and now they can concentrate on the EPL first and CL second.
More later- it's way too nice outside for me to be in here typing. Laters.
Who Said The Romance Of The FA Cup Was Dead?
Liverpool 1-2 Barnsley.
With 10 of the remaining 16 teams going into today NOT from the Premiership, it was already the year of the underdog in the FA Cup, a throwback to the olden days before the money of the modern game put such famous upsets on the endangered species list.
Well apparently Liverpool were not content with their 4th Round performance, where they drew semi pro Havant & Waterlooville at home, then managed to fall behind not once but twice, 0-1, and 1-2, before sorting themselves out and winning 4-2. Today they hosted Barnsley, a mid-table team in the division below the EPL. And they topped their performance in round 4 against the semi-pros by coming from 1-0 up to not only stare down the prospet of an embarrassing replay at Barnsley, but going ahead and getting knocked out by a 92nd minute winner by Barnsley. At Anfield. Wow.
In the final 8 there will be a maximum of 4 premiership teams, so the little guys still have a chance to get to Wemberley. The best thing for them would be for the ManUtd-Arsenal winner to draw Chel$ea in the next round.
With 10 of the remaining 16 teams going into today NOT from the Premiership, it was already the year of the underdog in the FA Cup, a throwback to the olden days before the money of the modern game put such famous upsets on the endangered species list.
Well apparently Liverpool were not content with their 4th Round performance, where they drew semi pro Havant & Waterlooville at home, then managed to fall behind not once but twice, 0-1, and 1-2, before sorting themselves out and winning 4-2. Today they hosted Barnsley, a mid-table team in the division below the EPL. And they topped their performance in round 4 against the semi-pros by coming from 1-0 up to not only stare down the prospet of an embarrassing replay at Barnsley, but going ahead and getting knocked out by a 92nd minute winner by Barnsley. At Anfield. Wow.
In the final 8 there will be a maximum of 4 premiership teams, so the little guys still have a chance to get to Wemberley. The best thing for them would be for the ManUtd-Arsenal winner to draw Chel$ea in the next round.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Feel Good Friday: Home Sweet Home Edition
Greetings from my apartment, where I have not been for the last 15 nights as the massive water damage to mi casa was repaired. Tonight has been like a first night in a new place all over again, putting furniture in place, unpacking, etc. I just got all of the electronics plugged back in, so I'm here to pay homage to how nice it feels to have a home again that you can just chill out in.
First thing that came to mind was of course The Crue {sucks that my keyboard doesn't have the two little thingies}, and I think that in the short history of this place I have yet to post a vid of a makeup wearing hair band, and that just cannot stand any longer:
Next up is Donovan Frankenreiter & Jack Johnson singing "I'm Headed Home":
Finally is the sing "Home" from Jack Johnson's most recent surf movie, A Brokedown Melody:
Suffice to say, I'm happy to be back in my place. All that's left is about 10 loads of wash, as everything in my closet adopted the sweet smell of mildew, finish putting everything back in place, and then set about trying to get 1/2 a months rent back from my landlord, which will be barrels of fun.
Wherever your home is, and whether you are at it or far away from it, have a wonderful weekend.
First thing that came to mind was of course The Crue {sucks that my keyboard doesn't have the two little thingies}, and I think that in the short history of this place I have yet to post a vid of a makeup wearing hair band, and that just cannot stand any longer:
Next up is Donovan Frankenreiter & Jack Johnson singing "I'm Headed Home":
Finally is the sing "Home" from Jack Johnson's most recent surf movie, A Brokedown Melody:
Suffice to say, I'm happy to be back in my place. All that's left is about 10 loads of wash, as everything in my closet adopted the sweet smell of mildew, finish putting everything back in place, and then set about trying to get 1/2 a months rent back from my landlord, which will be barrels of fun.
Wherever your home is, and whether you are at it or far away from it, have a wonderful weekend.
How Hard Will Arsene & Sir Alex Try Tomorrow?
FA Cup 5th Round {round of 32}
MANCHESTER UNITED-ARSENAL {Setanta, Sat 9 a.m. PST}
Bristol Rovers-Southampton
Carfiff City-Wolverhampton
Liverpool-Barnsley
Coventry-West Brom
Chel$ea-Huddersfield Town
Sheffield United-Middlesbrough
Preston North End-Portsmouth
Unlike seeded tournaments such as NCAA March Madness and tennis, in the FA Cup, after each round is completed, every surviving team is thrown back into the hat and a new draw is made for the following round {in each round the draw sees a match played at one team's ground, but if that match results in a draw then there is a "replay", or another match, at the other team's ground. If it is still tied after the replay, then it goes to extra time and then penalties to determine the winner}. As a result, you get shit like Manchester United-Arsenal in the 5th round {round of 32}, whereas in any seeded tournament they would be placed such that they could not possibly meet until damn near the end.
Is this good/bad/better/worse/fair/unfair? Dunno, but it is kind of exciting, cool, and quirky, and I kind of dig it. That is, until your fave team gets selected to play Man United at Old Trafford while Liverpool draw Barnsley at home and Chel$ea draw something called Huddersfield Town at home. Them's the breaks. But fuck it, if you are going to win a big competition then you are going to have to slay giants at some point, so bring it on I say.
Both teams are battling for the EPL title, with Arsenal 5 points ahead with 12 games remaining in the season. Even more pressing is that the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 is Tue/Wed. So as important, historical, prestigious as the FA Cup is, how much are Arsene and SAF going to try tomorrow? They both would love to win the FA Cup obviously, but that being said it still probably comes 3rd right about now for each team/manager, after the Champions League and Premiership title {in whatever order you prefer, but both are most likely more important than the FA Cup these days}.
So will Wenger rest Fabregas/Adebayor/Gallas/Hleb? Will he start Walcott & Bendtner? Will SAF rest some of his key players as well?
We'll have to wait to find out, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some key stars on both sides on the bench tomorrow, at least to begin with.
The winner tomorrow will have the spoils of victory and still have a great chance to win multiple titles this season, but they will also pick up some serious fixture congestion in the next two months, where the Premiership will be decided. The loser on the other hand, will be relieved of such additional fixtures and can focus on the Premiership Title race and the Champions League, which may be significant, especially in the race for the Premiership. Just look at money grubbing ManUtd, who during their 5 day break 2 weeks ago traveled to Dubai to play a match in exchange for 1 million pounds instead of resting their players before a set of midweek internationals. Their next two Premiership matches? A 1-1 draw at Tottenham where they scraped a point by scoring on the last kick of the match, and a 1-2 home defeat to local rivals Man Citeh. With Arsenal winning both weeks, just like that ManUtd went from tied on points and +5 on goal difference to 5 points behind and their goal difference eliminated. Was the whoring side trip to Dubai directly responsible? Of course not, but surely it played a part, and at this point of the season every bit of rest helps. Of course, that didn't stop ManUtd #2 Carlos Quieroz running his mouth to the press about how the midweek international schedule is unfair and was the direct cause of them losing to Citeh, nevermind that Citeh has a bunch of international players themselves and oh, yeah: you went to Dubai to pimp yourselves out for 1 million quid while everyone else was resting, you fucking douche.
Of course, if they draw tomorrow then there will be a replay at The Emirates next week, in which case it's rinse and repeat everything I just wrote.
MANCHESTER UNITED-ARSENAL {Setanta, Sat 9 a.m. PST}
Bristol Rovers-Southampton
Carfiff City-Wolverhampton
Liverpool-Barnsley
Coventry-West Brom
Chel$ea-Huddersfield Town
Sheffield United-Middlesbrough
Preston North End-Portsmouth
Unlike seeded tournaments such as NCAA March Madness and tennis, in the FA Cup, after each round is completed, every surviving team is thrown back into the hat and a new draw is made for the following round {in each round the draw sees a match played at one team's ground, but if that match results in a draw then there is a "replay", or another match, at the other team's ground. If it is still tied after the replay, then it goes to extra time and then penalties to determine the winner}. As a result, you get shit like Manchester United-Arsenal in the 5th round {round of 32}, whereas in any seeded tournament they would be placed such that they could not possibly meet until damn near the end.
Is this good/bad/better/worse/fair/unfair? Dunno, but it is kind of exciting, cool, and quirky, and I kind of dig it. That is, until your fave team gets selected to play Man United at Old Trafford while Liverpool draw Barnsley at home and Chel$ea draw something called Huddersfield Town at home. Them's the breaks. But fuck it, if you are going to win a big competition then you are going to have to slay giants at some point, so bring it on I say.
Both teams are battling for the EPL title, with Arsenal 5 points ahead with 12 games remaining in the season. Even more pressing is that the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 is Tue/Wed. So as important, historical, prestigious as the FA Cup is, how much are Arsene and SAF going to try tomorrow? They both would love to win the FA Cup obviously, but that being said it still probably comes 3rd right about now for each team/manager, after the Champions League and Premiership title {in whatever order you prefer, but both are most likely more important than the FA Cup these days}.
So will Wenger rest Fabregas/Adebayor/Gallas/Hleb? Will he start Walcott & Bendtner? Will SAF rest some of his key players as well?
We'll have to wait to find out, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some key stars on both sides on the bench tomorrow, at least to begin with.
The winner tomorrow will have the spoils of victory and still have a great chance to win multiple titles this season, but they will also pick up some serious fixture congestion in the next two months, where the Premiership will be decided. The loser on the other hand, will be relieved of such additional fixtures and can focus on the Premiership Title race and the Champions League, which may be significant, especially in the race for the Premiership. Just look at money grubbing ManUtd, who during their 5 day break 2 weeks ago traveled to Dubai to play a match in exchange for 1 million pounds instead of resting their players before a set of midweek internationals. Their next two Premiership matches? A 1-1 draw at Tottenham where they scraped a point by scoring on the last kick of the match, and a 1-2 home defeat to local rivals Man Citeh. With Arsenal winning both weeks, just like that ManUtd went from tied on points and +5 on goal difference to 5 points behind and their goal difference eliminated. Was the whoring side trip to Dubai directly responsible? Of course not, but surely it played a part, and at this point of the season every bit of rest helps. Of course, that didn't stop ManUtd #2 Carlos Quieroz running his mouth to the press about how the midweek international schedule is unfair and was the direct cause of them losing to Citeh, nevermind that Citeh has a bunch of international players themselves and oh, yeah: you went to Dubai to pimp yourselves out for 1 million quid while everyone else was resting, you fucking douche.
Of course, if they draw tomorrow then there will be a replay at The Emirates next week, in which case it's rinse and repeat everything I just wrote.
War Dance: Go See This Movie. Really.
I didn't get out of my test last night in time for the show, but I did get out in time to catch the late viewing of a movie that has been on my radar since it came out.
Trailer, short version
It's called War Dance and in addition to the dozens of other awards that it has already received, it is up for Best Documentary at next Sunday night's Academy Awards.
It is amazing, and amazingly well done. It is the simultaneously tragic and uplifting story of children from wartorn northern Uganda who are refugees in their own country and how the music and dance program at their school gives them a little bit of joy and hope in their otherwise extremely difficult lives. Another well needed reminder to us that when we as Americans think we have stresses and problems in life, 99% of us really have no comprehension of how insignificant those alleged stresses and problems are compared to people such as these.
Extended trailer with some scenes that were not in the movie
If Cry Freedom, The Constant Gardener, The Last King Of Scotland, Blood Diamond, et al. were up your alley at all, then you simply must see this. Bring tissue, or a long sleeve shirt at least {Brain, bring a roll of Brawny}.
Wardance Official Movie Site
www.wardance.org
Trailer, short version
It's called War Dance and in addition to the dozens of other awards that it has already received, it is up for Best Documentary at next Sunday night's Academy Awards.
It is amazing, and amazingly well done. It is the simultaneously tragic and uplifting story of children from wartorn northern Uganda who are refugees in their own country and how the music and dance program at their school gives them a little bit of joy and hope in their otherwise extremely difficult lives. Another well needed reminder to us that when we as Americans think we have stresses and problems in life, 99% of us really have no comprehension of how insignificant those alleged stresses and problems are compared to people such as these.
Extended trailer with some scenes that were not in the movie
If Cry Freedom, The Constant Gardener, The Last King Of Scotland, Blood Diamond, et al. were up your alley at all, then you simply must see this. Bring tissue, or a long sleeve shirt at least {Brain, bring a roll of Brawny}.
Wardance Official Movie Site
www.wardance.org
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentine's Day: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
My thoughts haven't changed about VD {or Valentine's Day, either...}, and I still highly recommend my advice to y'all from last year: Fuck Dr. Phil, this is worth a minute of your time for sure.
The Good
Perhaps my favorite band these days, Slightly Stoopid {if you liked Sublime: Sublime begat Long Beach Dub All Stars; LBAS begat Slightly Stoopid}, are opening their spring tour right here in SF. Tonight. Even better, a Santa Cruz stoner band still on the verge of blowin' up, The Expendables, are opening. They are great, and even more a propos, they have the most romantic stoner song of all time, "Bowl For Two". What better way to escape the bullshit of Valentine's Day than go see two awesome stoner bands in concert?
The Bad
Not only do I have Spanish class tonight, pero tengo un examen gigante esta noche. So no concert for me. Oh well, I'll see them again next time. Fuck.
The Ugly
My goofy ass. But I just remind myself that's just a testament to how much game I have ;)
I'll leave you with the only cool thing about Valentine's Day: Andre 3000's funky-ass, cupid impersonating take on it:
And remember, if you love someone, then fuck Valentine's Day- you should be doing random thoughtful sweet shit for them on May 12th, August 3rd, October 27th, and various other random and frequent times throughout the year, not on the 1 day that society reminds lazy men to do so, and Valentine's Day should be banished to its proper place: irrelevance.
The Good
Perhaps my favorite band these days, Slightly Stoopid {if you liked Sublime: Sublime begat Long Beach Dub All Stars; LBAS begat Slightly Stoopid}, are opening their spring tour right here in SF. Tonight. Even better, a Santa Cruz stoner band still on the verge of blowin' up, The Expendables, are opening. They are great, and even more a propos, they have the most romantic stoner song of all time, "Bowl For Two". What better way to escape the bullshit of Valentine's Day than go see two awesome stoner bands in concert?
The Bad
Not only do I have Spanish class tonight, pero tengo un examen gigante esta noche. So no concert for me. Oh well, I'll see them again next time. Fuck.
The Ugly
My goofy ass. But I just remind myself that's just a testament to how much game I have ;)
I'll leave you with the only cool thing about Valentine's Day: Andre 3000's funky-ass, cupid impersonating take on it:
And remember, if you love someone, then fuck Valentine's Day- you should be doing random thoughtful sweet shit for them on May 12th, August 3rd, October 27th, and various other random and frequent times throughout the year, not on the 1 day that society reminds lazy men to do so, and Valentine's Day should be banished to its proper place: irrelevance.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
African Cup Of Nations: The Goals And Celebrations
Some of the best goals, and celebrations, from The 2008 African Cup of Nations group stages, set to 'Mama Africa" by Senegalese Akon:
For me, Kalou's matchwinner against Nigeria (2:35 mark above) and the goal after it, Sulley Muntari's last minute gamewinner for Ghana in the opening match, and Zidan's brace in the first Egypt-Cameroon match are special, along with the ones from new Angolan sensation {and ManUtd target} Manucho.
Enjoy.
For me, Kalou's matchwinner against Nigeria (2:35 mark above) and the goal after it, Sulley Muntari's last minute gamewinner for Ghana in the opening match, and Zidan's brace in the first Egypt-Cameroon match are special, along with the ones from new Angolan sensation {and ManUtd target} Manucho.
Enjoy.
Pharoahs Are Champions Of Africa
African Cup Of Nations Final
Cameroon 0-1 Egypt. FT
Abou Tricka 76'
Egypt have just won their 6th ACN by defeating the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 1-0. It was a very exciting 0-0 for 75 minutes, with several good chances for each team, including Egypt hitting the post early in the second half, but then a pretty massive fuckup by Cameroon captain Rigobert Song allowed Egyptian sensation Mohammed Zidan to use his considerable skill to win the ball from Song and square it to Abou Trika who coolly slotted it home just inside the far post. Sad for R Song, who not only has a nice Bob Marley look going but who is the veteran rock of Cameroon's team- dude has not only played in 7 straight African Cup of Nations but played every minute of every match. This might be his swan song for the Indomitable Lions and what a shitty way to go out. Despite Song's error, Zidan did amazingly well to win the ball and toe poke it square to his teammate to set up the goal. And to top it off, he went all Vanilla Ice today with 2 lines shaved into his hair all around the edges and a giant "Z" shaved into either side of his head.
Egypt on the other hand are now back to back champions as well.
The "Smiling Assassin", coming soon to the big time stage...
Abou Trika was easily the man of the match, and not just because of the goal. Dude was everywhere, ran his socks off, and was dangerous every time he got the ball. Already known on the continent, this tournament surely vaulted him into the spotlight, if not of the world the certainly of the scouts of Europe. Currently playing for El Ahly of Egypt, I would be absolutely shocked if dude is not signed by a major European club in the summer. Certainly one to keep an eye on, and he seems to be a very good guy on and off the field.
Yesterday Ghana beat Ivory Coast 4-2, coming from 1-2 down. A predictable result really, Ghana had much more to play for, as they were the host nation and were motivated to put in a performance and win the bronze medals in front of their home crowd, while Ivory Coast were surely disappointed not to have completed their mid-tournament anointation {is that a word?} as the best team in Africa, and possibly the best African team of all time. Ghana will look back and think of what might have been had their captain Mensah not been suspended for their semifinal, causing Essien to have to play centreback, or their original captain Appiah not been injured for the whole tournament.
And Ivory Coast remain the most talented team in all of Africa but have not been able to translate it to titles. They will still be favored as the African team to do the most damage at World Cup 2010, and rightfully so, but there can not yet be any more talk of them being the best African team ever, as this bunch has not even yet managed and ACN. You still have to say that the golden generation of Nigeria, winners of the 1993 World Youth Championship, 1994 African Cup of Nations, 1994 World Cup round of 16, ,and 1996 Olympic Champions {first 'major" international title won by an African nation, were better based on results. And probably Cameroon as well, 1984 ACN champions, 1986 ACN runners up {PKs}, 1988 ACN champions, and revelation of World Cup 1990, where they became the first and only 1 of 2 {Senegal 2002} African teams to make the quarterfinals of a World Cup.
That being said, Ivory Coast have as good a chance as any African team in recent memory to make to the quarterfinals and beyond of World Cup 2010, and they'll also have the ACN in February 2010 to once again realize their full potential.
The World Cup is only 2 years away, and although host South Africa look pretty rubbish recently, it looks like the chances are good for African success on the home continent. Ivory Coast can compete with anyone and just need to put it all together, ditto for Ghana when they are at full strength, and Cameroon and Nigeria are perennially strong. And then there is Egypt: no longer can people dismiss their 2006 ACN triumph as a fortunate one-off aided by being contested on their home soil. They have proven that they are also an African force to be reckoned with.
A great tournament overall, with 97 goals in 32 matches- the most goals ever scored in this tournament. In 2 years the ACN will be played in Angola, and I believe will also serve as World Cup qualifying for Africa.
Cameroon 0-1 Egypt. FT
Abou Tricka 76'
Egypt have just won their 6th ACN by defeating the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 1-0. It was a very exciting 0-0 for 75 minutes, with several good chances for each team, including Egypt hitting the post early in the second half, but then a pretty massive fuckup by Cameroon captain Rigobert Song allowed Egyptian sensation Mohammed Zidan to use his considerable skill to win the ball from Song and square it to Abou Trika who coolly slotted it home just inside the far post. Sad for R Song, who not only has a nice Bob Marley look going but who is the veteran rock of Cameroon's team- dude has not only played in 7 straight African Cup of Nations but played every minute of every match. This might be his swan song for the Indomitable Lions and what a shitty way to go out. Despite Song's error, Zidan did amazingly well to win the ball and toe poke it square to his teammate to set up the goal. And to top it off, he went all Vanilla Ice today with 2 lines shaved into his hair all around the edges and a giant "Z" shaved into either side of his head.
Egypt on the other hand are now back to back champions as well.
The "Smiling Assassin", coming soon to the big time stage...
Abou Trika was easily the man of the match, and not just because of the goal. Dude was everywhere, ran his socks off, and was dangerous every time he got the ball. Already known on the continent, this tournament surely vaulted him into the spotlight, if not of the world the certainly of the scouts of Europe. Currently playing for El Ahly of Egypt, I would be absolutely shocked if dude is not signed by a major European club in the summer. Certainly one to keep an eye on, and he seems to be a very good guy on and off the field.
Yesterday Ghana beat Ivory Coast 4-2, coming from 1-2 down. A predictable result really, Ghana had much more to play for, as they were the host nation and were motivated to put in a performance and win the bronze medals in front of their home crowd, while Ivory Coast were surely disappointed not to have completed their mid-tournament anointation {is that a word?} as the best team in Africa, and possibly the best African team of all time. Ghana will look back and think of what might have been had their captain Mensah not been suspended for their semifinal, causing Essien to have to play centreback, or their original captain Appiah not been injured for the whole tournament.
And Ivory Coast remain the most talented team in all of Africa but have not been able to translate it to titles. They will still be favored as the African team to do the most damage at World Cup 2010, and rightfully so, but there can not yet be any more talk of them being the best African team ever, as this bunch has not even yet managed and ACN. You still have to say that the golden generation of Nigeria, winners of the 1993 World Youth Championship, 1994 African Cup of Nations, 1994 World Cup round of 16, ,and 1996 Olympic Champions {first 'major" international title won by an African nation, were better based on results. And probably Cameroon as well, 1984 ACN champions, 1986 ACN runners up {PKs}, 1988 ACN champions, and revelation of World Cup 1990, where they became the first and only 1 of 2 {Senegal 2002} African teams to make the quarterfinals of a World Cup.
That being said, Ivory Coast have as good a chance as any African team in recent memory to make to the quarterfinals and beyond of World Cup 2010, and they'll also have the ACN in February 2010 to once again realize their full potential.
The World Cup is only 2 years away, and although host South Africa look pretty rubbish recently, it looks like the chances are good for African success on the home continent. Ivory Coast can compete with anyone and just need to put it all together, ditto for Ghana when they are at full strength, and Cameroon and Nigeria are perennially strong. And then there is Egypt: no longer can people dismiss their 2006 ACN triumph as a fortunate one-off aided by being contested on their home soil. They have proven that they are also an African force to be reckoned with.
A great tournament overall, with 97 goals in 32 matches- the most goals ever scored in this tournament. In 2 years the ACN will be played in Angola, and I believe will also serve as World Cup qualifying for Africa.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Feel Good Friday: Cool Like Dat Edition
No special reason, just feeling the sweet 15 year old beat today.
I'm hoping to get my apartment back this weekend, I have been homeless for going on 9 nights as they repair the crazy water damage from two weeks ago. FC Red Stripes are back for the attack this weekend as well, as we kick off our new spring season. Other than that it is lots of chilling and taking it as it comes.
Have a great weekend whatever you get into.
I jazz like that, I freak like that, I zoom like that, I'm out, I'm out.
I'm hoping to get my apartment back this weekend, I have been homeless for going on 9 nights as they repair the crazy water damage from two weeks ago. FC Red Stripes are back for the attack this weekend as well, as we kick off our new spring season. Other than that it is lots of chilling and taking it as it comes.
Have a great weekend whatever you get into.
I jazz like that, I freak like that, I zoom like that, I'm out, I'm out.
I'm Going, Going Back, Back to Cali, Cali Derby, Derby...
Last year I did not travel to the Derby for the first time since 1998. I was hoping to go this year, but after running the numbers of all my vacations later this year {1 week in New England, 2 weeks in South America, 1 week in Arizona, and a long weekend in ATL}, and the fact that flights were frustratingly expensive, I ruled out Derby 134 about 2 weeks ago. Sucks, but hopefully next year.
So last night for shits & giggles I looked at airfare again, and lo and behold I found one that was much, much more affordable, so so I said "fuck it!" and booked it on the spot before I could change my mind.
So I am in for Derby 134, one of the coolest events there is and always a fun time. Solon and Tasso are already in, as well as our hosts Brain and The Hit. We also have our friend RJ losing his Derby virginity this year, and a few others may come through as well.
This will be my 10th Derby, a nice milestone as well.
Since first attending back in 1997, I am batting .400 on betting the winner, going 4 for 10 {had to work and totally missed 1998, and last year had the winner in an online account even though I didn't attend}. That is really good winning percentage, so the odds are that I shouldn't have another Derby winner for several years, but I guarantee I'll be trying my ass off to find the winner again this year.
Suffice to say I am jacked, because I had already written the possibility off. To celebrate I am reliving my 4 Derby winners.
1997: Silver Charm, 6-1
My first Derby, and we all got stuck in 35 degree weather in the infield with shorts and t shirts. Amidst all the standard flashing of tits in the 3rd turn, a beautiful bare ass was flashed right in front of my face, and I thought it might be a special day. $10 to win on Silver Charm, who was I think 3rd or 4th choice, and we managed to get over to the finish line on the infield and see him come home first in a super exciting finish. What a great first Derby- I was hooked.
2003: Funny Cide, 12-1
Empire Maker was damn near even money as a massive favorite, so I passed and eventually settled on Funny Cide, who seemed to offer the best value and maybe a chance to win at 12-1. It was sweet to get my 2nd winner, but I didn't cash in too large because I cast a wider net than usual with my variety of bets.
2004: Smarty Jones, 4-1
This was the first time that I really believed in and invested emotionally full-on in a horse. I was telling anyone who would listen that this horse was simply a freak who was going to do something special, and I actually believed it. This was by biggest and best win to date: I had $20 across the board on Smarty, and I also nailed the $1 trifecta for $486 with a partial wheel that successfully snagged Smarty Jones/Lion Heart/Imperialism. I think I layed $169 and cashed out $712. Euphoria followed by a round of juleps for all my mates. Still bitter that Stewart Elliott fucked up in the Belmont and blew Smary Jones' triple crown and shot at immortality, but this Derby was super special and I will always love Smarty- I would love to visit him one day.
2007: Street Sense, 9-5
I hate betting the favorite, but after analyzing the form over and over, this was the best horse by miles and I had to bet him because I didn't see anyone else beating him besides Curlin, who I didn't believe was quite ready. I had $10 across the board on him. One of the most amazing moves through traffic I have ever seen- having money on a horse and having him 19th place with 1/2 a mile to go, only to have him come back and win was a pretty exhilarating experience, and although I wasn't there, I was screaming at the top of my lungs in my apartment as they came down the stretch to the point that I think many of my neighbors were probably freaked out.
So 4 for 10 and 3 of the last 5- I can't wait to touch down in Louisville for an epic Derby 134 weekend. Added bonus is that my going should spur me to write a bit more about horse racing on the road to the Derby this year than I did last year.
So last night for shits & giggles I looked at airfare again, and lo and behold I found one that was much, much more affordable, so so I said "fuck it!" and booked it on the spot before I could change my mind.
So I am in for Derby 134, one of the coolest events there is and always a fun time. Solon and Tasso are already in, as well as our hosts Brain and The Hit. We also have our friend RJ losing his Derby virginity this year, and a few others may come through as well.
This will be my 10th Derby, a nice milestone as well.
Since first attending back in 1997, I am batting .400 on betting the winner, going 4 for 10 {had to work and totally missed 1998, and last year had the winner in an online account even though I didn't attend}. That is really good winning percentage, so the odds are that I shouldn't have another Derby winner for several years, but I guarantee I'll be trying my ass off to find the winner again this year.
Suffice to say I am jacked, because I had already written the possibility off. To celebrate I am reliving my 4 Derby winners.
1997: Silver Charm, 6-1
My first Derby, and we all got stuck in 35 degree weather in the infield with shorts and t shirts. Amidst all the standard flashing of tits in the 3rd turn, a beautiful bare ass was flashed right in front of my face, and I thought it might be a special day. $10 to win on Silver Charm, who was I think 3rd or 4th choice, and we managed to get over to the finish line on the infield and see him come home first in a super exciting finish. What a great first Derby- I was hooked.
2003: Funny Cide, 12-1
Empire Maker was damn near even money as a massive favorite, so I passed and eventually settled on Funny Cide, who seemed to offer the best value and maybe a chance to win at 12-1. It was sweet to get my 2nd winner, but I didn't cash in too large because I cast a wider net than usual with my variety of bets.
2004: Smarty Jones, 4-1
This was the first time that I really believed in and invested emotionally full-on in a horse. I was telling anyone who would listen that this horse was simply a freak who was going to do something special, and I actually believed it. This was by biggest and best win to date: I had $20 across the board on Smarty, and I also nailed the $1 trifecta for $486 with a partial wheel that successfully snagged Smarty Jones/Lion Heart/Imperialism. I think I layed $169 and cashed out $712. Euphoria followed by a round of juleps for all my mates. Still bitter that Stewart Elliott fucked up in the Belmont and blew Smary Jones' triple crown and shot at immortality, but this Derby was super special and I will always love Smarty- I would love to visit him one day.
2007: Street Sense, 9-5
I hate betting the favorite, but after analyzing the form over and over, this was the best horse by miles and I had to bet him because I didn't see anyone else beating him besides Curlin, who I didn't believe was quite ready. I had $10 across the board on him. One of the most amazing moves through traffic I have ever seen- having money on a horse and having him 19th place with 1/2 a mile to go, only to have him come back and win was a pretty exhilarating experience, and although I wasn't there, I was screaming at the top of my lungs in my apartment as they came down the stretch to the point that I think many of my neighbors were probably freaked out.
So 4 for 10 and 3 of the last 5- I can't wait to touch down in Louisville for an epic Derby 134 weekend. Added bonus is that my going should spur me to write a bit more about horse racing on the road to the Derby this year than I did last year.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Fun + Stress + Fun + Stress + Fun + Stress + Fun + Stress = Birthday Ski Weekend Review
Click pics in the post to enlarge.
For full pics of the weekend adventure, click here.
I did what stupid people do- went to Tahoe when there were pretty big storms forecast. But it was my birthday and damnit, I was going skiing. So skiing we went.
Fun
Friday rocked. I managed to score free coffee in the morning from Peets then free lunch from the sandwich shop, but the coolest was when I got up to my sister's pad in Sacramento. I chose Chick Fil A for my birthday dinner, as I wouldn't get to eat it on Sunday, it would be easy with the kids, and well, I love it. We get there and I casually strike up a conversation with the manager, who happened to take my order. It came out that it was my bday, and she said she would hook me up with a free brownie or something, which I said was not necessary. We talk some more, and long story short she was so jazzed that we were from GA and CFA addicts that by the end of our ordering she comped my entire meal. And Bonita's too. I told her not to but she insisted. Way cool. The only thing better than your every once in a while CFA, is your every once in a while CFA on the house.
In addition I got to have my favorite dessert of all time, Mud Pie, and play with my neice & nephew before bed. A great finish to a fun bday.
Stress
Left Sac at 6.30 a.m., knowing a storm was coming through Tahoe in the morning. I knew it would be a race to beat the storm and chain control up over the Donner Summit {7200 ft} on I-80, but I was hoping to get to Alpine Meadows by the time it opened at 9, or maybe 9.30 if I had to use the chains- it's about 90 miles and with clear roads takes 2 hours.
It took 4. As we rose out of Auburn, CA it started to snow and I kept checking the radio for the status of chain control- still clear but I had a feeling that we might not beat the storm. Then a little up the road when in the other direction I saw 2 SUVs rolled over onto their roofs with the windshields and back windows smashed out, and then a jackknifed 18 wheeler, I knew that playtime was over. Cue stress of frozen bridges, then mondo snow, and soon thereafter chain control.
I put the chains on in the ever faster falling snow, and 30 minutes later we were rolling. The road was pretty gnarly so max speed was 20-25, and we were still almost 30 miles from Donner Summit outside Truckee. Finally made it over and down to Truckee, and the roads were ok, so I took that chains off. But the the road from hwy 89 up to Alpine Meadows was all snowed over and was really tricky for me without chains, I had to go like 10-15 and it was still sketchy. Got to the parking lot at 10.30, a nice 4 hour 100 mile trip. It was snowing so hard and so windy that it was apparent that it would be a whiteout all day, so I decided to put the chains back on in the parking lot so that I wouldn't have to do it at the end of the day when I was tired, it was getting dark, and there was a foot of snow on the ground. Another 30 minutes and then getting tickets, getting ready, blah blah blah.
Fun
We got our first chairlift at 12:20 p.m., and it was windy and snowy as hell, but we paid our money and we were determined to ski our asses off until the lifts closed at 4. I have skied in worse whiteouts where you couldn't see 5 feet in front of you, and this wasn't quite that bad- you could just barely see what you were doing most of the time. But the winds were crazy- up to 50 mph, which made things tricky, especially at the top of lifts.
Still it was mondo fun. At the top of the Lakeview lift is the only view of Lake Tahoe from Alpine meadows, and it is a fine view at that. For the sake of comparison, check out the view from this spot that I took last March when I skied Alpine with my sister:
Alpine Meadows lake view, March 2007
OK, now here is the same exact view from Saturday:
Alpine Meadows lake view, Saturday
Anyways, we rocked the conditions with a good attitude and enjoyed the great snow which kept accumulating throughout the day, making the snow tip top when you could see what you were doing, which at times was tricky:
Stress
At the end of the ski day it had snowed over a foot, and the stress of driving once again reared it's ugly head. We had to go from Alpine down to Tahoe City and then over to Incline Village, where our hotel room was. It's about a 20 mile drive on 2 lane state roads. We were delayed about an hour as there was a multi-car accident on the access road getting down the mountain from Alpine. Finally we managed to get out of the parking lot, but even with the chains it was apparent that this was going to be a scary drive. The roads were atrocious, and between the blizzard snow coming down and it being pitch dark, I could barely see 10 feet in front of me even with the wipers on hyperspeed.
Although there were times that I was certain we wouldn't make it and I would end up crashed on the side of the road, we finally made it to the hotel in one piece. Driving the 20 miles took an hour and a half, and although I have had to drive in storms with chains several times, these were the worst road conditions I had ever driven in. By the time we got to the hotel I was frazzled and pretty fried, and just thankful to be there in one piece. One thing was for sure- we were in for the night- there was no way I was going back out on those roads in that storm.
Fun
Our hotel ruled. Great room, indoor heated pool, hot tub, and high speed wireless which proved invaluable as we finally found a place that would deliver us a pizza in the storm. All of the aforementioned things contributed to allow me to detox and enjoy the rest of the evening, although we crashed early from the exhaustion of the day.
Stress
We woke up to see that 1.5 to 2 feet of snow had fallen, and the driveway of our Inn was snowed in.
The parking lot, STFI: Snowed The Fuck In.
We thought we could take the shuttle to Diamond Peak, but then found out from the front desk that the shuttle was not running because it has snowed so much. After a while some dude just appeared with a tractor/front end loader/snowplow, and in time he cleared the driveway enough that we could attempt to get out and up the hill back to the main road. Eventually we did. A check of the roads in the morning revealed that I-80 was completely closed from Colfax, CA, over Donner Summit, through Truckee, all the way to the Nevada state line- over 70 miles of closed interstate- wow. I had never heard of it being closed that badly. We hoped that with the improving weather that they could clear the road during the day, and we would play leaving & the Super Bowl by ear.
Fun
It was only about 1 mile up to Diamond Peak from our hotel, and once we made it up through the snow and ice it was time to reap our reward for all the crazy road stress. It had snowed 2 feet of fresh powder, and we made it onto the hill by 10 a.m.
Should have taken this pic the 1st time up instead of the 5th or 6th
Even better, the summit chair was on delay, and so by the time it opened we got about the 30th chair. This means only one thing: fresh tracks. First run was epic, as well as tricky and challenging since I grew up on the icy east coast and although I had a few powder days out here since I moved, I had never skied in powder this deep. It was amazing, and super fun, and 10x more work and tiring for the legs- Quadbuster City, USA.
Battleborn trail, Diamond Peak, 3rd person
Diamondback trail, Diamond Peak, 3rd person
Crystal Ridge Trail, Diamond Peak, 1st person
Diamond Peak is renowned for it's amazing lake views, and although it was mostly cloudy we got a few glimpses of the lake. I'd like to ski there again on a clear, sunny day for the million dollar view.
Even on a 'meh' weather day, the view is pretty amazing
We skied the shit out of it until about 2, then broke for a snack/lunch and realized that our legs were so toast that we should pack up and take off, and try to beat the afternoon storm, especially since we found out that I-80 was once again open going back from Truckee with no chain control. If all went well we could get back to my sister's in Sacramento in time for the 2nd half of the Super Bowl, and we could listen to the 1st half on the radio.
Stress
The mountain road back down from Alpine was totally clear, so I took the chains off since it is a smaller road than the state road through town. Oops. The state road was covered in snow, so I pulled into a shopping center and put them on again. Another 30 minutes, and a return to top speed of 20 mph while trying just to stay on the road.
Past Kings Beach the roads were again clear, and the radio said no more chain control in Truckee or on I-80, so I stopped and took the chains back off. Back up to 50-60 and hoping to beat the roads icing back up as it started to get dark.
Made it to Truckee and I-80 and started out of town through some rain and roads that were wet but appeared to be on the verge of freezing back over. On the lower slopes of the climb, it started to snow like a mother, and soon thereafter the cars in front of started to swerve and lose control a bit. Another mile and I knew from my own comfort level that it was time for the chains yet again.
I pulled over and by now it was snowing like crazy. By the time I got the 1st chain on, CalTrans had setup chain control behind me about 300 yards down the road. By the time I got both chains on, it had snowed an inch in about 20 minutes. Shit- a mondo snow squall that just got worse and worse.
Long story short, it took 4 hours to get from Truckee to my sister's house in Sacramento{again, 90 miles}. It was so hairy and stress mode that listening to the 1st half on the radio was not an option, and by the time we got there the game was over. I was disappointed to have missed it, but much more relieved and thankful that we made it back in one piece, and ditto for my car. Side note- never in my life have I been so happy and relieved to drive into a town named Auburn in my life.
I watched all the highlight shows and felt better that I didn't have to watch that shit live as it unraveled {if that ever happened to Georgia in a National Title game I'm sure that lots of shit would get smashed by yours truly}.
Too exhausted, dirty, and tired to go all the way back home, so we stayed and came back to SF early Monday morning, only to find out that 2 skiers from SF were missing and were last seen at Alpine Meadows on Saturday late morning- thankfully they were found Monday morning. Pretty freaky, as we were there. Also, that there was an avalanche on the access road to Alpine Meadows that we had just been on the evening before and the resort we skied at on Saturday was closed down on Sunday.
Overall the nuttiest storm/road conditions I have ever dealt with, and I had my share of Tahoe chain control war stories going in. It might be enough to turn me into a Ski Princess like my sister, who no longer fucks with the storms and will only go up there if the roads are clear and the sun is out. On the other hand, Sunday was the most epic powder day of my skiing life. Still don't think it was worth risking life, limb, and car over. For now I'm probably somewhere between thestupidity adventuresomeness of last weekend and Ski Princess.
For full pics of the weekend adventure, click here.
I did what stupid people do- went to Tahoe when there were pretty big storms forecast. But it was my birthday and damnit, I was going skiing. So skiing we went.
Fun
Friday rocked. I managed to score free coffee in the morning from Peets then free lunch from the sandwich shop, but the coolest was when I got up to my sister's pad in Sacramento. I chose Chick Fil A for my birthday dinner, as I wouldn't get to eat it on Sunday, it would be easy with the kids, and well, I love it. We get there and I casually strike up a conversation with the manager, who happened to take my order. It came out that it was my bday, and she said she would hook me up with a free brownie or something, which I said was not necessary. We talk some more, and long story short she was so jazzed that we were from GA and CFA addicts that by the end of our ordering she comped my entire meal. And Bonita's too. I told her not to but she insisted. Way cool. The only thing better than your every once in a while CFA, is your every once in a while CFA on the house.
In addition I got to have my favorite dessert of all time, Mud Pie, and play with my neice & nephew before bed. A great finish to a fun bday.
Stress
Left Sac at 6.30 a.m., knowing a storm was coming through Tahoe in the morning. I knew it would be a race to beat the storm and chain control up over the Donner Summit {7200 ft} on I-80, but I was hoping to get to Alpine Meadows by the time it opened at 9, or maybe 9.30 if I had to use the chains- it's about 90 miles and with clear roads takes 2 hours.
It took 4. As we rose out of Auburn, CA it started to snow and I kept checking the radio for the status of chain control- still clear but I had a feeling that we might not beat the storm. Then a little up the road when in the other direction I saw 2 SUVs rolled over onto their roofs with the windshields and back windows smashed out, and then a jackknifed 18 wheeler, I knew that playtime was over. Cue stress of frozen bridges, then mondo snow, and soon thereafter chain control.
I put the chains on in the ever faster falling snow, and 30 minutes later we were rolling. The road was pretty gnarly so max speed was 20-25, and we were still almost 30 miles from Donner Summit outside Truckee. Finally made it over and down to Truckee, and the roads were ok, so I took that chains off. But the the road from hwy 89 up to Alpine Meadows was all snowed over and was really tricky for me without chains, I had to go like 10-15 and it was still sketchy. Got to the parking lot at 10.30, a nice 4 hour 100 mile trip. It was snowing so hard and so windy that it was apparent that it would be a whiteout all day, so I decided to put the chains back on in the parking lot so that I wouldn't have to do it at the end of the day when I was tired, it was getting dark, and there was a foot of snow on the ground. Another 30 minutes and then getting tickets, getting ready, blah blah blah.
Fun
We got our first chairlift at 12:20 p.m., and it was windy and snowy as hell, but we paid our money and we were determined to ski our asses off until the lifts closed at 4. I have skied in worse whiteouts where you couldn't see 5 feet in front of you, and this wasn't quite that bad- you could just barely see what you were doing most of the time. But the winds were crazy- up to 50 mph, which made things tricky, especially at the top of lifts.
Still it was mondo fun. At the top of the Lakeview lift is the only view of Lake Tahoe from Alpine meadows, and it is a fine view at that. For the sake of comparison, check out the view from this spot that I took last March when I skied Alpine with my sister:
Alpine Meadows lake view, March 2007
OK, now here is the same exact view from Saturday:
Alpine Meadows lake view, Saturday
Anyways, we rocked the conditions with a good attitude and enjoyed the great snow which kept accumulating throughout the day, making the snow tip top when you could see what you were doing, which at times was tricky:
Stress
At the end of the ski day it had snowed over a foot, and the stress of driving once again reared it's ugly head. We had to go from Alpine down to Tahoe City and then over to Incline Village, where our hotel room was. It's about a 20 mile drive on 2 lane state roads. We were delayed about an hour as there was a multi-car accident on the access road getting down the mountain from Alpine. Finally we managed to get out of the parking lot, but even with the chains it was apparent that this was going to be a scary drive. The roads were atrocious, and between the blizzard snow coming down and it being pitch dark, I could barely see 10 feet in front of me even with the wipers on hyperspeed.
Although there were times that I was certain we wouldn't make it and I would end up crashed on the side of the road, we finally made it to the hotel in one piece. Driving the 20 miles took an hour and a half, and although I have had to drive in storms with chains several times, these were the worst road conditions I had ever driven in. By the time we got to the hotel I was frazzled and pretty fried, and just thankful to be there in one piece. One thing was for sure- we were in for the night- there was no way I was going back out on those roads in that storm.
Fun
Our hotel ruled. Great room, indoor heated pool, hot tub, and high speed wireless which proved invaluable as we finally found a place that would deliver us a pizza in the storm. All of the aforementioned things contributed to allow me to detox and enjoy the rest of the evening, although we crashed early from the exhaustion of the day.
Stress
We woke up to see that 1.5 to 2 feet of snow had fallen, and the driveway of our Inn was snowed in.
The parking lot, STFI: Snowed The Fuck In.
We thought we could take the shuttle to Diamond Peak, but then found out from the front desk that the shuttle was not running because it has snowed so much. After a while some dude just appeared with a tractor/front end loader/snowplow, and in time he cleared the driveway enough that we could attempt to get out and up the hill back to the main road. Eventually we did. A check of the roads in the morning revealed that I-80 was completely closed from Colfax, CA, over Donner Summit, through Truckee, all the way to the Nevada state line- over 70 miles of closed interstate- wow. I had never heard of it being closed that badly. We hoped that with the improving weather that they could clear the road during the day, and we would play leaving & the Super Bowl by ear.
Fun
It was only about 1 mile up to Diamond Peak from our hotel, and once we made it up through the snow and ice it was time to reap our reward for all the crazy road stress. It had snowed 2 feet of fresh powder, and we made it onto the hill by 10 a.m.
Should have taken this pic the 1st time up instead of the 5th or 6th
Even better, the summit chair was on delay, and so by the time it opened we got about the 30th chair. This means only one thing: fresh tracks. First run was epic, as well as tricky and challenging since I grew up on the icy east coast and although I had a few powder days out here since I moved, I had never skied in powder this deep. It was amazing, and super fun, and 10x more work and tiring for the legs- Quadbuster City, USA.
Battleborn trail, Diamond Peak, 3rd person
Diamondback trail, Diamond Peak, 3rd person
Crystal Ridge Trail, Diamond Peak, 1st person
Diamond Peak is renowned for it's amazing lake views, and although it was mostly cloudy we got a few glimpses of the lake. I'd like to ski there again on a clear, sunny day for the million dollar view.
Even on a 'meh' weather day, the view is pretty amazing
We skied the shit out of it until about 2, then broke for a snack/lunch and realized that our legs were so toast that we should pack up and take off, and try to beat the afternoon storm, especially since we found out that I-80 was once again open going back from Truckee with no chain control. If all went well we could get back to my sister's in Sacramento in time for the 2nd half of the Super Bowl, and we could listen to the 1st half on the radio.
Stress
The mountain road back down from Alpine was totally clear, so I took the chains off since it is a smaller road than the state road through town. Oops. The state road was covered in snow, so I pulled into a shopping center and put them on again. Another 30 minutes, and a return to top speed of 20 mph while trying just to stay on the road.
Past Kings Beach the roads were again clear, and the radio said no more chain control in Truckee or on I-80, so I stopped and took the chains back off. Back up to 50-60 and hoping to beat the roads icing back up as it started to get dark.
Made it to Truckee and I-80 and started out of town through some rain and roads that were wet but appeared to be on the verge of freezing back over. On the lower slopes of the climb, it started to snow like a mother, and soon thereafter the cars in front of started to swerve and lose control a bit. Another mile and I knew from my own comfort level that it was time for the chains yet again.
I pulled over and by now it was snowing like crazy. By the time I got the 1st chain on, CalTrans had setup chain control behind me about 300 yards down the road. By the time I got both chains on, it had snowed an inch in about 20 minutes. Shit- a mondo snow squall that just got worse and worse.
Long story short, it took 4 hours to get from Truckee to my sister's house in Sacramento{again, 90 miles}. It was so hairy and stress mode that listening to the 1st half on the radio was not an option, and by the time we got there the game was over. I was disappointed to have missed it, but much more relieved and thankful that we made it back in one piece, and ditto for my car. Side note- never in my life have I been so happy and relieved to drive into a town named Auburn in my life.
I watched all the highlight shows and felt better that I didn't have to watch that shit live as it unraveled {if that ever happened to Georgia in a National Title game I'm sure that lots of shit would get smashed by yours truly}.
Too exhausted, dirty, and tired to go all the way back home, so we stayed and came back to SF early Monday morning, only to find out that 2 skiers from SF were missing and were last seen at Alpine Meadows on Saturday late morning- thankfully they were found Monday morning. Pretty freaky, as we were there. Also, that there was an avalanche on the access road to Alpine Meadows that we had just been on the evening before and the resort we skied at on Saturday was closed down on Sunday.
Overall the nuttiest storm/road conditions I have ever dealt with, and I had my share of Tahoe chain control war stories going in. It might be enough to turn me into a Ski Princess like my sister, who no longer fucks with the storms and will only go up there if the roads are clear and the sun is out. On the other hand, Sunday was the most epic powder day of my skiing life. Still don't think it was worth risking life, limb, and car over. For now I'm probably somewhere between the
ACN Final Four: Clashes Of The Titans
Today 9 a.m. PST
Ghana-Cameroon
Today 12:30 p.m. PST
Ivory Coast-Egypt
Three of the 4 biggest powerhouses of African football {Nigeria, being the fourth, were eliminated in the quarterfinal} plus the defending champion Egypt, makes for an awesome final 4 in the 2008 African Cup Of Nations.
For a rundown of the quarterfinal results, including Nigeria's underwhelming choke job of coming from a goal up and a man up to lose, click here.
Ghana are the hosts which makes them favorites to get through to the final, but Cameroon are no joke and Samuel Eto'o has already surpassed the ACN all time scoring record {16 goals} in this tournament {note he is only 26 so he should shatter this record by leaps and bounds by the time he retires}.
This should be an epic battle.
The second semifinal features not only two teams who have won every match thusfar in the tournament, but also a rematch of the ACN2006 final, won by Egypt 4-2 on penalties after the teams played to a 0-0 draw. The Pharaohs are no joke and have defended their title well, but Ivory Coast are by far the strongest and best team in the tournament and one of the very best African teams of all time, and there are not many people outside of Egypt who think that the Elephants can be beat {expectation for this one is on the level of the Super Bowl last weekend}. Ivory Coast have destroyed everyone in front of them this year and people are already talking about this being the team that can get Africa it's 1st ever World Cup semifinal in 2010.
I bought the final stage pass from AllSoccerAfrica for $14.99 {all knockout round matches} and I hope to watch much of both matches today.
One last note- my favorite team at this year's African Cup Of Nations is easily and without question Mali, who in beating Togo 2-0 in their final qualification match back in October knocked Togo out of the competition and ensured that Emmanuel Adebayor would stay with Arsenal through January & February, where he has scored 11 goals in his last 8 matches in helping Arsenal to the top of the table. I love you, Mali.
***Update***
Ghana 0-0 Cameroon. Half Time.
Good game. Cameroon just missed a screamer form outside the box, and later Geremi hit the junction of the post & crossbar with an swerving screamer of a free kick from a good 35 yards out. Ghana has a good chance from the edge of the box but dude shot it kind of right at the keeper.
***Update***
GOOOOOLLLLLL!!!!
Ghana 0-1 Cameroon
Totally against the run of play, and a thing of beauty. Ghana were dominating possession and chances, and in minute 68 Cameroon's Geremi cleared a shot off the line with his head. Two minutes later Cameroon caught Ghana on the break, Nkong-Eto'o-Nkong, beautifully slotted goal. Accra Stadium is stunned and silent.
Ghana hit the pause button, go into the game menu, and change their team strategy to "All Out Attack" for the final 20 minutes.
***Update***
Black Stars 0-1 Indomitable Lions. Final.
Cameroon did it. They weathered the storm, and the last 5 minutes with 10 men after a bizarre but merited sending off, to upset the hosts and advance to their 5th ACN final. Amazingly, the Indomitable Lions have won the ACN 4 times previously, and each time they defeated the host nation in the knockout round along the way, which is damn impressive, and now they have done it again.
They await the winner of Ivory Coast-Egypt in the final, which 99% of people think will be Ivory Coast.
***Update***
Shock.
Ivory Coast 0-1 Egypt. 12'
Ivory Coast are dominant early, but after an Egypt corner a shot from the edge of the box deflects off of not one but 2 defenders and into the corner. A bit of a lucky, fluky, pinball goal, but they all look the same on the scoreboard. This makes things interesting to say the least...
***Update***
Elephants 0-1 Pharaohs. Half Time.
Once more Ivory Coast have had the better of it, but unable to put the ball in the back of the net. Drogba managed to shoot right at the keeper from 4 yards out, when scoring would have been easier than not scoring. Later he had a bullet header from a corner kick well saved by the Egyptian keeper, but again it was right at him. It was so hard that had it been anywhere else on goal it would have been in.
Worse for the Ivory Coast is that their keeper, Barry, was injured and had to be substituted. A double whammy, because 1) he is generally regarded as the best keeper in the whole tournament and has conceded only 1 goal through 4 matches {well, 2 now, but it was not his fault}, and 2) now Ivory Coast only have 2 tactical substitutions left rather than the standard three.
So it is very much on for the second half. This isn't quite Georgetown-Princeton, hell Egypt are the defending champions, but if they were to hold out it would easily be the biggest shock & upset of the whole tournament. They apparently are the masters of "closing up shop", but still have another 45+ minutes against Drogba, Kalou, Keita, Zokora, Y Toure, Eboue, K Toure, and the rest- a formidable task. That being said, they are not scared, and are playing with the confidence of a team that knows it can win because they beat Ivory Coast in the 2006 final by holding them scoreless for 120 minutes and then winning on penalties. Ivory Coast on the other hand are growing visibly frustrated as the game creeps on and they still find themselves behind even tough they are by far a better team and have made more chances.
It all sets up for a super interesting final 45 minutes...
***Update***
Holy Shit.
Ivory Coast 0-2 Egypt. 62nd minute.
After total and complete domination by Ivory Coast, and 2 more great chances shot right at the Egyptian keeper, Egypt scores against the run of play on a header from a corner kick off the underside of the crossbar.
Ivory Coast are really up against it now...
***Update***
Game On!
Ivory Coast 1-2 Egypt. 63rd minute.
Less than 1 minute later, Keita scores on an absolute missile/rocket shot from outside the box that is unsaveable and rips into the side netting. This is turning into a great, great match.
***Update***
Ivory Coast 1-3 Egypt. 67th minute.
With Ivory Coast going forward in waves of almost desperation, Egypt score against the run of play yet again. A long ball from the goalkeeper, a flick on, a great ball fake, and then a shot from the edge of the box into the far low corner.
Ivory Coast are really up against it now. 23 minutes to save themselves...
***Update***
More chances from Ivory Coast, 3 really good chances, but again all right at the keeper.
Ivory Coast 1-4 Egypt. 92nd minute.
Ivory Coast wide open at the back as they came forward in waves of desperation, and Egypt finishes it off with a nice 2 on 1 and damn near tap in. Game, Set, Match.
A stunning result.
***Update***
Elephants 1-4 Pharaohs. Full Time.
A pretty stunning result, an not at all an indication of how close the match was. Bottom line: Egypt took almost all of their chances, and Ivory Coast squandered theirs. Biggest culprit was Didier Drogba, who had no less than 2 free headers as well as a free shot inside the 6 yard box, as well as a bullet free header from a corner from about 9 yards out, and all 4 were right at the keeper. A striker of his quality, arguably the best player in the tournament {Eto'o, Essien, Kanoute, etc.} should have done better.
Egypt are extremely reminiscent of Greece from Euro 2004: extremely well organized, difficult to break down, and when they get their chances, they take them. And in Mohammed Zidan they have an exciting player- like many before him, including C Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, he has matured from being all tricks and flicks all the time and is a more complete player and much more dangerous. He is an exciting flair player who excites every time he touches the ball, and I guess it doesn't hurt him that his name is so close to a legend {Zizou} and that he looks damn near another legend {Ronaldo}.
Everyone was expecting a Ghana-Ivory Coast final, or perhaps a Cameroon-Ivory Coast final, but instead it is Cameroon-Egypt who will play for the title in Accra on Sunday. Four time champions Cameroon in their sixth final and trying to win for the 5th time, against 5 time champion {most ever} Egypt trying to defend their 2006 title.
Not the glamor match that everyone wanted, but still should be quite good. It will be a replay of their opening group stage match, where Egypt beat down Cameroon 4-2 behind 2 really great goals from the aforementioned Mohammed Zidan, who kind of announced himself to the world stage for those who hadn't already seen his tricks & flicks compilation vids on youtube. BTW, that match also reminds me of Euro 2004, where Greece upset Portugal in the opening match of the tournament, and then replicated their upset in the final.
Me, I'm rocking my FCB Eto'o jersey tomorrow on casual Friday and pulling hard for the Indomitable Lions.
Final, Sunday at I believe 9 a.m. PST
Cameroon-Egypt
You can watch it streaming live on your computer at AllSoccerAfrica for $5.99 with either English or French commentary, and I have to say that the streams are very good. I purchased the final round knockout stage pass, and with that I can also view highlights from every game in the tournament, as well as any of the games in its entirety 'on demand'- I would hope that even if you do the $5.99 pass that you could see all of the highlights at least, as there were some absolutely fantastic goals in this exciting tournament.
Ghana-Cameroon
Today 12:30 p.m. PST
Ivory Coast-Egypt
Three of the 4 biggest powerhouses of African football {Nigeria, being the fourth, were eliminated in the quarterfinal} plus the defending champion Egypt, makes for an awesome final 4 in the 2008 African Cup Of Nations.
For a rundown of the quarterfinal results, including Nigeria's underwhelming choke job of coming from a goal up and a man up to lose, click here.
Ghana are the hosts which makes them favorites to get through to the final, but Cameroon are no joke and Samuel Eto'o has already surpassed the ACN all time scoring record {16 goals} in this tournament {note he is only 26 so he should shatter this record by leaps and bounds by the time he retires}.
This should be an epic battle.
The second semifinal features not only two teams who have won every match thusfar in the tournament, but also a rematch of the ACN2006 final, won by Egypt 4-2 on penalties after the teams played to a 0-0 draw. The Pharaohs are no joke and have defended their title well, but Ivory Coast are by far the strongest and best team in the tournament and one of the very best African teams of all time, and there are not many people outside of Egypt who think that the Elephants can be beat {expectation for this one is on the level of the Super Bowl last weekend}. Ivory Coast have destroyed everyone in front of them this year and people are already talking about this being the team that can get Africa it's 1st ever World Cup semifinal in 2010.
I bought the final stage pass from AllSoccerAfrica for $14.99 {all knockout round matches} and I hope to watch much of both matches today.
One last note- my favorite team at this year's African Cup Of Nations is easily and without question Mali, who in beating Togo 2-0 in their final qualification match back in October knocked Togo out of the competition and ensured that Emmanuel Adebayor would stay with Arsenal through January & February, where he has scored 11 goals in his last 8 matches in helping Arsenal to the top of the table. I love you, Mali.
***Update***
Ghana 0-0 Cameroon. Half Time.
Good game. Cameroon just missed a screamer form outside the box, and later Geremi hit the junction of the post & crossbar with an swerving screamer of a free kick from a good 35 yards out. Ghana has a good chance from the edge of the box but dude shot it kind of right at the keeper.
***Update***
GOOOOOLLLLLL!!!!
Ghana 0-1 Cameroon
Totally against the run of play, and a thing of beauty. Ghana were dominating possession and chances, and in minute 68 Cameroon's Geremi cleared a shot off the line with his head. Two minutes later Cameroon caught Ghana on the break, Nkong-Eto'o-Nkong, beautifully slotted goal. Accra Stadium is stunned and silent.
Ghana hit the pause button, go into the game menu, and change their team strategy to "All Out Attack" for the final 20 minutes.
***Update***
Black Stars 0-1 Indomitable Lions. Final.
Cameroon did it. They weathered the storm, and the last 5 minutes with 10 men after a bizarre but merited sending off, to upset the hosts and advance to their 5th ACN final. Amazingly, the Indomitable Lions have won the ACN 4 times previously, and each time they defeated the host nation in the knockout round along the way, which is damn impressive, and now they have done it again.
They await the winner of Ivory Coast-Egypt in the final, which 99% of people think will be Ivory Coast.
***Update***
Shock.
Ivory Coast 0-1 Egypt. 12'
Ivory Coast are dominant early, but after an Egypt corner a shot from the edge of the box deflects off of not one but 2 defenders and into the corner. A bit of a lucky, fluky, pinball goal, but they all look the same on the scoreboard. This makes things interesting to say the least...
***Update***
Elephants 0-1 Pharaohs. Half Time.
Once more Ivory Coast have had the better of it, but unable to put the ball in the back of the net. Drogba managed to shoot right at the keeper from 4 yards out, when scoring would have been easier than not scoring. Later he had a bullet header from a corner kick well saved by the Egyptian keeper, but again it was right at him. It was so hard that had it been anywhere else on goal it would have been in.
Worse for the Ivory Coast is that their keeper, Barry, was injured and had to be substituted. A double whammy, because 1) he is generally regarded as the best keeper in the whole tournament and has conceded only 1 goal through 4 matches {well, 2 now, but it was not his fault}, and 2) now Ivory Coast only have 2 tactical substitutions left rather than the standard three.
So it is very much on for the second half. This isn't quite Georgetown-Princeton, hell Egypt are the defending champions, but if they were to hold out it would easily be the biggest shock & upset of the whole tournament. They apparently are the masters of "closing up shop", but still have another 45+ minutes against Drogba, Kalou, Keita, Zokora, Y Toure, Eboue, K Toure, and the rest- a formidable task. That being said, they are not scared, and are playing with the confidence of a team that knows it can win because they beat Ivory Coast in the 2006 final by holding them scoreless for 120 minutes and then winning on penalties. Ivory Coast on the other hand are growing visibly frustrated as the game creeps on and they still find themselves behind even tough they are by far a better team and have made more chances.
It all sets up for a super interesting final 45 minutes...
***Update***
Holy Shit.
Ivory Coast 0-2 Egypt. 62nd minute.
After total and complete domination by Ivory Coast, and 2 more great chances shot right at the Egyptian keeper, Egypt scores against the run of play on a header from a corner kick off the underside of the crossbar.
Ivory Coast are really up against it now...
***Update***
Game On!
Ivory Coast 1-2 Egypt. 63rd minute.
Less than 1 minute later, Keita scores on an absolute missile/rocket shot from outside the box that is unsaveable and rips into the side netting. This is turning into a great, great match.
***Update***
Ivory Coast 1-3 Egypt. 67th minute.
With Ivory Coast going forward in waves of almost desperation, Egypt score against the run of play yet again. A long ball from the goalkeeper, a flick on, a great ball fake, and then a shot from the edge of the box into the far low corner.
Ivory Coast are really up against it now. 23 minutes to save themselves...
***Update***
More chances from Ivory Coast, 3 really good chances, but again all right at the keeper.
Ivory Coast 1-4 Egypt. 92nd minute.
Ivory Coast wide open at the back as they came forward in waves of desperation, and Egypt finishes it off with a nice 2 on 1 and damn near tap in. Game, Set, Match.
A stunning result.
***Update***
Elephants 1-4 Pharaohs. Full Time.
A pretty stunning result, an not at all an indication of how close the match was. Bottom line: Egypt took almost all of their chances, and Ivory Coast squandered theirs. Biggest culprit was Didier Drogba, who had no less than 2 free headers as well as a free shot inside the 6 yard box, as well as a bullet free header from a corner from about 9 yards out, and all 4 were right at the keeper. A striker of his quality, arguably the best player in the tournament {Eto'o, Essien, Kanoute, etc.} should have done better.
Egypt are extremely reminiscent of Greece from Euro 2004: extremely well organized, difficult to break down, and when they get their chances, they take them. And in Mohammed Zidan they have an exciting player- like many before him, including C Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, he has matured from being all tricks and flicks all the time and is a more complete player and much more dangerous. He is an exciting flair player who excites every time he touches the ball, and I guess it doesn't hurt him that his name is so close to a legend {Zizou} and that he looks damn near another legend {Ronaldo}.
Everyone was expecting a Ghana-Ivory Coast final, or perhaps a Cameroon-Ivory Coast final, but instead it is Cameroon-Egypt who will play for the title in Accra on Sunday. Four time champions Cameroon in their sixth final and trying to win for the 5th time, against 5 time champion {most ever} Egypt trying to defend their 2006 title.
Not the glamor match that everyone wanted, but still should be quite good. It will be a replay of their opening group stage match, where Egypt beat down Cameroon 4-2 behind 2 really great goals from the aforementioned Mohammed Zidan, who kind of announced himself to the world stage for those who hadn't already seen his tricks & flicks compilation vids on youtube. BTW, that match also reminds me of Euro 2004, where Greece upset Portugal in the opening match of the tournament, and then replicated their upset in the final.
Me, I'm rocking my FCB Eto'o jersey tomorrow on casual Friday and pulling hard for the Indomitable Lions.
Final, Sunday at I believe 9 a.m. PST
Cameroon-Egypt
You can watch it streaming live on your computer at AllSoccerAfrica for $5.99 with either English or French commentary, and I have to say that the streams are very good. I purchased the final round knockout stage pass, and with that I can also view highlights from every game in the tournament, as well as any of the games in its entirety 'on demand'- I would hope that even if you do the $5.99 pass that you could see all of the highlights at least, as there were some absolutely fantastic goals in this exciting tournament.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Fuck Yeah! Best Video In The History Of YouTube Is Back!
This video was up for a while a couple of years ago but then got taken down.
It has once again risen from the dead, and is so epic that it deserves its own post. Again.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
Best. Video. Ever.
It has once again risen from the dead, and is so epic that it deserves its own post. Again.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
Best. Video. Ever.
Coach Knight: Thanks For The Fucking Memories
Like a lot of people, part of me loves Bobby Knight and part of me hates him. But as he retires as the winningest college basketball coach of all time, I have to say thanks for all the epic shit he brought to the game.
And I also love that he shared with me the love, respect, and admiration for the greatest word in the English language.
Best of luck, coach. Try not to kill anyone like the kid at Wendy's who fucks up your order or the lady working the customer service counter at Target.
And I also love that he shared with me the love, respect, and admiration for the greatest word in the English language.
Best of luck, coach. Try not to kill anyone like the kid at Wendy's who fucks up your order or the lady working the customer service counter at Target.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
From The Dept. of: Are You Shitting Me?
Did You Have A "Deep Meditative, Transpersonal and Transcendent Experience" At The Voting Booth Today?
I haven't seen the Berkeley propositions for today, but I am pretty damn certain that SF wins this year's contest to see which city can come up with the most looney thing that the rest of the world can look to and make fun of.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The City of San Francisco Proposition C: Demolishing the prison on Alcatraz and converting the island into a global peace center.
Here are the money quotes that just made Bill O'Reilly cum in his pants:
Yikes, I had no idea that my psychology was being negatively affected.
Thanks alot, Alcatraz.
How these dudes got 10,000 signatures to get onto the ballot escapes me, but they did.
Where to start? Um, how about that the city of SF does not even own the land on Alcatraz, but that it is owned and operated by the Federal Government's National Park Service, and would have to be purchased from the Feds by the City? Or that SF's #1 source of income is now tourism and this is the #1 attraction and is a cash cow for the city, which is in serious financial difficulty? Or the fact that in the Bechtel Corporation's charter there doesn't appear to be any mention of undertaking massive progressive construction projects pro bono to cleanse the karma of their corporate soul?
You have to delve into the comments of that SFGate article to see that there are actually some sane people here after all.
I'm off to have my deep meditative, transpersonal and transcendent experience at the polls.
***Update***
28 percent of people in SF voted in favor of this proposition. Wow.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The City of San Francisco Proposition C: Demolishing the prison on Alcatraz and converting the island into a global peace center.
Here are the money quotes that just made Bill O'Reilly cum in his pants:
According to their Web site, www.globalpeacefoundation.org, the proponents' plans for the center will be based on the geometry of the hexagram. Elements include a harmonium, employing sound techniques to impart a "deep meditative, transpersonal and transcendent experience," a medicine wheel and a labyrinth.
Da Vid, director of the Global Peace Foundation, described Alcatraz as a "major power point" where "energy moves through the planet." The vision to turn it into a peace center came to him in 1978. "It was a flash," he explained, "and I wasn't on any drugs either." We asked him where the money would come from to raze the old prison and build a new center. He assured us, "Money will come." He suggested the Bechtel Corp. might want to "create some good karma for itself" by doing the prison demolition for free.
No, that didn't come from The Onion. It is all too real.
One more, from this article:
"The prison is negative energy, and it is negatively affecting the psychology of the entire Bay Area," he said. "Do we want that prison to be our signature landmark?"Yikes, I had no idea that my psychology was being negatively affected.
Thanks alot, Alcatraz.
How these dudes got 10,000 signatures to get onto the ballot escapes me, but they did.
Where to start? Um, how about that the city of SF does not even own the land on Alcatraz, but that it is owned and operated by the Federal Government's National Park Service, and would have to be purchased from the Feds by the City? Or that SF's #1 source of income is now tourism and this is the #1 attraction and is a cash cow for the city, which is in serious financial difficulty? Or the fact that in the Bechtel Corporation's charter there doesn't appear to be any mention of undertaking massive progressive construction projects pro bono to cleanse the karma of their corporate soul?
You have to delve into the comments of that SFGate article to see that there are actually some sane people here after all.
I'm off to have my deep meditative, transpersonal and transcendent experience at the polls.
***Update***
28 percent of people in SF voted in favor of this proposition. Wow.
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