B-dub

No offense, but on the eve of the World Cup the NBA Finals seem as important as the Pro Bowler's Tour.

As luck would have it I drew Brazil in my office pool, so good luck to Dunga and the boys--unless they play the US or Germany in the knock-out stages.

Yes, he was tremendous. Pitched a great game Saturday, too (I was at that game). To borrow an English football term, Citi Field has really become a "fortress" this year. If we can at least break even on the road, we've a good chance for the playoffs. Baltimore this weekend and Cleveland after that would be a good place to start (both are crap teams).

Someone who is not a football fan asked me today if England has any players from "that team you follow". I said yes, and mentioned the names James Milner and Stephen Warnock. 10 minutes later I realized I had forgotten about Heskey. I think that pretty much sums up the season he had.

I can totally see someone on the US getting sent off for an innocuous challenge; and the calls in general going in favor of England; much like it was for the US against Italy in '06. The team that is supposed to lose rarely gets the benefit of the doubt; just like Villa against United. It also seems that in the World Cup, referees dish out yellows and reds far more readily than in regular club football.

If I was an England fan I'd be praying for Germany to top this group so they avoid playing them in the round of 16. There will be enough pressure on England as it is in the knock-out stage; they don't need the added anxiety of facing their old nemesis. (Don't get me wrong, I think England are the better side but Germany would clearly have the psychological advantage.) Having said that, I think Serbia are a quality side and could very well top this group; especially given Germany's injuries. That scenario would also favor the US if we finish second in Group C, as we would have a much better chance (I think) of beating Serbia than of beating Germany.

I don't know if you get the same commentary over there, but as this was going on, the Mets announcers Gary Cohen and Ron Darling (who are generally excellent announcers) were monitoring events in Detroit and could not stop talking about it. OK, it's big news, but could you please turn your attention back to the game you are supposed to be commenting on (Padres-Mets), which I'm trying to watch and enjoy? Ron Darling was especially was acting especially ticked off at the guy losing the perfect game.

Well then, Emile Heskey it is. Those video game folks are never wrong.

2-0 England. I seem to recall it took them a while to get the break-through against T&T four years ago. If by some miracle the US does win, I would really dread the embarrassing, over-the-top hype that ESPN would surely unleash on the American public to try and drive up the ratings for the rest of the tournament. Even if we got a result, it's still just a group stage game. Nothing to go overly ape-shit about.

You know, I tend to think that if City get 4th, they're going to buy even more quality over the summer and Barry thus wouldn't even get off the bench for them in the CL next year, which would be kinda funny. He's not a lock for starting XI even now.

Big Blue, since 1981.

I would have to go with Spurs for the same reasons mentioned in the original post. On the other hand, I could see how City getting fourth would really get on SAF's and United fans' tits, which would be good. Either way, I think it's good for the league that a different club will be in the top 4.

Killed 'em. Niese was brilliant. I like his curve ball.

Read this in the Daily News last week and was expecting an explanation of how/why 5.9 million owed translates to 30+ million spread over 30 years. This blurb doesn't explain it either. For what it's worth, this doesn't mention the fact that Bonilla, in 1999, was only brought in to be a pinch-hitter with an occasional start, which he did a decent job of. In '92 of course he was in the prime of his career and was expected to be a star like he was in Pittsburgh. Furthermore, his first tenure with the Mets ('92 to '95, or maybe '96, I'm not sure) wasn't all that bad overall, but it was over-shadowed by the fact that the team was awful and Bonilla--mainly in the first couple seasons--had various off-the-field drama, clashing with the manager and the beat writers, etc.

No, it's pretty easy if you're coming from Manhattan. Just take the 7 train and you're there inside 30 minutes. (To be fair, it is difficult for people coming from New Jersey via car due to the traffic.)

It can't help that your avatar is upside down, Dub It's been my little "protest" the past couple years. (Ya know, like those protesters back in the day who would display the American flag upside down.) When the Mets actually win something--or the Wilpons sell the team--I'll flip it back over.

Last night was the lowest attended game in the short history of Citi Field (25K and change in a park that seats maybe 45K). Don't know what the attendance was tonight but it looked like it may have been even less. True, mid-week night games early in the season don't typically draw well, but trust me, Mets fans have been in revolt all winter and the empty seats are telling. It's going to be an ugly season.

You sure? Did a search on Google Maps and Club 2000 is pretty far from Wembley. Furthermore, where is Gate 5 exactly, as stated in the flier?

The US and Canada are to the women's hockey tournament what Celtic and Rangers are to the SPL, but much much worse. A friend suggested they have the US and Canada play a best of seven to decide the gold and silver and have the rest of the countries play a tournament for the bronze. These 13-0 games are just pointless.

Think I'm going to stop at the Adventurers Sunday. If anyone wants to stop by and have a swing at me for anything I've said on this board, come and down, as I might not be in the country again for a while. :winkold:

Hey you have to pull for England even more since the JT fiasco broke. Cheating on wives, knocking up random chicks and arranging quickie abortions, and other off-the-field scandals involving millionaire athletes. Yup, it doesn't get more American than that.

It's funny when someone says that they don't believe in god, the typical Jesus freak retort is "Oh, you're really angry at God aren't you? You must've had some bad experience when you were a kid and now you're bitter about it." That's like saying you don't believe in the tooth fairy because you only got 50 cents under your pillow when you were a kid when you really wanted a dollar; or you stopped believing in Santa Claus, not because of your own common sense, but because the low quality of the gifts you received at Christmas really pissed you off.

Just wondering, how early do the bars open in the VP area? 12:00 noon I'm guessing? I'm going to the Burnley match and taking the bus up from London, and trying to decide how early to get up there. The other two times I was at VP it was either a late kickoff or I didn't have time to drink beforehand anyway, so I really don't know. This time I'll have pretty much the whole day to spare. Thanks.

Just an aside to cheer some of us up, but I recently bought the DVD set pictured below, Giants 10 Greatest Games (only goes back as far as the 1986 playoff games, and the 10 games they chose could be debated but that's another story). The first one I had to watch was the 1991 NFC Championship at San Francisco, which for me (I was 16 years old at the time) was always the greatest and most memorable game in the history of the franchise. (Yes, the Super Bowl vs. the Patriots has superseded it I suppose, but the ones from your youth tend to stick with you longer). Although I've seen NFL films highlights, I hadn't seen the original broadcast since the day I watched it live. Anyway, not sure if it's available in UK formats but I'd recommend it to any Giants fan. It's really interesting seeing the original CBS broadcasts from the '80s, Madden and Summerall's commentary, the graphics that were cutting-edge 20+ years ago but look really cheap by today's standards. Anyway, good stuff.

I think the Colts, and I have no rooting preference who wins. Oh wait, Shockey is on the Saints now? OK, go Colts!