Sunday, June 22, 2014

"I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN"

..."I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN"  This is the USA chant that appears on ESPN very often as the American's next game approaches. A team that wasn't expected to make it out of the group play,  even the coach  assured us that his team could NOT win the cup. Yet, here they are, on the verge of winning their group, the group that has been described as "The Death Group."  Team USA will play Portugal today and will have to deal with Christiano Renaldo, considered to be the best player in the world.
ESPN's sports reporters say USA has a team with the best chance ever to make it into the 'knockout' round of the tournament, and has a decent chance to succeed.  This may be the most watched soccer game in the US ever.

## Interesting discussion in the Yankee game yesterday about what to expect from your #5 starter. Paul O'Neal says that he should get you into the 6th inning with your team still in the game, giving up no more than 3 or 4 runs. Michael Kay stated that Nuno didn't do that last time. He only lasted 3 innings and gave up 8 runs. Said Paul, "That's how you become the #6 starter."
I would hope that the Yanks have realized that Nuno is not the answer as a starter. One scout has described him as, "...the worst starter in the majors."  Is there a major trade in the works? Hope so.

##  The LA Angels have released 42 year-old Raul Ibanez.  He played for the Yanks back in 2012 and hit 19 home runs as a platoon player and added three more in the playoffs. That may have been one of the best clutch performances in Yankee history. I still don't know why they let him go. In 2013, he hit 29 home runs for Seattle. The Yanks probably could have used those.

##  This is getting annoying to me. The Yankee broadcasters - all of them - are instructing us on how to play the game instead of just announcing the game. There are usually three of them in the booth so there is absolutely no dead air. In fact, there doesn't seem to be enough time for all them to get their two cents in (Two cents? It's more like a buck and a quarter.)  They say things like, "If a pitcher walks a lot a hitters, that puts a lot of men on base and your opponents can score a lot of runs. That makes it hard to win a game." As my old boss used to say, "You discovered America!"  I can't believe the YES network are paying these guys to air this nonsense.  It's like three guys sitting in a bar, watching a game and sharing a pitcher of beer. Maybe if I had a pitcher of beer, this would be easier to take.

## Hope Solo, goal keeper on the USA Woman's soccer team has been arrested and held without bail for "domestic violence."  Between that and watching  Abby Wambach get shoved, kicked, elbowed and tackled, then get up and head butt a ball into the net, you might want to change your views about those 'sensitive and delicate' women players.

So, the Yankee Old-Timers game, Masahiro Tanaka going after win #12 and USA soccer - throw in a couple of hots and some potato salad and THAT'S what I call a Sunday afternoon.

***THEY SAID IT***
"Wiser, more mature LeBron announces 2014 ‘Decision’ special will be just 30 minutes."  -- Sportspickle.com
"ESPN is reporting record ratings for the World Cup. No wonder, the NBA, NHL and NFL are dark and the only competition for TV viewership is an 11 year old girl playing golf."  -- TC Chong
"An American Legion baseball game in Juneau, Alaska, was briefly interrupted because a bear was roaming along the outfield fence. It nearly became the first game called on account of game."  -- Dwight Perry
"Boxing champ Floyd Mayweather said that a half-dressed woman is asking to be disrespected. This from a guy who wears only shorts to work.”  -- Conan O'brien
"Lucy Li, 11, played in the U.S. Women’s Open. On the seventh hole, she was seen walking into a sand trap carrying a pail and little shovel."  -- Brad Dickson
"Manny Ramirez is about to start as player-coach Chicago Cubs’ AAA affiliate in Iowa. For all those who thought Cubs fans potentially could never see anything more embarrassing than their team’s play on the field..."  -- Janice Hough
"According to TSN, the Edmonton Oilers need shoring up through the middle and on the back end. Which, according to my wife, is exactly what I need"  -- RJ Currie
"Shortly after the conclusion of the College World Series, a home run derby will be held at TD Ameritrade Park. Holding a home run derby at TDA is akin to holding an America's Cup in the Sahara Desert."  -- Brad Dickson

CP-
 




















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