It took me a while, but I've finally reorganized the links and blogroll on the right. The categories aren't exact, and I may still move things around. I've added a number of new art blogs, and I have a few more I want to add to the various lists.
World Cup festivities underway
Oscar Wilde: "Football is all very well as a game for rough girls, but is hardly suitable for delicate boys."
The 2006 FIFA World Cup has gotten underway today in Germany, amidst all the fears about racist violence, terrorist attacks, and bribery and corruption. Bernie notes that in the main Americans won't really be watching and offers some cogent reasons why. Perhaps the seed were planted early for me: I come from a soccer-loving region of the country, played soccer as a child and teenager, had a schoolmate who played professional soccer, idolized Pelé, and followed the NASL, the various versions of the Major Indoor Soccer League, and the earliest years of the MSL. European and American soccer games used to come on TV in St. Louis during the 1970s and early 1980s; I can vividly recall the play-by-play person bellowing the name of one of the New York Cosmos's stars, the great "Franz Beckenbauer," through the screen and across the room. I still do root for Arsenal in the English premier league. So I guess I don't care that this won't be as nationally galvanizing a sporting or entertainment spectacle as the Super Bowl (which I did watch) or NBA Finals (which I haven't watched at all), even though a decent American squad is competing and could actually win a few games or more. I'm perfectly willing to sit with the rest of the world, the ones who have access to TV screens, and enjoy the matches. I watched part of the opening game, pitting Group A teams Germany against Costa Rica, which the host team won 4-2 in its "secret capital," Munich, through excellent play and timely goals from Philipp Lahm, a pair from Miroslav Klose, and a gamebreaker from Torsten Frings. Paulo Wanchope heroically knocked in both of Costa Rica's goals.
GER : CRC, 8 June 2006, Munich, Germany
GONZALEZ Leonardo (CRC), PORRAS Jose (CRC), MARIN Luis (CRC), UMANA Michael (CRC), WANCHOPE Paulo (CRC), KLOSE Miroslav (GER) Copyright: AFP / afp.com
GER : CRC, 8 June 2006, Munich, Germany
MARIN Luis (CRC), PODOLSKI Lukas (GER) Copyright: AFP / afp.com
I didn't see the second game today, but Ecuador whooped Poland 2-0 on a goal in the first half by by Carlos Tenorio and in the second half by Augustin Delgado. Germany and Ecuador look to be the favorites in this group.
POL : ECU, 8 June 2006, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
DELGADO Agustin (ECU), MENDEZ Edison (ECU) Copyright: AFP / afp.com
POL : ECU, 8 June 2006, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
ESPINOZA Giovanny (ECU), BROZEK Pawel (POL) Copyright: AFP / afp.com
Tomorrow, Groups B and C commence play, with B teams England's drama-plagued squad going against Paraguay, unheralded Trinidad and Tobago playing Sweden, while C team Argentina will try to make a statement in its game against Ivory Coast.
House of Boateng
Sundance Channel continues its run of original shows this June 22 with House of Boateng, a reality show centered on the life and career of top Savile Row fashion designer and pioneer Ozwald Boateng. The promos running on Sundance promise "high fashion" and "higher drama" as the eight-series documentary tracks Boateng's attempts to establish his Bespoke Couture line in the US. (According to the Top 100 Black Britons site, he coined the term "bespoke couturier.")I'm not sure which I'm more curious to see, Boateng's special line of clothes and how they go over in the US, or the TV reality-show version of his life....
what an awesome goal by frings eh?
ReplyDeleteFrings's goal was impressive. Germany definitely had Costa Rica's number. Bernie, will you not have any cable access? Have a great trip!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about Germany and Costa Rica, and you are very right about the "secret capital" of Germany.
ReplyDeleteVery, very, very, right.
those are some awesome pics! am bummed that ESPN does not show the games as much (or often) as the canadian channels (my buddies to the north), which have apparently synchronized their schedule to show every single game!
ReplyDeleteon a diff note, that Ozwald Boateng show sounds very intriguing. Sundance Channel has been putting on some great shows and would be interested in seeing how this goes.
Thanks anonymous. ESPN isn't showing all the games, but Univision is. My Spanish isn't sharp enough to catch all of what they're saying, but the beauty of soccer is that you can pretty much catch all of what's going on even with the sound off, though I wouldn't trade the announcers' "Gooooooooooooolllllllllllll" for anything.
ReplyDelete