PAWRA's BACK, ALRIGHT! If you don't remember what PAWRA is, and really why would you know this, PAWRA stands for Pittsburgh Athletes with World-Renowned Athletes. Previous posts include Kenny Pickett with Wayne Gretzky, DeAngelo Williams with Christian Pulisic, and Sidney Crosby with Maria Sharapova. Well, we got a good one today. Pictured below is Kevin Durant, currently a member of the Houston Rockets and likely one of the 20-best NBA players of all time with Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Boko Imama of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Rockets visited the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, and with the Penguins playing the Stars the following evening, it appears that Malkin, Letang, and Imama enjoyed a night out. In case you're wondering, Boko is listed at 6'1", Geno at 6'5", and Kris at 6'0". They look like me if I was pictured with them! No word on if Durant had any idea who he took a picture with. And did the Pens players not want a picture with Anthony Davis or Cooper Flagg?
Taylor Swift is arguably the biggest current musician in the world. Travis Kelce is a future Hall-of Famer football player who just won his third Super Bowl in the last five years. Naturally, the relationship between these talented individuals has garnered some attention. Too much attention? Maybe. Is that the fault of Swift and Kelce? Again, maybe.
Surrounding the Super Bowl, I have seen numerous mentions of Taylor Swift from Pittsburgh sports fans critical of the attention she has received, and the amount of screen time she gets during football games. Swift ended up appearing on screen for 55 seconds during the Super Bowl. That's less than the amount of time that Tom Brady appeared on screen during commercials. While that number increased during the post-game celebration, 55 seconds of a 3+ hour telecast is insiginificant. So to those Pittsburgh sports fans mad about Swift, why are you upset? Do you think she takes attention from the game, or do you just want to admit that you don't like her?
Now if a Pittsburgh sports fan says that they hate how the attention on Swift takes away from the game, they clearly forgot about the Cole Tucker-Vanessa Hudgens relationship. Maybe Hudgens didn't get much (or any) screen time during Pirates games, but that had more to do with Tucker only playing 43 games with the team after the relationship started.
Maybe Hudgens-Tucker is a bad example. So what about all of the media coverage and camera shots of Evgeni Malkin's parents during the Penguins' Stanley Cup runs? Did you find that distracted you from the games? How dare the cameras cut to Geno's parents celebrating after he scored a big playoff goal! The focus needs to be on the game, right?
Let's not act like Pittsburghers are immune from being starstruck. Joshua Axelrod of the Post-Gazette, who I like and enjoy his work, regularly writes about television and movies being filmed in Pittsburgh. My guess is these are some of his most-read pieces. There are countless stories about where Tom Hanks had dinner or what gym Emma Watson visited or Ed Sheeran making pizzas during their time in Pittsburgh.
The same people critical of the screen time Taylor Swift receives during football games didn't complain about Jay-Z attending a Pitt-Duke game at The Pete. They don't scream about in-game interviews of Steelers players attending Pirates or Penguins games. How many times did Ben Roethlisberger get on TV during Pens games? Where was the outrage then? What about the many celebrities (such as Wiz Khalifa and Michael Keaton) who throw out the first pitch of a Pirates game and then are shown during the telecast? The Pirates even had a K-Pop superstar throw out the first pitch of a 2015 game. Never seen any complaints about in-game interviews with or television shots of Joe Manganiello or Billy Gardell. I remember people celebrating Sofia Vergara becoming a Steelers fan after she started dating Manganiello.
Admit it. You're mad about Taylor Swift. Maybe it's her politics or her music or the attention, but it’s about you not liking Swift. Now if you're consistent in your belief that players' significant others, parents, or kids or any other celebrity should never appear on screen during sporting events, feel free to share. Show me receipts as the kids say. (Do kids say this?) And if you don't have any, start now with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pitcher Paul Skenes was baseball's #1 draft pick in 2023. If he lives up to his potential, Skenes will be an all-star and one of the best pitchers in the National League. Assuming (and I know it's a big assumption) that the Pirates make the playoffs thanks to great performances by Skenes, Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, etc., Skenes' girlfriend Olivia "Livvy" Dunne might appear at playoff games. Although she doesn't sell out stadiums like Swift, Dunne is a big deal. She is a gymnast at LSU, appears in TV commercials and magazine covers, and has nearly 5 million followers on Instagram and more on other social media sites.
If it’s not about Taylor Swift, start posting on social media everyday how you hope that Dunne is never shown during Pirates games. Start telling all your friends that any Pirates loss or Skenes bad start is because Dunne is a distraction. Let’s see the videos about how Dunne was hired by Pirates owner Bob Nutting to help Joe Biden get re-elected (or something). If the Pirates make the playoffs, please complain about how Dunne is attracting more people including young women to become Pirates fans. I’ll be here to read all about it!
* Photo of Taylor and Travis from AFP via Getty Images. Not 100% certain, but I think it was taken by Patrick T. Fallon.
* Photo of Vanessa and Cole from Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty.
Welcome to the greatest World Cup preview you will read anywhere...as long as you're not looking for a breakdown of each individual team. Or any other analysis. Instead, this post contains random information about players and teams. For example, do you want to know what team has the most players with tattoos? I mean, I don't have the answer, but I'd like to know. Watch the 2018 World Cup over the next month, and together, we'll find out. In the meantime, enjoy all the random information you didn't know you wanted to know.
With the United States failing to qualify for the World Cup, many Americans are looking for teams to support. The answer is probably Iceland because they are the smallest country to ever reach the World Cup with a population of about 335,000 (or slightly more than Corpus Christi, Texas and Lexington, Kentucky) and are coached by a dentist. I highly recommend reading this Sports Illustrated article about Iceland and their coach/practicing dentist Heimir Hallgrímsson.
There are other options too. Costa Rica features Rodney Wallace, who grew up in Rockville, Maryland, attended the University of Maryland, and plays for New York FC. Costa Rica and Panama both have 6 players on their rosters that play in the MLS. Then there's Gotoku Sakai who was born in the tiny Japanese village of (double-checks Wikipedia) New York City, so if you want a team with an American-born player, Japan is your pick.
Maybe you want to root for the biggest stars of the sport. Well, this World Cup certainly has star power. Lionel Messi for Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal, and Bono for Morocco. You thought Bono was touring with The Edge and company didn't you? Bono can do it all!
Let's take a closer look at some individual players.
- The oldest player in this year's World Cup is Egyptian goalie, Essam El Hadary born on January 15, 1973.
- The youngest player is Australian forward Daniel Arzani born on January 4, 1999. France's Mbappe born on December 20, 1998 and Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi born on November 4, 1998 are close behind.
- The tallest player is 6' 7" Lovre Kalinic of Croatia. Little known fact: Lovre changed his first name from Louvre so that he wouldn't be confused with the world's largest art museum in Paris.
- The shortest player is 5' 5" Yahia Al Shehri of Saudi Arabia.
- Unofficially, the lightest players are Fabian Delph of England and the aforementioned Yahia Al Shehri at 132 pounds.
- Unofficially, the heaviest player is Harry Maguire, Delph's English teammate, at 220 pounds.
- While Saudi Arabia features 9 players from Al-Hilal FC and 7 players from Al-Ahli Saudi FC, Germany has 7 players from Bayern Munich, and Spain's roster includes 6 players from Real Madrid, there is only one country with its entire roster playing in its domestic league: England.
- Speaking of England, I enjoyed mixing the worlds of sports and music together thanks to the marriage of David Beckham and Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls. It's too bad none of the current players are married to or dating members of Little Mix or One Direction or something.
- Fortunately, Spain is here to fill the void with Gerard Pique and his partner Shakira. Unfortunately, their house got robbed recently.
- The winner for the club team with the most World Cup players in Manchester City with 16. Real Madrid is next with 15. Here are the other top teams:
Man City - 16
Real Madrid - 15
Barcelona - 14
Paris Saint-Germain - 12
Chelsea - 12
Tottenham -12
Manchester United - 11
Juventus - 11
Bayern Munich - 11
Minnesota United - 1 (Francisco Calvo of Costa Rica)
- I added Minnesota United here since the team only started playing in 2017. When I interviewed CEO Chris Wright last summer, he was still President of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx.
- Morocco has a very interesting team composition. The 23-man roster includes a total of only 6 players born in Morocco along with 8 in France, 5 born in the Netherlands, 2 in Spain, 1 in Belgium, and 1 from the soccer hotbed of, um, Montreal, Canada. And that Canadian is Bono. Again, Bono is everywhere!
- Peru is a country of 31.7 million people. Lima, the country's capital and largest city, has about 9 million people. However, of the 23 players on the Peru roster, an amazing 18 were born in Lima. That seems quite disproportionate. Meanwhile, it appears that the city with the second most World Cup players born there is Reykjavík, Iceland with 13.
- Speaking (well writing) about Iceland, everyone on its World Cup roster has a last name ending in N...except for Frederik Schram. How did that guy make the team?
- Everyone on Serbia has a last name ending in "ic" except Aleksandar Kolarov and Antonio Rukavina. New Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jon Bostic fits in perfectly here.
- We interrupt this fascinating look at the World Cup rosters with the all food team.
* Nacho Monreal of Spain
* Ruben Dias of Portugal
* Kahraba (possibly inspired by Carrabba's Italina Grill) of Egypt
* Aziz Bouhaddouz of Morocco. You're probably wondering why I'm including Bouhaddouz. This last name isn't that close to baklava or baba ganoush. Bouhaddouz is here since he plays for the Hamburg, Germany team FC St. Pauli. Hey, you need something to drink down your nachos, Reuben, and Italian food!
Back to your regularly scheduled blog post already in progress.
- Saudi Arabia has three midfielders with the last name Hawsawi: Motaz, Osama, and Omari. That won't be confusing.
- Portugal has three players with the last name of Silva: Andre, Bernardo, and Adrien.
- South Korea has five players named Kim and three named Lee.
- If your name is Jonathan Matías Urretaviscaya da Luz, you have to have a nickname. Good move by this Uruguay player to go by Urreta.
- Urreta's teammate Gastón Silva had a prominent role in Beauty & the Beast.
- The nickname of Denmark's Mathias Jørgensen is Zanka. Apparently, Zanka's nickname is from the movie Cool Runnings, where one of the main characters is named Sanka. You didn't expect a reference to Cool Runnings here, did you?
- Croatia has 5 players born in Yugoslavia. That just looks odd to read since Yugoslavia broke up in the early 90s.
- Belgium features brothers Thorgan & Eden Hazard. Since Belgium has a monarchy, it's possible that if Belgium wins the World Cup, they could become the Dukes of Hazard.
- When not writing the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, the apparently resurrected Sebastian Larsson is on the Swedish national team.
- Willian plays for Brazil while also being part of The Black Eyed Peas and appearing as a hologram during the 2008 CNN election coverage.
- Panama gets the prize for the most multi-sport athletes. Eric Davis is a defender for Panama and was all All-Star outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds. Jose Calderon is fresh off his NBA Finals loss with the Cleveland Cavaliers and future Hall-of-Famer Alex Rodriguez is taking a break from his work as a baseball analyst to play in Russia.
- Tunisia's Saber Khalifa may or may not be related famous Pittsburghers: rapper Wiz Khalifa and Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Sammy Khalifa.
- Despite being in a fairly weak group, the host Russian team isn't expected to go very far in the tournament. Therefore, don't be surprised to Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin as two late additions to the roster since they've both won Stanley Cups in the last three years. Success breeds success or winning begets winning, right?
Enjoy the games!
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Photos by Getty Images, The Paris Pass, Shakira's Twitter account, and RussianMachineNeverBreaks
I'm posting this on Thursday morning more than 72 hours after the Pittsburgh Penguins won the franchise's fifth Stanley Cup including back-to-back titles and about 24 hours after the victory parade. I'm happy for the team and organization (feel free to say organization like they do in Canada - organ-I-zation), the city of Pittsburgh, and my fellow Penguins fans. What's odd is that while I'm happy, I'm not exuberant. I don't think I'm being complacent; it's just that I'm getting older and maybe sports aren't as important to me as they used to be which is an extremely odd thing for me to write. Old me would have written this blog post Sunday night or Monday morning.
When the Pens won their first two Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, I believe that I watched the games in Pittsburgh at my home with my dad and brother. When the Pens defeated the Red Wings, I watched game seven over at a friend's house. Last year, I watched the clinching game at home by myself. This year, not only did I watch the game at home by myself, I actually fell asleep and missed half of the second period and most of the third period. While my six year old loves sports and asks every morning who won games from the previous night, I wasn't going to let him stay up to watch a game on a school night. So I basically watched the game at home with my computer at my side following Twitter.
This seems a little sad though that's where my life is. Spending hours at a bar (and probably $25+ on food and drinks) to watch the Penguins game doesn't appeal to me and really isn't practical. Honestly, the reason I probably wasn't as excited about the Pens' win is because there was a family situation this weekend (everything is okay and may be a future blog post), and my mind was preoccupied with that and an appointment on Monday morning.
This post seems a bit depressing. Sorry. I'm happy that the Penguins won. I really am. I'm happy that Crosby and Malkin were able to "secure their legacies" and that Marc-Andre Fleury got another Cup. That Matt Cullen at age 40 won again and long-time NHL vets like Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit won their first titles after about a combined 25 years in the league. Chris Kunitz has 4 Cups! Matt Murray has played in only 62 regular season games and has two championships. This Pens team is extremely likable (even for those of you who hate Crosby, you can read this), so good for them and Pens fans.
So congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins! Now here are some pictures to commemorate the championship.
Welcome to part two of my interview of Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog. You can check out part one by clicking here.
This could be completely inaccurate, but my perception is that Ukraine isn't in the news much these days. What is the latest there?
Ukraine has been off the news since the Minsk II agreement in February. I’ve felt for a while that the European powers would rather the Ukrainian crisis go away. The only reason they reluctantly responded with sanctions is because of American pressure and the downing of MH 17 by the rebels using Russian supplied Buk missiles. The EU is in no position to inherit a political and economic basket case like Ukraine except to open its markets to free trade. Sure, they would ideally like to see Ukraine adopt European political and legal standards, but I don’t really see any EU invitation coming. Nor do I see a NATO invite coming for a long time, if ever. Putin put the kibosh on that by showing he was willing to support a proxy war in the east. No one in Europe or the US is willing to go to war with Russia over Ukraine, except for neoconservative hawks, Russophobes, and Cold War re-enactors. This is why the US response has mostly been lukewarm. Ukraine might matter in the geopolitical game board of Risk, but Ukraine is not a vital object of US interests, regardless of Russian paranoid induced fantasies. Plus the US can’t even contain the Middle East. We won’t even mention Africa, which will be the next theater in the “war on terror.” Sure Obama had to do something in response to Crimea and certainly to MH 17. Being the global hegemon comes with that kind of obligation. Sanctions and attempts at isolating Russia from the “West” are pretty much all the US can do. The Obama Administration has the power to subordinate Russia but the will isn’t there because the costs are way too high. The US and EU will sell out Ukraine eventually, and it will be done quietly as not to be perceived as not being tough with Putin. We see indications of this already. In the last few months in particular, the French and Germans have been putting more pressure on Kiev to comply with the Minsk II agreement. The US has almost completely disengaged diplomatically though it still engages in backroom machinations in terms of guiding the outer contours of Ukrainian politics (as best it can) and, mainly, influencing the neoliberal institutional and economic reforms (as best it can). Ukraine remains a pet project for a handful of American Russia obsessed imperialists who salivate at the prospect of Russia’s collapse and neoliberals searching for “live experiments” for their defunct doctrines. But the whole of the American foreign policy establishment has moved on, if they were really ever “on” in the first place. The Ukrainian populace is also tired of the war and polls show that the majority want some kind of resolution in the Donbas. Even the Russians are backing off as attention turns to Putin’s Syria adventure.
Indeed, Ukraine has mostly fallen victim to Syria, which I’m sure is a secret big relief for many in Brussels, Paris, Berlin, and Washington. This is not to say that they would rather deal with the refugee crisis and the Syrian civil war. But Russia’s involvement in Syria allows for a potential diplomatic deal with Moscow. There have been hints of this in the press. Putin may be willing to trade Assad for a neutral Ukraine and some kind of de facto recognition of Crimea. Putin’s main condition will probably be that Moscow has some say so over a post-Assad Syria, in whatever political or geographical form it takes. If a deal is able to be struck (the Americans would have to get the Turks and Saudis to go along), the West can quietly let Ukraine go. That is a big if, though, and a lot of it depends on how far the Russians are willing to go to prop up Assad. Russia faces the danger of getting sucked in to Syria as the Americans, Turks and Saudis double down and prolong the conflict. Ironically, what might happen in Syria is exactly what some were saying would happen if the US supplied weapons to the Ukrainians. Now the situation is reversed.
In all, I think we’re seeing the twilight of the Ukrainian crisis unless something brash and unforeseen occurs. It will likely continue on a low simmer for a while which will benefit Putin. In fact, I’m sure there are Russian elites eagerly waiting for the Russian state to aid in the rebuilding of the Donbas so they can pillage the kitty. This is what happened in Sochi and I’m sure is happening in Crimea. War presents all sorts of economic opportunities and I’m sure there is a tacit agreement between Putin and his elite that they will get access to the spoils in the Donbas in exchange for their loyalty. The only problem with all this is that Russia doesn’t have the money since oil and gas prices are so low. Nevertheless, the opportunity is there.
In regard to Syria, the propaganda response in the US has been incredible. The ramping up of the Russian propaganda machine is expected, because as I said above, this is one of the few mechanisms the Russian state has at creating consensus. But in America, it has been clumsy and transparent—the transformation of jihadists into “moderate rebels” or just “rebels” and the constant harping on the fact that the Russians aren’t hitting ISIS like they said they would. I mean it has been really pathetic. I think this desperate response by the entire US ideological state apparatuses is in part due to Russia interfering on US turf, and by doing so revealing the utter failure of US power projection in the Middle East. You can see this in all the rhetoric about Putin outfoxing Obama, winning, “not letting him get away with it,” etc. It’s like the US’ collective masculinity was insulted by the bare-chested Slav on horseback.
You've spent the past few years in Pittsburgh and I understand that you speak Russia fluently. So have you met and talked with Evgeni Malkin?
I’ve been in Pittsburgh for four years. It’s a great place and we decided to stay. The one (of many) things about Pittsburgh that disturbs me is how racially segregated it is. This is not to say that LA isn’t segregated. It is. But LA is a multiracial and multiethnic, albeit balkanized city. Here it’s just black and white. And frankly I’m not so comfortable with all these—what my mother would call—white-white people.
I don’t speak Russian fluently. I wish! I have a constant battle with the language even after all these years. I read a lot better than I speak. I’ve been in Russia for a year at two different intervals—2004-2005 and 2009-2010, in addition to several shorter trips. My Russian got quite good in that period. I think the only solution is for me to spend some extended time in country, and by extended time, I mean 3-5 years. That’s not going to happen under my current situation. I sometimes wonder if I’ll ever get a chance to go back. Maybe when my daughter is older and she can appreciate it. This is too bad because I really enjoy being there. It’s a fabulous country despite all its flaws. In all, I’m just not good with languages. I’m always amazed by those people who have picking up languages as their superpower. Unfortunately, I think languages are my kryptonite.
I’ve never met Evgeni Malkin.
The Original Hot Dog: Great place to get a hot dog and fries or greatest place for a hot dog and fries?
It’s okay. (Sean's note: It's better than okay!) I’ve been there a few times. Honestly, no fast food anywhere beats In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles. N-o-w-h-e-r-e. Five Guys is a decent substitute. But still . . . I don’t miss a lot of things about LA except three things: In-N-Out, the Lakers, and the weather. Oh, perhaps medical marijuana as well.
(Sean's Note: In-N-Out is very, very good though I'll take the O Fries over In-N-Out fries.)
It seems like your blog has been pretty quiet lately. Are you currently working on anything for the site?
I’ve been real busy this summer. I was in Tanzania for ten days. It was absolutely amazing. I’ve always wanted to go to the African continent so this trip was very special for me. Then my wife and I bought a new house in East Liberty. Moving and setting up the house has taken a lot of time and has been my singular focus for the last two months.
But I’m now starting to reemerge from my hole. I’ve started up the podcast again and I will be writing more.
The big project ahead of me, however, has nothing to do with Russia. I’m embarking on a research project into American non-profit funding of Israeli settlements for the organization my wife works for, Partners for Progressive Israel. The idea is to track, collect, and make publically available information about the non-profit organizations that provide funds to organizations that send money to settlements. Our goal is to make this information available in a searchable database. We’re only getting started and it probably won’t be until sometime next year before it’s done.
Thanks again to Sean for taking the time to participate in this interview. These two posts are probably the most thoughtful entries on my blog ever. I'll get back to my usual posts about kids and other stuff in my life next week.
If I am you source for Pittsburgh Penguins coverage, you probably didn't realize that the NHL season even started based on my lack of posts about the team. While I can't say that this will change in the near future, I felt the need to share this amazing goal by Evgeni Malkin during last night's 6-3 victory against the Colorado Avalanche.
Since I’m a soccer referee, several people have asked me over the last few days to explain the call by referee Koman Coulibaly during the US-Slovenia game which nullified Maurice Edu’s probable game-winning goal. I’ve got nothing. He definitely blew the whistle before the ball went into the net, but if anything, the call should have resulted in an American penalty kick.
On the topic of the US-Slovenia game, Landon Donovan’s goal (and this picture) was just awesome.
The best quote about the goal came from Tom Dart of the London Times. "The match was transformed after 48 minutes when Donovan capitalised on a defensive slip to race clear on the right. He leathered his shot into the roof of the net so forcefully that [goalie] Samir Handanovic appeared to decide not to try to save it for fear that the ball might amputate one of his hands."
Donovan’s goal reminded me a lot of Evgeni Malkin’s goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2008 NHL playoffs. I think Malkin and Donovan just thought, I'm going to hit this as hard as I can and dare you to stop it. Take that!
I watched the US-Slovenia match at one of the best known soccer bars in the DC area. Despite this fact, someone yelled "c'mon ref throw the flag" after a Slovenian player fouled Jozy Altidore. He was not joking.
Play-by-play guy Martin Tyler, who called the Brazil-Ivory Coast and US-England matches, is really good.
However, where is JP Dellacamera, America’s best soccer play-by-play announcer?
I love the exchanging of jerseys after World Cup games. If I’m playing against England, I’m immediately running over to Wayne Rooney at the conclusion of the match to get his jersey. Now the question I have is what the players do with the jerseys after the game. Do they wash and frame them or do they put them on Ebay?
Look at the possible jerseys in Group G. If I’m a North Korean player, I’m getting an Ivory Coast Didier Drogba jersey; a Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal jersey and a jersey of just about any Brazilian player (let’s say Kaka, mostly since it's fun to say Kaka). Of course, Kim Jong-Il will probably just take those jerseys after the team returns home.
Before or after nearly every commercial break as part of the ESPN/ABC coverage, there is a 5-second song played over the World Cup logo. Does anyone know the lyrics? For all I know, they are singing, buy Coca-Cola now. At this point, I think I’d even settle for the language of the lyrics.
The New Oxford American Dictionary announces the word of the year annually. The 2009 word of the year was unfriend. The 2010 word of the year has to be vuvuzela, right?
Speaking of vuvuzelas, they have been banned from Wimbledon.
You may or may not know that the French team is a disaster. Striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home the team director resigned and the team refused to practice on Sunday. If anyone from Ireland or Irish soccer fans read this, are you happy to see the French mess or are you upset that Ireland arguably should be in South Africa instead of France (or both)?
Finally, here's the scenarios by which the U.S. can advance to the knockout stages (courtesy of Deadspin).
Slovenia is in the driver's seat in group C, with 4 points. The US and England each have 2, and Algeria 1. This puts the USA in control of their own destiny, because
If the US wins, they're through to the round of 16. A win would give us 5 points in the group. With England and Slovenia playing each other, there's no way both could finish with more points.
If the US loses, they're out. Ceding three points to Algeria lets them leapfrog us, and we're unable to catch Slovenia, no matter what they do in their final game.
The US could also draw their final game (they've shown themselves quite proficient at that). That's where things get complicated.
If the US draws, and England beats Slovenia, they're out. England would finish with 5, Slovenia with 4, and the USMNT with 3.
If the US draws, and Slovenia beats England, they're through to the round of 16. Slovenia would win the group with 7, the US with 3, and England and Algeria with 2 apiece.
If the US draws, and Slovenia and England draw, it comes down to tiebreakers. Slovenia would win the group with 5, and England and America would be tied with 3. Here are the variables:
•The first tiebreaker is goal differential. The US and England would have tied all three matches, so we move on. •The second tiebreaker is goals scored. After two games, the US has scored 3, while England has scored 1. That looks good for the US, as long as the England/Slovenia match isn't high-scoring. It's possible for England and Slovenia to finish 3-3, and the US/Algeria to finish 0-0. In that case England would move on. If England/Slovenia finished, say, 2-2 and the US plays a scoreless draw, we move on to the next tiebreaker. •The third tiebreaker is points obtained in head-to-head matches. The US and England tied, so we move on. •The fourth tiebreaker is goal differential in head-to-head matches. Again, a tie. •The fifth tiebreaker is goals scored head-to-head. That's one apiece, so we move on.
If the US and England are still tied after all the tiebreakers, FIFA draws lots to determine who moves on. Yes, at the most important sporting event in the world, a coin will be flipped to decide the winner.
I’m generally a positive person, and I hope that my posts reflect this. Sure, I may complain about the Metro or the Pittsburgh Pirates on occasion, but I tend not to write discourteous posts about sports teams and their fan bases. However, to paraphrase the great E.U. in their classic 1988 hit, this post got a big ol’ butt (oh yeah). As a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, I’m happy that the Washington Capitals lost to the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night. This is schadenfreude at its best.
I don’t know why it is, but I generally dislike Capitals fans. Perhaps it’s the fact that I attended several Caps games a year earlier this decade, and except for games against the Penguins where Pittsburgh fans took up half the building, there were a lot of empty seats. Maybe it’s because the majority of DC sports fans and media only started talking about and following the Caps 2+ years ago. No, I think it’s the way Caps fans think the Caps are the best team ever (though they won’t admit that today) and like to disparage the Penguins at every opportunity.
I’ll give you an example. I know someone who was born in Western Pennsylvania and is a huge Steelers fan. She is also one of the most rationale and intelligent people I know. However, she is also a Capitals fan and openly mocks Penguins captain Sidney Crosby by referring to him as Cindy.
In full disclosure, as a hockey fan, I would have loved to see a Capitals-Penguins Eastern Conference final this season. Each game would have been the lead on SportsCenter and the most talked about story in sports. The Crosby-Alex Ovechkin match-up is always awesome to watch. However, as a Pens fan, I’m happy that the Pens now have home-ice advantage for the next two rounds (not that this helped Washington much).
If any Caps fans are reading this, I’m sure that if the situation was reversed and the Pittsburgh Penguins won the President’s Trophy for best team in the NHL and then lost in the first round to a team that finished 33 points behind you in the standings, you would feel the same way. I guess the difference is that even if Montreal defeats Pittsburgh in the next round, Pens fans can always look at the Stanley Cup and see the names Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin & Mike Zigomanis on it from the 2008-2009 championship.
It seems like the Penguins were raising the Stanley Cup only yesterday, yet the NHL regular season starts tonight. Yes, really. I’m being serious. Anyway, I asked some of my favorite writers/bloggers/people who follow the Penguins their thoughts about the 2009-2010 Penguins season. Before we begin, allow me to introduce the panel.
Leahy - 41 goals, 74 assists, 125 points, another Art Ross Trophy and three total Russian models bagged. Smizik - 31-70--105 Vince - Well I initially had Janne set to put up 72G 60A (132pts), and Janne is about 10% better than Malkin (1 Malkin = .9 Janne's) so that would mean that Malkin would put up around 119 points, so we'll say 50 Goals and 69 Assists.
Damian - 103 - 46 goals 58 assists. Hooks - 36 goals, 80 assists = 116 points (Crosby throws up 42 goals, 78 assists and wins the scoring title though) Pat - 40 Goals, 78 Assists, 1 boarding penalty after he gets sick of Ovechkin and 3 blown tires (not as much as he used to blow out when he was a rookie). Seth - Not to be generic but 40-60-100 Jeff - 53g, 80a, 133p (Crosby: 44g, 92a, 136p; Ovechkin: 70g, 57a, 127p) Sean - 43 goals, 79 assists = 122 points and a second Art Ross Trophy.
2. Number of Eric Godard penalty minutes.
Leahy - I can see Godard's appearances drop a bit and after last season's 171 PIM's, I think he'll crush enough skulls to warrant 145 PIM's. Smizik - 215 Vince - 20... He'll be moved by the 12th game when they realize that Mike Rupp has the same physicality and more of an offensive upsides. Damian - 193 PM's. Hooks - 120 PIMs....Not many, I see Rupp and even Biz Nasty stealing a lot of Godard's limited minutes and nights in the lineup Pat - None - he took Orpik's Crazy Eyes training this summer and no one will go near him this season. Seth - 156 Jeff - 171 (haha... he's had this many the past 2 seasons) Sean - 135
3. Who will lead the team in blocked shots?
Leahy - If he can stay healthy, Jay McKee will rule this category. Smizik - Jay McKee Vince - Marc-Andre Fleury Damian - Jay McKee, no questions no how. He serves no other purpose, well... Hooks - Jay McKee leads the team in blocked shots by far, even when he misses 15 games from an injury he got by blocking a shot. Pat - Fleury better stop the most shots from the other team! But seriously, you'd be dumb not to say McKee, so I'll say he gets hurt and Mark Eaton leads the team. Seth - Mark Eaton. He'll take over as the shutdown defender. Jeff - Mark Eaton Sean - Mark Eaton (but not this Mark Eaton)
4. Bill Guerin: The greatest player to wear #13 in Pittsburgh history?
Leahy - Charlie Simmer was pretty darn good in his career, but only spent one year in the 'Burgh. Billy G was a key component of the team last year and I think a full year of him alongside Sid will be fruitful.
Smizik - I think Dan Marino has a teensy edge on Guerin. I'd put Guerin tied for second with Nate McLouth, just ahead of Chico Lind.
Vince - Danny Marino not only put up stud like numbers when he played for Pitt, but he did all that while snorting enough coke to have him fall to 27th in the draft and being passed up by his hometown team who was currently being led by the likes of Cliff Stoudt and Mark Malone. Seriously, look at all the jokes drafted before him. He musta been king of the rails... Sorry Billy G, gotta give the props to the hometown boy.
Damian - To be as up front as possible, I don't recall another #13, let alone the best. But my memory is in fact be limited. I blame the children, and lack of information on the internet.
Hooks - Dad scored Pat - I thought only numbers 66 and up mattered for forwards in Pittsburgh... Seth - There's not a lot of competition for the number (only three other players have worn it in team history) so I guess you could say it is Guerin. But special consideration should be given to Charlie Simmer simply because he was married to 1981 Playmate of the Year, Terri Welles.
Jeff - Tough one because we had Charlie Simmer, but I will go with Bill Guerin. Sean - Definitely Dan Marino and not just because I would rather see him wear Isotoner gloves than see Bill Guerin naked in ESPN the Magazine.
5. Will this be the year that Sidney Crosby's playoff beard looks like an actual beard?
Leahy - I think he's better off using beard clippings from Max Talbot. Smizik - No, 2015 Vince - Tim Hortons doesn't put enough hormones in their food... So unless he switches over to McDonalds or Wendy's for the majority of his food, I'm gonna have to say no. Damian - Absolutely not. Crosby is like me with the baby-face syndrome. He will have nothing substantive till about the age of 25. Hooks - Still the envy of 14 year old Mexican boys everywhere. Pat - Heck no. He may never be able to grow a beard. I have a buddy who is in his 30s and doesn't have to shave for nearly a month. We pay attention to Sid's beard more for the comedy value. The screaming masses really want to know if Evgeni can grow one. Seth - No. 2035. Jeff - Haha... no. Sean - Um, no.
6. Season prediction (please include the number of team points and place in the standings) and any other thoughts.
Leahy - 1st in the Atlantic, 2nd in the Prince of Wales Conference, and a record of 47-25-10-104 pts Smizik - 43-29-10---96, 4th in conference Vince - We'll get 97 points and end up in 4th place, meanwhile the Washington Capitals will win the east and think they are the best team ever cause they dominate in regular season hockey then in the first round they will be eliminated by NJ, NYR or Philly. We will go back to the cup and beat Chicago in Pittsburgh in 6 games.
Meanwhile across the seas Janne Pesonen will put up 49 goals and 62 assists in their 56 game season, not only helping the AK BARS recapture the Gagarin cup, but also helping Finland upset both Canada and USSR in the Olympics for the Gold. This will lead to him being signed to a 1-way contract to the NHL for the 2010 season where he will win hart, lady byng, selke, masterson, pearson, ross, richard, and lester patrick trophies, but his team will be eliminated from the playoffs by the Penguins on their way to #3.
Damian - I said it here, I'll say it again. The Pens are the favorite for the division. Though they didn't take the division last year (yet won the Cup), and had a strong advantage the year before (yet didn't win the Cup), I think they will once again show themselves approved this year and take the Atlantic again. Staal, Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury are 21, 22, 23, 24 respectively, that's a core do absolutely die for. And with 2 Stanley Cup appearances at such young ages, they can only get better individually and collectively.
Hooks - 102 points, 1st in the Atlantic (2nd in the East)....playoffs are a crapshoot, anything could happen but they should be in good shape for another run if the health holds up
Pat - This is the season they have a strong, steady and consistent regular season followed by an excellent post-season. I'll say first in the conference (112 pts) and straight through to the Cup.
Seth - I hate predictions so I don't endorse this in any way. 47-25-10. 104 points. Second place in the Eastern Conference.
Jeff - 52-23-7, 111pts, 1st in Eastern Conference.
Sean - 99 points; 4th in the conference. Plus, Coach Dan Bylsma will eat many burritos.
Feel free to add your own predictions in the comments section below. Go Pens!
Our search for a new home may be over. The only problem is that the commute from Earleville, Maryland would be rough. Oh, there may be one other problem.
The 38,000 square foot, 9 bedroom/9 bathroom/3 half-bathroom mansion is just slightly out of our price range. The list price: $34,500,000!
This home is "a classical masterpiece by famed architect David Easton a two time winner of the coveted Arthur Ross award celebrating excellence in the classical tradition."
So what is better: David Easton winning the Arthur Ross award twice or Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin winning the Art Ross Trophy once?
To all Pittsburgh Penguins fans including the amazing Penguins blogs such as The Pensblog, Empty Netters, Mondesi’s House, PensBurgh and the others listed on the Pittsburgh Sports links to the right:
During the team picture portion of the Stanley Cup celebration, one man stood out to me more than anyone else. It wasn't Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or even Mario Lemieux. It is the man with long blond hair all the way on the left side of the picture below directly in front of the gentleman wearing a gray suit. Does anyone know who this is? Is he a player, coach, staff member or just someone lucky enough to receive the Stanley Cup Champion T-shirt and hat and be a part of Penguins history?
I was awake earlier Sunday than I am during the work week since I was scheduled to referee several adult co-ed soccer games. There were thunderstorms in the middle of the night, but the phone lines and websites of the referee assigner, soccer league and county all indicated that the field was open. So, of course, I arrive at the field around 7:35am only to find that it was unplayable and unsafe due to standing water throughout the field.
Since I was already awake and had a few hours to kill, I went to Wegmans...dressed in my soccer referee uniform.
(This is just some random picture I found from Google images; however, this is what the uniform looks like without that silly green thing on the guy's wrist. Plus, I have a little more hair than this guy.)
I received several strange looks (I think it was the high socks), but otherwise, it was quiet at the grocery store that early in the morning. However, at the register, the guy in front of me asked if my game got rained out. What I said was yes. What I wanted to say was no, I’m actually "refing" the game right now.
The guy ended up being cool, but by last night, I was exhausted. I fell asleep on the couch just after the Red Wings scored their 3rd goal and didn't wake up until there was 10 seconds left and for some reason, the Wings were on a 5-on-3 power play. (I later learned that I missed the Malkin-Zetterberg fight. By the way, is Zetterberg going to cover the puck in the crease during every game of this series? So far, he's 2 for 2.)
Now I wait and see if I receive any money for not working the soccer games.
Here's a great video spoofing* the Budweiser Drinkability** advertisements:
The only problems is that I can't get past the guy's jersey since there has never been a Pittsburgh Penguin who wore #73. Was he trying to wear a Kip Miller or Jarrko Ruutu jersey but got the numbers reversed?
To start 2009, I thought I would share real searches, generally from Google and Yahoo, that people used to find and visit Sean’s Ramblings
How do I return a movie to Redbox?
I know this is difficult so here are detailed instructions. Go to your nearest ATM, insert your debit card and enter your pin number. Select deposit and then place your Redbox movie into the deposit slot. That’s it!
What year did burritos start?
1998. There were no burritos before that year.
Daniel Sepulveda girlfriend
If she has a strong leg, perhaps she could punt against the Chargers on Sunday.
bathrooms on the fairfax connector buses
That’s cute.
Evgeni Malkin fort pitt tunnel
Over the past few games, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins couldn’t score a goal if the net was as large as the Fort Pitt tunnel.
crazy daisy sharm el sheikh egypt
So Daisy of Rock of Love 2 went to Egypt?
I hate manipulative people
Really? Well, I love manipulative people. Take that!
Steeler bohemian
I don’t know what this is but I’m guessing Edie Brickell is involved.
ziggy toy cat
Ziggy’s not a toy cat; he’s a real cat.
are you gellin? bitch get back to sellin
This may be the strangest search ever to find my website. I don’t have anything else to add.
That’s all I have for now. Trivia Tuesday will return next week and look for my annual State of the Ramblings sometime soon.
Did you know that Yahoo has an advice columnist? Me neither. Did you know that said columnist is the daughter of Ann Landers? The better question is did you know that Ann Landers has a daughter and that she is following in her mother’s footsteps?
DEAR MARGO: I have been dating a guy for two years, and when we met, everything was perfection. We have had ups and downs, of course, but I feel there's one thing that is always putting a strain on our life: My boyfriend is totally obsessed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Everything he does revolves around them, from the clothes he wears each day (always a Penguins hat and/or shirt) to the car he drives (his license plate boasts the name of his favorite player) to his room, which is covered floor to ceiling with 8 by 10 pictures, jerseys in cases, pucks, sticks, game-used skates and hockey cards. He needs to go to all the home games (42-plus over eight months), and he goes alone because he only has one ticket. His hockey mania takes a huge toll on our relationship because it involves a large chunk of time away from "us." We both work and go to school, so our time is limited, but the Penguin season in the mix makes it much worse. I end up feeling unimportant to him -- almost as if he has a second girlfriend and he's cheating on me with "her." Please help me find a way to make him understand my feelings and to lessen the strain on our relationship. --- OFF-SEASON-ONLY GIRLFRIEND
DEAR OFF: You have my sympathies. A former husband was also obsessed with hockey ... about which I knew nothing. In fact, I remember watching the first game he took me to for a while and then blurting, "My God! They're on skates!" I suspect that even if your boyfriend had two tickets it would not solve your problem. Your guy sounds like such a jock and a fanatic that my hunch is the romance cannot last. No offense, but the Penguins seem to have edged you out in terms of where he puts his energy and spends his time. I suspect he already understands your feelings, and that a relationship is not so important to him. I am guessing the only way you could see more of him is if you ran the Zamboni machine.
Margo is anti-hockey and based on this believes that Off-Season-Only Girlfriend needs to end the relationship. Perhaps she should meet with her Yahoo colleague, Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy, to learn more about the game. However, let’s just take a look at the relationship. Have we as a society learned nothing from the terrible movie (but terrific book) Fever Pitch? There is certainly a way to mix fandom and relationships. I think the larger issue here is that the boyfriend only has a single ticket. The root of the problem is that Off-Season-Only does not have the opportunity to join her boyfriend at the Penguins games. If she could share in the joy of watching Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin live with her boyfriend, the relationship would be fine.
Actually, maybe Margo is right. Off-Season-Only is writing Margo asking her to “help me find a way to make him understand my feelings.” If she can’t communicate her feelings to her boyfriend, maybe he’s better off without her.
h/t Amy
It turns out Pensburgh already wrote about this. That's OK as I'm sure more people out there will agree with me!
Since I moved to the Washington DC area several years ago, I have attended the Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins games whenever possible. There are thousands of other Pittsburgh transplants living in the area, so I have even arranged to buy group tickets through the Capitals for these games. For Capitals fans out there who aren’t happy about this arrangement of having Penguins fans buy tickets (that of course help pay the salaries of Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin and Cristobel Huet, I mean, Jose Theodore), you’ll be glad to know that there are generally a couple of token Caps fans as part of our group.
Anyway, a few weeks ago, I contacted my Caps’ ticket representative about purchasing tickets for the Penguins-Capitals games for the 2008-2009 season. Unlike the past few years, where we would receive discounted tickets for purchasing in bulk, this is not the case anymore. Apparently, the Penguins games as well as several other games during the season (I believe the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers games, but I have not confirmed this) are now considered premium games. Therefore, not only are there no discounts for buying group tickets for the Penguins games, there is an additional cost of $15 per ticket. Furthermore, to purchase group tickets for the Penguins games, you would also have to buy group tickets for another non-premium game. So where last year tickets cost about $20 for a Pens-Caps game, you would now need to spend $65 for two games. While I would still consider paying the $65 for two games since I really enjoy watching Ovechkin play, I doubt that I can find enough people in my group who would be willing to spend this much when they really want to see Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins.
I would say that I’m upset about this ticket increase, but I understand that Ted Leonsis needs to make some money. It’s not just Leonsis as this is part of sports today. I saw the Cincinnati Bengals do this a few years ago when they finally got tired of seeing tens of thousands of Steelers fans in their home stadium. In addition, the Student Rush program for Penguins games in Pittsburgh has been cut back dramatically. Until the end of last season, the only Capitals games I have seen sell out since I moved here are the Penguins games, primarily because of the influx of Pittsburgh fans buying tickets. Now that the Capitals are good for the first time in years, they feel like they can force fans to spend money on games that won’t draw as well (ex. Florida Panthers). They may be right too. Any hockey fan in Washington wants to see the Capitals and Penguins in person, so they will sell out regardless of the price. I guess that I’m just a little disappointed seeing that I have purchased tickets for the Capitals for the past few years, and now that they finally made the playoffs, the prices are going up.
Update:Puck Daddy, the best hockey blog out there, has more about the ticket increase.
What a tough way to end the season. I can’t write that I’m upset because the Penguins playoff run has been incredible. It’s not like the Penguins were heavily favored and lost tough game sevens like they did in 1993 to the New York Islanders or in 1996 to the Florida Panthers. Despite not winning the Stanley Cup, 2007-2008 really was an amazing season. Personally, I’m going to remember the unbelievable game five win, "The Shift" by Brooks Orpik, Malkin’s breakaway, slap shot goal from game one of the Flyers series, the Winter Classic victory on New Year’s and watching the Penguins defeat the Capitals twice in person in Washington (including the Backstrom own goal game).
If you’re looking for something positive, hopefully you will never see another commercial for The Love Guru, hear the California Soul song from the Dockers ad, see the ridiculous Edge shaving cream spot or question why the US Women’s soccer team would drive to Brazil instead of flying.
Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have defeated the New York Rangers, we can all focus on the Eastern conference final between the Pens and the Philadelphia Flyers. For those of you seeking storylines for the series, let me be of assistance of what you will hear from sportscasters and writers over the next week.
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are both located in Pennsylvania, or some variation of this such as the battle of Pennsylvania or the Keystone State rivalry. Let’s face it: this is truly a battle between fans that choose pop versus fans who say soda.
In the Eastern conference semi-finals, Jordan Staal of the Penguins defeated his older brother Marc Staal of the Rangers. Jordan Staal has no siblings on the Flyers. (Or does he? [dramatic pause] No he does not.)
The Flyers’ R.J. Umberger is the Pittsburgh area. Specifically, Umberger is from Plum, which was on of the high schools that my high school faced regularly in sporting events (the last part will not be mentioned during any broadcasts).
Former Penguin Joe Mullen is now an assistant coach for the Flyers.
The last time the Penguins and Flyers met in the playoffs was the 1999-2000 season when the Flyers defeated Pittsburgh 4-2 in the conference semi-finals. The Penguins fourth leading playoff scorer during that post-season? Janne Laukkanen. (This useless piece of trivia will also not be discussed during any playoff coverage. In case you were wondering, Jagr led the Pens with 16 points in 11 playoff games followed by Martin Straka and Jan Hrdina with 12 points each.) Personally, I hope Versus or NBC shows footage of the epic 1989 series when the Flyers defeated the Penguins in seven games in the Patrick Division finals.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are both young and very good.
The last name of Philadelphia’s Joffrey Lupul is a palindrome.
Riley Cote (202 penalty minutes during the regular season) and Georges Laraque (1,037 career penalty minutes) could fight. Of course, Laraque may be practicing more yoga lately as he amazingly has no penalty minutes so far this postseason.
This car commerical features Pittsburgh Penguins Colby Armstrong, Max Talbot, Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin. Talbot (the second player in the video) may consider the acting profession after his hockey career ends. (via Scribbled Noise)
All the Sunday morning news shows are obviously talking about Barack Obama's impressive win in South Carolina. However, I want to point out that Joe Biden, who quit the race several weeks ago, defeated Dennis Kucinich, who dropped out on Friday, 694-552 to finish in fifth place. (Bill Richardson received 727 votes to finish in fourth.)
Welcome to Sean's Ramblings! If you're looking for thoughts on pop culture, music, fun and informative links, random DC and Pittsburgh info, sports (particularly Pittsburgh sports), and just what's going on in my life, then you're come to the right place.
Any questions, comments or links? Contact me at seanramblings[at]yahoo[dot]com.
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