Due to the Olympics, my whole sports attention was focused on Beijing. I completely forgot that other sports existed (hence why I haven’t said one word about the Red Sox or soccer). So, I was caught off-guard when my father mentioned the Clemson game for this coming Saturday. I had forgotten that college football was right around the corner.
For those of you who know me, this means one thing, the first edition of Trent’s Touchdown. I’ll run down the top six weekly match-ups and throw in an extra point at the end. Anyway, enough with the babbling, on to the Touchdown (all game are Saturday unless otherwise noted).
1) Alabama (24) vs. Clemson (9) (in Atlanta) (8:00 on ABC) – Ever since Clemson got their clock cleaned by Auburn in the Peach Bowl; I’ve been looking forward to this game. We all know how good Clemson will be on both sides of the ball, but their offensive line is suspect. In order to win, they need to open holes for James Davis and give Harper time to throw. I don’t exactly trust their linebacking core either. Alabama had a disappointing year in terms of record, but they kept every game close and had a great recruiting class. There running game is solid if John Parker Wilson is having accuracy problems. They’ll give Clemson a test, but the Tigers should win.
2) Missouri (6) at Illinois (20) (in St. Louis) (8:30 on ESPN) – What a change 12 months makes. Last year, no one really cared for either of these teams, now; they’re both in the top 25. Missouri is lead by QB Chase Daniel, who will be in the running for the Heisman Trophy. The no huddle, spread offense of Missouri should cause Illinois fits. However, Illinois will counter with Juice Williams, who either finally made the leap last year or just flashed in the pan. Williams is trying to develop himself into a pocket passer, which should be fun to watch. I have $5 that says he’s running around before the end of the First Quarter.
3) Appalachian State at LSU (7) (5:00 on ESPN) – Oh come on, I had to mention it. LSU will utterly thrash them, but after what happened in Ann Arbor, this game needed to make the list.
4) USC (3) at Virginia (3:30 on ABC) – Of all the things that have made me start to turn against USC, I do love there non-conference schedule this year. They travel to Virginia and then get home games against Notre Dame and Ohio State. Once again, USC implants yet another All-American into the QB spot, giving Mark Sanchez his due (I like Mitch Mustain). Though there offense will be a question mark until we actually see something, there defense will be top notch. While Virginia got by last year on guile and experience, they won’t have the same luck this year as they only have 10 starters returning. Look for USC to walk on this one.
5) Hawaii at Florida (5) (12:30 on ESPN Gameplan) – This game comes a season too late for Hawaii. After being ridiculed for a marshmallow schedule last year, Hawaii finally reins in a real opponent, yet without Colt Brennan or June Jones. Florida on the other hand has the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and one of the best offenses in the country. While there defense is questionable, Hawaii should give them some good practice, which they will need before taking on the SEC.
6) Tennessee (18) at UCLA (8:00 on ESPN) – Once again, I’ll give props to Tennessee for opening against a real opponent. How Tennessee won the SEC East last year is still a mystery to me, but don’t expect a repeat. With Erik Ainge gone, Tennessee hands the reins over to Jonathan Crompton, who will try and get the ball to Arian Foster and just stand aside. Normally, I would give UCLA a chance, but since they really don’t have a QB (apologies to Kevin Craft), I really don’t expect much from them.
Extra Point:
7) The extra point will be the same lament I have every year at this time. It’s tough picking good games at the beginning of the year since most colleges pick teams like St. Mary’s Nunnery as opponents. While this does have its problems (look at Hawaii last year), most teams face no ill effects from this. While we all want the Appalachian State/Michigan replay, that only happens once in a lifetime. So, major props to USC going out and taking on all comers. If they win it all, no one can complain about their schedule. Well, someone will complain, but we just won’t listen to them.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Nastia Liukin Was Robbed
Location: Red Army Listening Post #37 – Beijing Municipality
Transmission: Beijing Police Department, Main Line
Time: 4:30 PM, Tuesday 19 August 2008
Transcribed and Translated By Corporal F. Xiang
Start Transmission
Male Caller: Hello, Beijing Police Department, this is Sergeant Fu, how may I help you?
Female Caller: Hello, my name is Nastia Liukin, and I would like to report a robbery.
Fu: Okay ma’am, I can help you. Can you please tell me where this robbery occurred?
Liukin: Yes, it occurred at the Gymnastics venue of the 2008 Summer Olympics at the uneven bars.
Fu: What was stolen?
Liukin: It was a small, round object, gold in color, hanging from a green sash, to be hung around the neck. It’s called the Gold Medal
Fu: Was anything left behind?
Liukin: I was left with the same sort of object, yet it was silver in color.
Fu: Do you have any idea who may have stolen you’re Gold Medal or where it may be now.
Liukin: Oh, I know. It’s currently around the neck of Chinese gymnast He Kexin and was stolen by the judges. I have a video tape of the whole incident if you want.
Fu: The tape would be helpful. Why would they steal this Gold Medal from you?
Liukin: Because they are incompetent.
Fu: That’s not really a reason. Plus, being incompetent isn’t against the law. If it were, 90% of the people would be in jail.
Liukin: But it was stolen from me! I put in a better routine, yet some judge from Australia who was probably thinking about kangaroo’s makes all the difference! Can you name a gymnast from Australia? I don’t think they even know what gymnastics is down there. That tie-breaker was crap.
Fu: True, but isn’t this judge a fully accredited and trusted member of the judging community? Didn’t you know the rules going into this?
Liukin: Well, yes, but that’s not the point. The top reward should go to the top performer.
Fu: Agreed, but you participated in an event where points are awarded based on perception and emotion. Next time, I suggest you pick a sport that is grounded in more solid rules of scoring. I hear swimming is popular.
Liukin: Why I never!
Fu: I’m going to be honest with you Ms. Liukin; nothing is going to happen here. We have been getting complaints like this all Olympics long. Listen, as much as I would like to listen to you rant all day….
Liukin: I’M NOT RANTING!
Fu: Sure you’re not. Anyway, I think I just heard someone say “Tibet” and that’s punishable by 10 years in prison, so I have to go.
Liukin: So, no gold medal for me?
Fu: Sorry. You may deserve it, but you’re not getting it.
Liukin: Alright.
Fu: Oh, one more thing. You think you could get me a date with Alicia Sacramone? I think she’s hot.
Liukin: ICK!!!
End Transmission.
Transmission: Beijing Police Department, Main Line
Time: 4:30 PM, Tuesday 19 August 2008
Transcribed and Translated By Corporal F. Xiang
Start Transmission
Male Caller: Hello, Beijing Police Department, this is Sergeant Fu, how may I help you?
Female Caller: Hello, my name is Nastia Liukin, and I would like to report a robbery.
Fu: Okay ma’am, I can help you. Can you please tell me where this robbery occurred?
Liukin: Yes, it occurred at the Gymnastics venue of the 2008 Summer Olympics at the uneven bars.
Fu: What was stolen?
Liukin: It was a small, round object, gold in color, hanging from a green sash, to be hung around the neck. It’s called the Gold Medal
Fu: Was anything left behind?
Liukin: I was left with the same sort of object, yet it was silver in color.
Fu: Do you have any idea who may have stolen you’re Gold Medal or where it may be now.
Liukin: Oh, I know. It’s currently around the neck of Chinese gymnast He Kexin and was stolen by the judges. I have a video tape of the whole incident if you want.
Fu: The tape would be helpful. Why would they steal this Gold Medal from you?
Liukin: Because they are incompetent.
Fu: That’s not really a reason. Plus, being incompetent isn’t against the law. If it were, 90% of the people would be in jail.
Liukin: But it was stolen from me! I put in a better routine, yet some judge from Australia who was probably thinking about kangaroo’s makes all the difference! Can you name a gymnast from Australia? I don’t think they even know what gymnastics is down there. That tie-breaker was crap.
Fu: True, but isn’t this judge a fully accredited and trusted member of the judging community? Didn’t you know the rules going into this?
Liukin: Well, yes, but that’s not the point. The top reward should go to the top performer.
Fu: Agreed, but you participated in an event where points are awarded based on perception and emotion. Next time, I suggest you pick a sport that is grounded in more solid rules of scoring. I hear swimming is popular.
Liukin: Why I never!
Fu: I’m going to be honest with you Ms. Liukin; nothing is going to happen here. We have been getting complaints like this all Olympics long. Listen, as much as I would like to listen to you rant all day….
Liukin: I’M NOT RANTING!
Fu: Sure you’re not. Anyway, I think I just heard someone say “Tibet” and that’s punishable by 10 years in prison, so I have to go.
Liukin: So, no gold medal for me?
Fu: Sorry. You may deserve it, but you’re not getting it.
Liukin: Alright.
Fu: Oh, one more thing. You think you could get me a date with Alicia Sacramone? I think she’s hot.
Liukin: ICK!!!
End Transmission.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Nastia Liukin Kills Story, Wins Gold
It was all laid out before me. Last night, while watching the Women’s All Around, I had the perfect story all planned out in my head. I had funny jokes and thoughtful insight. I planned on ranting about idiotic judges all while trying to convince faithful readers that I wasn’t a homer. Then, Nastia Liukin took it all away.
How, you may ask? She frakking threw down. After the first two events, I was sure she would have the gold stripped from her. She threw out big performances in both the vault and uneven bars and was given woefully undervalued scores. As an aside, Shawn Johnson wasn’t getting much better. Now, since I know absolutely nothing about gymnastics scoring, I like to turn to the announcers for help. However, when Tim Daggett is left wondering what the heck is going on, there really is no hope for someone like me.
The balance beam wasn’t looking pretty either, when Yang Yilin and Shawn Johnson got similar scores, even though Johnson’s routine was superior. However, Liukin came out and did what champions do. She gave the judges nothing but a great performance, a stuck landing, and a big middle finger to any judge who wanted to deduct too many points. Now we had to go to the floor routine to for the Gold.
The last three competitors on the floor routine were Yilin (in second place), Liukin (in first place), and Johnson (in third place). Yilan came out and gave a serviceable performance, but due to Liukin’s performance on the beam, left the door open for both Americans. Then Liukin came out and utter slammed the door on Yilan and Johnson, giving it everything and securing the Gold. Johnson came out, threw in a more difficult jump (which had the announcers wetting themselves) and snatched the Silver.
So, my dream of a snarky article about bias judges was destroyed by Nastia Liukin. All her hard work, dedication, and heart of a champion all derailed my petty and self-serving rant. I couldn’t be more proud. Way to go Nastia!!!!
How, you may ask? She frakking threw down. After the first two events, I was sure she would have the gold stripped from her. She threw out big performances in both the vault and uneven bars and was given woefully undervalued scores. As an aside, Shawn Johnson wasn’t getting much better. Now, since I know absolutely nothing about gymnastics scoring, I like to turn to the announcers for help. However, when Tim Daggett is left wondering what the heck is going on, there really is no hope for someone like me.
The balance beam wasn’t looking pretty either, when Yang Yilin and Shawn Johnson got similar scores, even though Johnson’s routine was superior. However, Liukin came out and did what champions do. She gave the judges nothing but a great performance, a stuck landing, and a big middle finger to any judge who wanted to deduct too many points. Now we had to go to the floor routine to for the Gold.
The last three competitors on the floor routine were Yilin (in second place), Liukin (in first place), and Johnson (in third place). Yilan came out and gave a serviceable performance, but due to Liukin’s performance on the beam, left the door open for both Americans. Then Liukin came out and utter slammed the door on Yilan and Johnson, giving it everything and securing the Gold. Johnson came out, threw in a more difficult jump (which had the announcers wetting themselves) and snatched the Silver.
So, my dream of a snarky article about bias judges was destroyed by Nastia Liukin. All her hard work, dedication, and heart of a champion all derailed my petty and self-serving rant. I couldn’t be more proud. Way to go Nastia!!!!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
2008 Summer Olympics: The First Six Days
For those of you have haven’t figured it out from my lengthy rants, I have an addictive personality. There are certain things I just latch on to and these things are varied. A short sampling would be sci-fi TV, apathy, and the Olympics. Oh yes, every two years, yours truly gets completely and utter obsessed with the Olympics. It is so bad, that before I moved in with the Duchess, I warned her that for two weeks every two years, I really wouldn’t move from in front of the TV. So today, I want to run down the various things we’ve seen so far at the Summer Games.
Swimming:
I hate to beat a dead horse here, but that 4 X 100 relay show-down between the French and the US was the best swimming match I’ve ever seen. Granted, I only watch during the Olympics, but that’s beside the point. The US team of Jason Lezak, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones, and…..darn it, I forget the fourth guy, it’ll come to me. Anyway, they heard what the French said about smashing them and decided to shove it down their throats. The man of that match was Lezak, who chased down one of the best closers in the world in Alain Bernard. I was completely blown away by that. I was giving up when they made the turn for the final 50 meters. The thing most impressive about that race is that the top 5 countries all beat the previous world record.
As for Katie Hoff, who is swimming so many races you would think she’s the only female swimmer, you almost feel sorry for her. Almost. Something about her bugs me. Maybe it’s the goggles indentation on her forehead, maybe it’s the fact she keeps popping up in every race, I don’t know. I do know that it isn’t so bad when she doesn’t win gold. Anytime she gets beaten by Natalie Coughlin is okay in my book.
And how about Brendan Hansen? What a disappointment in the breaststroke. Did you see when he….wait…..now I remember the fourth guy in the 4 X 100 relay. It was some kid named Phelps. Jim? Roger? No, it was Michael. That’s it.
You can’t really talk about Beijing without mentioning Phelps. The guy is unreal. There are really no words to describe him. It’s like he’s made it his personal mission to tell Ian Thorpe to “shove it”. He swam the 200 Butterfly with his goggles full of water and still set a world record. I’m starting to suspect we would need to take off an arm or something to even the playing field.
Oh yeah, Mark Spitz. SHUT THE HECK UP! Did you see that “do you know who I am?” interview? You were great once, but don’t keep mouthing off. Just go away. Do not compare yourself to Phelps in any way. The only reason you want to be there is so you can jump in the spotlight during this kid’s big moment. I want Phelps to get the 8 Golds just so I don’t have to hear Spitz’s name anymore.
Gymnastics:
If I started writing this last night, I would have completely ripped apart Alicia Sacramone, but not today, in the harsh light of morning. I feel sorry for her. All that hard work and sacrifice come down to these moments and it slipped through her fingers. She let her teammates down, her fans down, and herself down. She did something that very few of us ever do. She got up on the biggest stage and came away with a silver medal. So I say congratulation Alicia, you did your country proud.
As for the men, geez. Did anyone else see that Rings competition with the Chinese gymnast? The one that the announcer said he was “silly strong”? The one where he went from a Maltese Cross into an inverted Iron Cross without swinging his legs, just using pure muscle strength? It hurts just thinking about it.
While I give Sacramone a free pass, I really can’t do the same for Kevin Tan. He sat down on the pummel horse! That’s a no-no. I was watching his performance like a grizzled Red Sox fan prior to 2004, just waiting for the collapse. You knew it was coming, something just didn’t feel right. As soon as he took the seat, I threw up my arms and was like “I knew it”.
The reason for the difference is Sacramone was trying to do something to help her team, by trying a high risk, high reward mounting of the balance beam. Tan messed up a purely text book move on the horse, when all he needed as a serviceable routine to keep the US in contention for the Silver.
Other Sports:
Three cheers for the three US ladies who swept the women’s saber medals. Normally the sight of women swinging sabers outside the confines of a “Highlander” movie would give me the chills, but this was classic. I had trouble deciding who to root for in the final, when it was teammate vs. teammate. I finally settled on Zagunis for some odd reason. The best was when the three were interviewed by Bob Costas later and Zagunis got uncomfortable when Costas asked her about her boyfriend situation. Spot on Bob, spot on.
The best part of the Olympics is all the weird sports you get to watch. Nothing beats watching the French/Angola Women’s Handball match. How about a little Men’s Badminton? You gotta love Water Polo and Rowing. Everyone can dig a little Road Cycling. The list of obscure sports is staggering.
Beach Volleyball is the best. Instead of the talking about the US Men’s team dousing their drawers against Latvia or Kerri Walsh losing her wedding ring, I have to mention one classic moment. When Misti May let President Bush pat her on the backside, I nearly cried I was laughing so hard. No matter your feelings on the man, you have to love this. Two thoughts crossed my mind. One, thank God it wasn’t Bill Clinton. Two, it’s good to be President.
Swimming:
I hate to beat a dead horse here, but that 4 X 100 relay show-down between the French and the US was the best swimming match I’ve ever seen. Granted, I only watch during the Olympics, but that’s beside the point. The US team of Jason Lezak, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones, and…..darn it, I forget the fourth guy, it’ll come to me. Anyway, they heard what the French said about smashing them and decided to shove it down their throats. The man of that match was Lezak, who chased down one of the best closers in the world in Alain Bernard. I was completely blown away by that. I was giving up when they made the turn for the final 50 meters. The thing most impressive about that race is that the top 5 countries all beat the previous world record.
As for Katie Hoff, who is swimming so many races you would think she’s the only female swimmer, you almost feel sorry for her. Almost. Something about her bugs me. Maybe it’s the goggles indentation on her forehead, maybe it’s the fact she keeps popping up in every race, I don’t know. I do know that it isn’t so bad when she doesn’t win gold. Anytime she gets beaten by Natalie Coughlin is okay in my book.
And how about Brendan Hansen? What a disappointment in the breaststroke. Did you see when he….wait…..now I remember the fourth guy in the 4 X 100 relay. It was some kid named Phelps. Jim? Roger? No, it was Michael. That’s it.
You can’t really talk about Beijing without mentioning Phelps. The guy is unreal. There are really no words to describe him. It’s like he’s made it his personal mission to tell Ian Thorpe to “shove it”. He swam the 200 Butterfly with his goggles full of water and still set a world record. I’m starting to suspect we would need to take off an arm or something to even the playing field.
Oh yeah, Mark Spitz. SHUT THE HECK UP! Did you see that “do you know who I am?” interview? You were great once, but don’t keep mouthing off. Just go away. Do not compare yourself to Phelps in any way. The only reason you want to be there is so you can jump in the spotlight during this kid’s big moment. I want Phelps to get the 8 Golds just so I don’t have to hear Spitz’s name anymore.
Gymnastics:
If I started writing this last night, I would have completely ripped apart Alicia Sacramone, but not today, in the harsh light of morning. I feel sorry for her. All that hard work and sacrifice come down to these moments and it slipped through her fingers. She let her teammates down, her fans down, and herself down. She did something that very few of us ever do. She got up on the biggest stage and came away with a silver medal. So I say congratulation Alicia, you did your country proud.
As for the men, geez. Did anyone else see that Rings competition with the Chinese gymnast? The one that the announcer said he was “silly strong”? The one where he went from a Maltese Cross into an inverted Iron Cross without swinging his legs, just using pure muscle strength? It hurts just thinking about it.
While I give Sacramone a free pass, I really can’t do the same for Kevin Tan. He sat down on the pummel horse! That’s a no-no. I was watching his performance like a grizzled Red Sox fan prior to 2004, just waiting for the collapse. You knew it was coming, something just didn’t feel right. As soon as he took the seat, I threw up my arms and was like “I knew it”.
The reason for the difference is Sacramone was trying to do something to help her team, by trying a high risk, high reward mounting of the balance beam. Tan messed up a purely text book move on the horse, when all he needed as a serviceable routine to keep the US in contention for the Silver.
Other Sports:
Three cheers for the three US ladies who swept the women’s saber medals. Normally the sight of women swinging sabers outside the confines of a “Highlander” movie would give me the chills, but this was classic. I had trouble deciding who to root for in the final, when it was teammate vs. teammate. I finally settled on Zagunis for some odd reason. The best was when the three were interviewed by Bob Costas later and Zagunis got uncomfortable when Costas asked her about her boyfriend situation. Spot on Bob, spot on.
The best part of the Olympics is all the weird sports you get to watch. Nothing beats watching the French/Angola Women’s Handball match. How about a little Men’s Badminton? You gotta love Water Polo and Rowing. Everyone can dig a little Road Cycling. The list of obscure sports is staggering.
Beach Volleyball is the best. Instead of the talking about the US Men’s team dousing their drawers against Latvia or Kerri Walsh losing her wedding ring, I have to mention one classic moment. When Misti May let President Bush pat her on the backside, I nearly cried I was laughing so hard. No matter your feelings on the man, you have to love this. Two thoughts crossed my mind. One, thank God it wasn’t Bill Clinton. Two, it’s good to be President.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The New England Revolution Win Superliga. No, Really
Last night was the final match of Superliga between the New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo and I decided I needed to make a personal appearance. This was predicated on three distinct factors. One, the match was only available on a Spanish language television network that I don’t think exists. Two, it was probably the only chance I would ever have to actually see a Championship live and in person. Three, I had such a great time at the first Superliga match that I attended; so I just needed to make an appearance.
For those of you who don’t know what Superliga is, the top 4 teams in the Mexican league and the top 4 teams in Major League Soccer go at it in a poor man’s version of the UEFA Cup. Amazingly, the MLS version of the Buffalo Bills actually won the hardware this year, after beating the Dynamo in a shootout after the full 90 minutes and two 15 minute OT periods.
Instead of a cut and dry rundown on the 120 minute match (plus final shootout), I’m going to hand out awards in a manner I hope you will all find fun and entertaining (or hopelessly boring).
Best Goal of the Match – This is a tough one. On the basis of pure prettiness, you have to go with Steve Ralston’s goal in the 41st minute. It came at a nearly impossible angle and I was sure that even if you shot it, it would hit the side of the net. On the basis of momentum, it goes to Shalrie Joseph’s goal at the 102nd minute, only 4 minutes after the Dynamo went up 2-1 in the extra period.
Most Annoying Fan of the Match – The Englishman who sat behind me and commentated the whole match. It was extremely annoying. My personal favorite was when he said the EPL was better than the MLS. Gee, really? Next thing you know, he was going to tell me that the sun rose in the East that morning.
Worst Clearance of the Match – No doubt about it, it goes to Rev’s defender Amaechi Igwe. The Dynamo sent a long free kick into the Rev’s penalty area, which Igwe ran onto and flicked back over his head (I have no idea why) and it just stopped dead. Dynamo Forward Nate Jacqua, who was making his run, happened upon this gift and easily put it past Matt Reis in the 18th minute.
Player of the Match for the Revs – As much as I hate giving it to the guy with the stats, it has to go to Steve Ralston. He had the pretty goal to even it at 1-1 in the 1st half, and then served up the assist off a free kick to Joseph’s head to tie it at 2-2. Number two would be forward Mauricio Castro. Only played 70 minutes, but he was running all over the field, causing havoc for the Dynamo defenders. That’s the stuff you don’t see on the score sheet.
Worse Man-Crush of the Match – The Englishman behind me had a huge crush on Dewayne De Rosario. Everything he did was “pretty” or “amazing” or “outstanding”. I mean, he’s good, but this guy was about 5 minutes away from picking out a China pattern.
Player of the Match for the Dynamo – Man-Crush aside, I have to give it to De Rosario. He did all the things you want. He opened up the offense, he made runs, he caused fits for the defenders, and he kept going for the full 120 minutes. Number two would be Rev’s defender Amaechi Igwe. He did everything to help the Dynamo. If the game had gone any longer, I’m sure he would have scored an own goal.
Best Quote of the Match #1 – As the second OT period was winding down, I turned to the Duchess and said “If this goes to a shoot-out, it’ll be like Man U/Chelsea, except on a much, much smaller scale.” She rolled her eyes. Hey, what are girlfriends for?
Best Quote of the Match #2 – Near the beginning of the match, the aforementioned Englishman was asked by his daughter which player was De Rosario. His answer was “The one with the ponytail.” Um, there was no player on the pitch with a ponytail. This was nearly as classic as the Trinidad & Tobago/US World Cup Qualifier I was at when some guy was praising Dwight Yorke for some play that Stern John had made. When I finally pointed out this error to him, he stayed quiet for the rest of the match. Good times.
For those of you who don’t know what Superliga is, the top 4 teams in the Mexican league and the top 4 teams in Major League Soccer go at it in a poor man’s version of the UEFA Cup. Amazingly, the MLS version of the Buffalo Bills actually won the hardware this year, after beating the Dynamo in a shootout after the full 90 minutes and two 15 minute OT periods.
Instead of a cut and dry rundown on the 120 minute match (plus final shootout), I’m going to hand out awards in a manner I hope you will all find fun and entertaining (or hopelessly boring).
Best Goal of the Match – This is a tough one. On the basis of pure prettiness, you have to go with Steve Ralston’s goal in the 41st minute. It came at a nearly impossible angle and I was sure that even if you shot it, it would hit the side of the net. On the basis of momentum, it goes to Shalrie Joseph’s goal at the 102nd minute, only 4 minutes after the Dynamo went up 2-1 in the extra period.
Most Annoying Fan of the Match – The Englishman who sat behind me and commentated the whole match. It was extremely annoying. My personal favorite was when he said the EPL was better than the MLS. Gee, really? Next thing you know, he was going to tell me that the sun rose in the East that morning.
Worst Clearance of the Match – No doubt about it, it goes to Rev’s defender Amaechi Igwe. The Dynamo sent a long free kick into the Rev’s penalty area, which Igwe ran onto and flicked back over his head (I have no idea why) and it just stopped dead. Dynamo Forward Nate Jacqua, who was making his run, happened upon this gift and easily put it past Matt Reis in the 18th minute.
Player of the Match for the Revs – As much as I hate giving it to the guy with the stats, it has to go to Steve Ralston. He had the pretty goal to even it at 1-1 in the 1st half, and then served up the assist off a free kick to Joseph’s head to tie it at 2-2. Number two would be forward Mauricio Castro. Only played 70 minutes, but he was running all over the field, causing havoc for the Dynamo defenders. That’s the stuff you don’t see on the score sheet.
Worse Man-Crush of the Match – The Englishman behind me had a huge crush on Dewayne De Rosario. Everything he did was “pretty” or “amazing” or “outstanding”. I mean, he’s good, but this guy was about 5 minutes away from picking out a China pattern.
Player of the Match for the Dynamo – Man-Crush aside, I have to give it to De Rosario. He did all the things you want. He opened up the offense, he made runs, he caused fits for the defenders, and he kept going for the full 120 minutes. Number two would be Rev’s defender Amaechi Igwe. He did everything to help the Dynamo. If the game had gone any longer, I’m sure he would have scored an own goal.
Best Quote of the Match #1 – As the second OT period was winding down, I turned to the Duchess and said “If this goes to a shoot-out, it’ll be like Man U/Chelsea, except on a much, much smaller scale.” She rolled her eyes. Hey, what are girlfriends for?
Best Quote of the Match #2 – Near the beginning of the match, the aforementioned Englishman was asked by his daughter which player was De Rosario. His answer was “The one with the ponytail.” Um, there was no player on the pitch with a ponytail. This was nearly as classic as the Trinidad & Tobago/US World Cup Qualifier I was at when some guy was praising Dwight Yorke for some play that Stern John had made. When I finally pointed out this error to him, he stayed quiet for the rest of the match. Good times.
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