Thursday, June 29, 2006

Predict-o-Matic WC06

Okay, so my Quarterfinal predictions were pretty crappy - I went 4-4. But in my defense:
  • the Italy-Australia match was crazy - nearing the end, Australia was in the driver's seat. If it had gone to extra time I am sure Australia would have won. Nevertheless, the winning goal was correctly called, heartbreaking, but correct.
  • the Netherlands might have made a comeback had the two teams been playing an actual game of soccer.
  • the Switzerland-Ukraine game was the ultimate toss-up and I even called their parity.
I've got nothing on France. They surprised me. I made the wrong call. But being wrong has never felt so right, as they say. Allez Les Bleus!

So, let's put my predicting skills to the test yet again.... my Semifinal picks:
Germany - Argentina
  • This might be a toss-up.
  • Germany has been looking better than I had originally thought. Again, they've got home field advantage.
  • Argentina have been excellent. I hope they start Messi and/or Tevez.
Italy - Ukraine
  • Ukraine is, as the Beatles say, getting better all the time. They are the dark horse.
  • Italy are missing a key starting defender in Materazzi. All the pressure is on them as well - no one's really expecting Ukraine to win.
  • It might come down to the wire, but I think Ukraine has it in them
England - Portugal
  • England has shown that they are a fairly good team, although maybe not performing to their full potential.
  • Portugal is hurtin'. No Deco. No Costinha. Possibly no Ronaldo (although reports are saying he has an 80% chance of returning). Maybe they'll lose their heads again, too. Who knows?
Brazil - France
  • Again, a tough call. I want France to win, but the question is can they?
  • France have been looking better. They have finally found some offence, particularly in Ribery. All they need is for Henry to light it up (and stay onside, for that matter).
  • Brazil is just too good. THEY'RE TOO GOOD!!!
  • Everytime I doubt France, they storm back. I hope it works again this time.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

A Good Ol' Game of Cards

Portugal 1:0 Netherlands

OH BOY! I knew this game was going to be a close and interesting one, but I thought it was going to be because of smart and sharp play from both sides. Little did I expect the hackfest that it was. Sixteen bookings. Four sendings-off. Some missed calls and many missed opportunities.

In my opinion, the officiating was good. There were not any remarkably bad calls, but there was just so much off-the-ball happenings that it might have been impossible to keep a high level of control. It was ugly.

I predicted a Netherlands win, but that was only because I wanted them to win a little bit more. I thought they were technically and tactically matched coming in, and nothing on the pitch really proved otherwise. I was surprised that Ruud van Nistelrooij didn't make an appearance, and I was disappointed that the Netherlands couldn't capitalize on their man advantages. Kudos to the Portuguese defense, though. They held the Dutch off beautifully (when they weren't fouling them, that is).

Despite his pretty face and sweet soccer skillz, I have never really liked Cristiano Ronaldo. I find him showy and cocky and a bit of a drama queen. But after he had to leave today's game because of injury, my opinion of him swayed slightly. He cried and I found that somewhat endearing. I know what it's like to want to play for your team and I can only image the heightened passion of wanting to play for your country; not being able to do so because of something out of your hands is devastating. This guy loves the game and his country, and that I can respect.

Friday, June 23, 2006

To the Nitty Gritty

Today marked the end of the group stage at the World Cup, so I am now able to see how my predictions compared to the results.

To see the actual results, go here.

Here are my predictions for the group rankings (those in yellow represent correct predictions):

Group A
Germany
Poland
Ecuador
Costa Rica

Group B
England
Sweden
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago


Group C
Netherlands
Argentina
Serbia and Montenegro
Ivory Coast

Group D
Portugal
Mexico

Iran
Angola

Group E
Czech Republic
Italy
Ghana
USA

Group F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan

Group G
France
Switzerland
Korea Republic
Togo

Group H
Spain
Ukraine
Saudi Arabia
Tunisia

Ranking Record: 15-17 = 0.469 - not so hot

As for my predictions for the Round of 16 (those team in pink represent incorrect predictions - actual advancing team in parentheses):
Argentina

Brazil
Croatia (Australia)
Czech Republic (Ghana)
England
France
Germany
Italy
Mexico
Netherlands
Poland (Ecuador)
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine

Round of 16 Record: 13-3 = 0.813 - better

My Quarterfinal predictions (predicted winner in green):
Germany - Sweden
England - Ecuador
Argentina - Mexico
Portugal - Netherlands
Italy - Australia
Brazil - Ghana
Spain -
France
Switzerland - Ukraine

I'm not too sure about the Portugal-Netherlands game; it really could go either way. I'm giving Australia the "upset" over Italy because of their momentum. And sorry, France, but even though you did well in your last group match, I have not yet regained a whole lot of faith. I hope you can prove me wrong, though. Switzerland-Ukraine is also a little up in the air... Switzerland's defence might outshine Ukraine's offence.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Krista McBlogWriter

To overcome the nuissance of having two games broadcast simultaneously, my father and I made arrangements so we could watch both at once (see left). We watch one of the games with sound, and glance back and forth during natural breaks in each game. I was surprised at how easy it was to follow both games.

I accidentally slept in this morning and missed the first halves of the Czech Republic-Italy and Ghana-USA games. No biggie, though; the more exciting matches were on this afternoon.

Japan 1:4 Brazil
Finally, Brazil, finally! And all it took was a hole out of which to dig yourselves. That was the Brazil everyone was expecting. And who better than Fatty McAnxietyAttack (aka Ronaldo) to step into the spotlight with two goals?



Australia 2:2 Croatia
I thought that I would be backing Les Bleus de la belle France with gusto and ferver, but after they put out two far-less-than-impressive performances I can now only hope that the gods of good fortune are shining down on them. What I didn't expect was to cheer for the Socceroos almost insanely. I was screaming at the televsion, clenching my jaw, covering my eyes, sitting on my hands. This match was pretty intense: the whole Australia-Croatia connection and referee Graham Poll (Cranky McCardFlasher). It started off okay... not too many cards, not quite the hackfest it was expected to be. Croatia scored quickly, after which Australia dominated possession. I wasn't impressed with Huddink's decision to replace number one keeper Schwarzer with Beanpole McBallFumbler (Kalac) - The Socceroos might have taken three points if it weren't for his blunder. The match ended well - Kewell's sweet sweet goal and lots of cards. And most importantly, Australia's berth into the Round of 16.

Speaking of which, my predictions, thus far, are proving to be okay, my rankings not so great. But more on that later.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Yeah. Whatever. We have, like, FIVE, anyway.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Not Yet Sick of Sports

France 1:1 Korea Republic
Zut alors! Mon dieu! Merde!
For the love of France, what happened? I'm not saying that France deserved to win nor do I want to discredit the Koreans, but, come on, WIN ALREADY! Somebody please perform the Heimlich: France has been choking for far too long. I honestly thought that Henry's early goal was going to open the floodgates. Yet, they just sat on it, hoped it would be enough, hoped they could keep the Koreans at bay for eight-one more minutes. And Zizou, ZIZOU!! What were you thinking? Were you even thinking? His yellow card-offense was senseless, completely and utterly senseless. It was an unnecessary foul - not even a tackle. And he knew he had another yellow on his record. It's like he wanted to get it, he wanted to miss the next match and ensure a French demise... he's sending a message to Domenech: do not resuscitate.

Brazil 2:0 Australia
I'll admit it: I bought into the Brazil hype. I thought they were going to be unstoppable, unbelievable, amazing, beautiful, etc. But, you know, I am not impressed. Are there too many big names? I don't know. Have they just not got their rhythm? I don't know. They have shown flashes of brilliance, but few and far between. Their defense looks pedestrian at times. Their biggest name, Ronaldinho, has yet to hit the mark or leave a mark. It's lucky that they have come out with two wins. Then again, it's winning that matters; effort stays unmentioned on the scoreboard. If anything, it's a meeting with Argentina that everyone should be avoiding.

Croatia 0:0 Japan
One of the more exciting matches I have seen so far. There's something about the tension in a scoreless game that is unlike the tension in a one-goal-game... It's not more intense, per se, but you know that breaking the tension is going to feel that much more sensational. Of course, there is the anticlimactic punch in the gut when the final whistle blows, the score unchanged: it's over, you're winded, and there's nothing you can do about it.

None of the groups have been truly decided yet, though some teams will be playing for jack in the third group round. Some groups are still completely wide open, which makes for more crazy go nuts fun.

Oh, Oilers, how you make me so happy. I don't know what to say. Sorry, I guess, for doubting you ever so slightly. Thank you for being so resilient and getting this far. Now it has all come down to one game. I won't make solid a prediction, but I will speculate a little. Carolina will not play as they did last night - no chance. They have the home crowd, they have the slump to get out of. Accordingly, Edmonton will not play as they did last night. They have some momentum and a glorious story to finish, but will it be enough? Who knows? I hope it's an even game. I hope it's physical and I hope the officiating is better. I hope it's exciting and nail-biting and cardiac arrest-inducing. I hope to be puking my guts out with anxiety. And I hope for a win.

Friday, June 16, 2006

New and Not-So-New

If you read this blog with any regularity, you will have noticed that I changed my template. Not only was the other one a lot a bit boring, this one reminds me of a microarray, which in turn reminds me of my love for microbiology and science.

World Cup: More wrenches are being thrown! Even though I said that my predictions were virtually baseless, I thought that they were at least safe. Ecuador won again, advancing themselves; Poland lost, ensuring their demise. Trinidad and Tobago are still in it, too. Argentina is going crazy - their match versus the Netherlands is going to be very interesting. Angola is playing well, too. They held Portugal in their opener for most of the game, losing only by a goal in the end, and they are curretnly holding Mexico in the same fashion (although Mexico is arguably not quite in this game). I'm excited about this weekend's matches.

Hockey: Oilers are still "in it." Maybe it's better to say that they are not "out of it." Whichever; it's not over. They are still facing elimination, but they might have the edge in Game 6 - home ice, home crowd, momentum from a big Game 4 win. GO OILERS GO!!!

Other:
-While I am glad that Nicole is doing well in la belle France, I am excited for her return home. I miss her dearly.
-I have somehow become involved in Yahoo! Answers. It's kind of a dumb idea - I'm sure many of the questions people ask can be answered with a simple search engine search.... some people ask some lame questions..... some people give some lame answers. But it's also kind of fun reading what people have to ask, seeing if you know what others don't and vice versa.
-I have periodically been involved in some healthy and what I find interesting banter about avian flu with a fellow blogger. It started here and continues here.
-I am getting sick sick sick of this weather. Ugh.

Monday, June 12, 2006

The Best Tournament in the World

And here I thought I was going to go blog crazy once this gem of a competition started. I contemplated doing game analyses, but since my readership is quite low it would ultimately be for my own reading. Stage 1, the group stage, is far from being complete, but already some teams are throwing a wrench in my predictions: Ecuador, Trinidad & Tobago, Australia. Everything else, though, has gone according to plan.

I have watched all the games thus far, and the best that I have seen were the T&T-Sweden match and the USA-Czech Republic match. T&T-Sweden ended in a nil-nil draw. T&T outwilled Sweden: not a favourite, number two keeper,down a man for almost an entire half, very little possession, but they still came out even. There were many, many Swedish chances, and fantastic goaltending from the T&T keeper, Hislop. The USA-Czech Republic game was a spectacle of fine team play from the Czechs. They beat the Americans 3-0. And not to discredit the American team (they did have some quality chances), but I think they lost on account of poor tactics and poor adaptation. Their set plays were never a threat. Almost every corner and every free kick in a potentially threatening area was a short pass that resulted in nothing. They also tried and continued to try to play the ground game while they were getting killed by the Czechs' aerial game.

Another game of note: Ghana 0-2 Italy. Ghana looked very strong. I was impressed. Good possession, good netminding, good passing. They just need a finisher. It couldn't have been a one-goal game if it weren't for that defensive blunder.

Tomorrow, Mes Bleus are finally taking the field against Switzerland. Brazil is also playing (against Croatia). There has been a lot of assumptions about Brazil: it's genereally accepted that they are going to take their group handily, which is spurring a lot of talk about who they will face in the next round and how teams in Group E are going to have to play in order to avoid meeting them. I would love nothing more for Brazil to lose a game, to finish second, or not even move on at all. But that might be just a crazy girl's fancy because they are that good.

There is also an Oilers' game tonight. I, unfortunately, have a soccer game at 6:30, and will thus miss watching the game in its entirety. It seems sad that I watched the previous three series with such gusto, and this one, the BIG ONE, I am not able to watch at all. It's probably the most interesting one yet, too. But, I suppose there is little I can do about it.

I watched bits and pieces of the last game, and was pleased that the Oilers won. They looked like they were supposed to, and I hope they can continue that play tonight. And Jussi - good on ya, kiddo (maybe just try to look a bit better outside the blue). If he has a repeat performance I will awe him as I awed Roli when he stepped in up at the beginning of the playoffs. Matt Greene also started to show his worth. I was a little disappointed with Hemsky, though. Dangle it! Shoot it! Do anything except lose it! Show us how brilliant we know you are!

Vive la France!! Go Oilers!!

Thursday, June 08, 2006

World Cup 2006

The last time this wondrous tournament was upon us I was just finishing up the eleventh grade and had recently turned 16. Just a child. Since it was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, I had to wake up hours before school to take in as much live action as possible, and even still, I didn't get to see as much of it as I would have liked. This time around, however, I am a much older child that has neither the host's time zone nor school to get in the way of watching this tournament in its entirety. I have made the TV schedule to hang on my fridge and I've set my alarm.

Soccer and hockey are sort in balance as my favourite sport duo. While I watch more hockey than I do soccer, I am probably more technically and tactically knowledgeable in soccer, having played it for many years. But as I do not watch soccer that often (occasional EPL, La Liga, and Serie A games and practically zero international games), I am entitled to make only virtually baseless predictions, but predictions nonetheless.

Henceforth I shall rank the teams in each group in the order I think the will finish Stage 1, thus indiciating who I see going on to the Round of 16, and I shall provide reasons, if any, for my choices. (For more entertaining predictions check out mon ami, Cyrille de Lasteyrie at Bonjour America.)

Group A
Germany
Poland
Ecuador
Costa Rica
  • I don't know very much about Ecuador or Costa Rica, but their warm up matches have not been particularly impressive.
  • I also know little about Poland except that they too have had less that impressive warm up matches, and that I cannot pronounce many of their names.
  • I will give Germany home field advantage, and the fact that they have weaker opponents, even though they will not have captain Ballack and their goalie has admitted having problems handling the newly designed World Cup ball.
Group B
England
Sweden
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago
  • Although England has not fared especially well in recent international competitions, I think they have a pretty tight squad this time around, even without Rooney. They have a very solid midfield with the likes of Gerrard (even if he's potentially out), Beckham, and Lampard, and some pretty good strikers too - Crouch and Owen. Not to mention Campbell on defense; he's a beast.
  • I know Sweden is good, but I don't know much about them. They've got Larsson and Ibrahimovic (remember that Euro 2004 goal???).
  • I know nothing about Paraguay and T&T.
Group C
Netherlands
Argentina
Serbia and Montenegro
Ivory Coast
  • Holland is a pretty good team: Van der Sar in net, van Nistelrooy, Robben, van Bronckhorst. Although, it's beyond me why Davids and Seedorf aren't there....
  • I don't think debutants S&M and Ivory Coast are going to fare that well, so Argentina gets second place by default (though they're not bad, either - Crespo and Cambiasso)
Group D
Portugal
Mexico
Iran
Angola
  • Portugal has Figo, FIGO!!!! And Ronaldo. And Valente. And Maniche. And Gomes. And Pauleta.
  • I don't know much about Mexico, but I'm not so certain that they'll hold that second place finish. I think Iran might surprise everybody.
  • As much as I would like Angola to do well, I somehow just don't see it.
Group E
Czech Republic
Italy
Ghana
USA
  • Sorry USA. It's not that I don't like Americans. I just don't think you're going to do well.
  • I think Ghana is the best African team in the tournament, but they won't advance on account of having the Czechs and Italians in their group. I think they will surprise many as well.
  • Italy always fairs quite well. Plus Totti seems hopeful to play (I watched the match where he busted up his leg/ankle. It was pretty brutal).
  • I just love the Czechs. Nedved. Cech. Baros. Koller.
Group F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan
  • As much as I would like to see Australia advance (I like Kewell and Viduka), I don't think they can take Croatia. Brazil is a bit of a no-brainer: defending champs, Ronaldhino - possibly the best player in the world right now, Adriano, Kaka, Gilberto, etc. They look good on paper and on the pitch. Too bad I don't like them.
  • I really think Japan will finish last not because they are not a strong squad, but just because the others are stronger.
Group G
France
Switzerland
Korea Republic
Togo
  • Vive la France!!! Allez les bleus! I will be behind France 100%. I love them. I love Zizou. I love Henry. I love Saha. I love Cisse even though he's out with a broken leg. I love them all.
  • I don't know much about the rest of the group. Korea and Switzerland might be interchangeable in their rankings, though.
Group H
Spain
Ukraine
Saudi Arabia
Tunisia
  • I like Spain. They've got Raul, who I'd marry if I could. And Casillas in net. And Alonso. And Puyol.
  • Ukraine gets second place because I don't think Saudi Arabia and Tunisia stand a chance, really. They do have Shevchenko, though.
So, to recap, my predictions for the Round of 16 are (in alphabetical order):
Argentina
Brazil
Croatia
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Italy
Mexico
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine

After Stage 1 I will compare my predictions to the results and then make some more predictions for Stage 2.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

AH ZUT! - The Sequel

I nearly cried. Seriously.

I was happy that Jussi started, and I don't think that blow-out was his fault whatsoever. It was the team's fault. They had no chance with undisciplined play like that. They didn't give Jussi a chance; they didn't give themselves a chance.
I thought they were looking for the "perfect" play... too many passes, or ATTEMPTED passes that bounced off the Carolina defenders (but kudos to them for fixin' up, lookin' sharp). I mean, those weren't even the Oilers I know and love. They were the evil, android Oilers.

I don't know if I can still see that glimmer of hope. I mean, it is a similar situation to the San Jose series, but, I hate to say it, there is no Roloson. Regardless, if the Oilers want to win a game or the Cup they have to stick to what they know. Physical play, strong forechecking, capitalizing on those odd-man rushes, better penalty killing - or better yet, more disciplined play as to give up fewer penalties!

The Hurricanes might feel about fifty feet tall after that shut out win - we're just gonna have to bite them in the ankles.

Monday, June 05, 2006

AH ZUT!

I only saw the first period and three quarters of the second, and I thought, "Wow. No rust. Good forecheck. Physical play from both sides. This is going to be a good series." While I still think it has the potential to be a good series, I can't say that I am as hopeful as I was. I didn't get the chance to see the Oilers crumble and I shed a little tear when I heard the Roloson news. I don't think Conklin can be a scapegoat here, either. It was 4-4 when Roli went down. The lead had been blown, the game was their's to lose. Of course, not all hope is lost. Oilers did outplay the Hurricans for a better portion of the game. They need to work on that powerplay, though. Roli is definitely a significant loss... a touted shoe-in for the Conn Smythe.... I don't think anyone even considered losing him to injury, and that's exactly why it happened. I can only hope that Markkanen starts the next game; I have never fully trusted Conklin. Too bad Morrison is gone; I think he would have made the best replacement. Plus, the Oilers know what it's like to come back from losing the series opener. In fact, I think they play better from behind, evidenced by their superb play against Detroit and San Jose. They weren't as good against Anaheim.

But, it just wasn't in the stars tonight, I guess. Plus, things were too out of whack, inside and outside of the game. Inside: Mick McGeough reffing for the first time in the Finals; Mick McGeough awarding a penalty shot in the Finals; Chris Pronger taking and scoring on said penalty shot. Outside: Edmonton's sudden weather change; my soccer team, who normally has 0-3 substitutes, arrived at a rainy, windy field with 6 subsitutes to play the worst team in the league, which fielded only 9 players. Although seemingly trivial, it's these types of things that upset the balance of the universe. It's true.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

A Desperation Move

My aforementioned eagerness to blog has not e-manifested itself over the past few days because I haven't thought of a single thing thing to blog about - I have thought of many. But they are undeveloped (note: not undevelopable) ideas; I couldn't stretch an individual idea out long enough to be worthy of a post. Hence my desperation move: I will discuss them all, disconnected as they may be.

Hockey: I am having some withdrawal issues, but there are a mere day away from being solved. I am having some scheduling issues, and there are likely to be left unsolved. My soccer schedule coincides almost uncannily with the Monday and Saturday instalments of the series. Which gets me to another tangentially related point: I hear a lot of commentary on the fact that should this series go to seven games, the Cup will be awarded on June 19, which is "late." Yes, it is late, considering the Oilers won their first cup before the end of May. But, if the league were to keep with the pattern of game-no game and the series were to go to seven games, the Cup will still be awarded on June 17. And if it had started on June 3 and it went to seven games, it would still end on the 13th. As for the series itself.... I don't really know what to expect. As I have mentioned, I think Carolina has three really good lines. But, I mean, look at Edmonton's own scoring depth. So, sort of nullified..... It should be pretty physical. I'm itching to see if Cam Ward can find his groove again... not that I want him to. I want to see Samsonov score more goals while continuing to set them up. And I want to see Hemsky dangle it. Goodness! I get this unbelievably excited feeling when he has the puck, but it usually ends abruptly with him passing it off, or failing to follow through. And hopefully some more people will "kick it up a notch"... like Torres and Dvorak. Uh...that's all I've got.

Reading: Each summer I make a list of books that I plan to read before school starts again because I find it impossible to include pleasure-reading in my academic routine (yet TV always seems to make its way in.... funny how that works). So far I have accomplished little. I have read The Da Vinci Code and 1984 (for the second time). I have started the annual re-read of the Harry Potter series, but that is taking a surprisingly long time. I think I am looking forward to the later books (GOF, OOTP, and HBP) more than I am willing to get through the first three. I think I may be most excited about reading The Passions of the Mind by Irving Stone (a Sigmund Freud bio), though. My dad is reading it right now and he gets really revved up about it. He always has something from it to share with me and he is completely amazed with the genius of Freud.

Music: I am craving some new music. Last year, around this time, Coldplay's new album came out and it kind of became the soundtrack to my summer. Not that the songs necessarily reflected my life, but I always seemed to be listening to it. There hasn't been a similar summer release in 2006. Yes, Sam Roberts' AWESOME new album came out in April, but I have grown out of my infatuation with it (his concert was AMAZING, by the by). So I have resorted to listening to Coldplay's year-old album over and over. Good, but it's been done. I need the soundtrack to Summer 2006.

L'avenir: As some of the very few readers of this blog might know, today is my birthday. I am finally not a teenager. While the advent of my twenties has not been as hard-hitting as I thought it might be, it has still given me something to feel somewhat guilty about. My academic life is a year older than my biological life, by virtue of me skipping a grade. I have never really felt any younger than my peers, though. Not until now. I don't feel I have accomplished what I should have by this age, I guess. I don't have my drivers' licence. I've never really had a long stretch of employment... I've really never showed any flashes of independence, and I think it might stem from my aversion to planning. I think the most I have ever planned for something was my eighteenth birthday celebration, and that was really just purchasing movie tickets and making restaurant reservations a month in advance. I probably didn't even put that much thought into what I was going to study at university, evidenced by my multiple program changes (official and not). This guilt is making me worry about grad school especially. Will I go? If I don't, what will I do? Another degree? Med school, despite the fact that I keep saying I don't want to be a doctor? If I do, what will it be in? Where will it be? How will I finance it? Loans? Scholarships? Working for a year? Ugh. Enough. I will likely blog about this a lot more later.

Odds and Ends
  • Last night my soccer team beat the unbeatable. We shut out the shut-out-ers. We were brilliant. I think it was l'esprit français that got us through it. I almost scored, too.
  • I just found out that the second season of Lost is not coming out on DVD until October. Aaaaah. How am I going to watch it all with a degree to finish? As for why I didn't just watch it as it aired, school got in the way.
  • World Cup 2006 is a mere 5 days away. Eep! I'll probably have a lot more to say about it once it starts (I went blog-crazy for Euro 2004).
If you have made it this far, congratualtions! You have won the chance to give me a birthday comment, sucka!