O/T Eurocup & Bisons Thread
by APV
on Jun 25, 2008 1:53 PM EDT
Consider this a match thread for the semi-finals of the Eurocup, beginning at 2:30 this afternoon. Also, to keep it somewhat baseball related, we can follow Buffalo's game this afternoon which begins at 2 (Jeff "sure to win our hearts" Harris is on the mound for the Bisons). My two favorite teams got knocked out in the quarters (Netherlands and Croatia), so I've got no strong opinions on any of the remaining squads. It'd be fun to see Turkey beat Germany, but they've got so many guys out for today's match that I find that very unlikely. Russia's played very solid football, but I feel obliged to root for Spain. I hope Spain plays more animated football than they did in the quarterfinal matchup with Italy, which was extremely boring. Is that 75 words?
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i despise russia, but i like both turkey and germany. so i really just hope spain beats russia. I MEAN I FREAKING DESPISE RUSSIA PEOPLE
by Gradyforpresident on Jun 25, 2008 2:01 PM EDT 0 recs
also! i am more excited about this thread than any recent Indians thread
by Gradyforpresident on Jun 25, 2008 2:01 PM EDT 1 recs
http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/ballgirl.asp
Saw this viral video on the front of milb.com. I was pretty sure it was a fake and snoped confirmed it. Awesome video though .. wish it were real.
by Toxicadam on Jun 25, 2008 2:11 PM EDT 0 recs
Dude, I saw it, rewatched it, and didn’t even consider it was fake. I don’t know why.
It's the Arizona talking, really.
by RD74 on
Jun 25, 2008 6:03 PM EDT
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who knew Matt Kata was hanging out in the Pirates farm system?
by APV on Jun 25, 2008 2:12 PM EDT 0 recs
Yeah. #1 pick in 2002. Decent through 2005, struggled a bit since then between the AAA/MLB levels.
by APV on
Jun 25, 2008 2:25 PM EDT
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Every once in a while I see Jeff Harris’ line, think it’s Jeff Stevens, and get spooked.
by afh4 on Jun 25, 2008 2:21 PM EDT 0 recs
ESPN360 sucks. They tell me I can watch the game, but when I try t they say my provider doesn’t carry it.
by SuddenSam on Jun 25, 2008 2:43 PM EDT 0 recs
Turkey is taking it to Germany in the early going. If they score, it’ll make Germany’s life very tough!
by peter m on Jun 25, 2008 3:01 PM EDT 0 recs
Croatia completely outplayed them, except for the whole “putting the ball in the net” part of the game
by JulioBernazard on
Jun 25, 2008 3:15 PM EDT
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ESPN’s game cast contains the following comment. It’s not just baseball fans who are irritated by on-the-air commentary!!
“The supposedly ‘great’ British commentator John Motson has completely lost the plot judging by the opening to this game. He’s spewing some right rubbish about.”
Love it!
by peter m on Jun 25, 2008 3:10 PM EDT 0 recs
John Motson is borderline senile!...and you don’t even want to know about his joke of a colour guy. You guys have it good…trust me
by Luis (Tribe Fan in London) on
Jun 26, 2008 4:11 AM EDT
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Germany equalizes. 1-1. Not exactly the defensive struggle that was expected.
by peter m on Jun 25, 2008 3:15 PM EDT 0 recs
Sorry I’ve had to bail on this thread, but that was a great first half. I love the aggressive attacking from Turkey. And what’s not to like about staplers to the head?
by APV on Jun 25, 2008 3:36 PM EDT 0 recs
Surprising? I thought the under-manned Turks were going to pack it in and hope for kicks. Instead they’ve outshot the Germans 15-3.
by SuddenSam on
Jun 25, 2008 3:50 PM EDT
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I guess they’re adopting the “what do we have to lose” approach. I like it. Although their entire defense just got outrun on that last play.
by APV on
Jun 25, 2008 3:52 PM EDT
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Surprising? I thought the under-manned Turks were going to pack it in and hope for kicks. Instead they’ve outshot the Germans 15-3.
by SuddenSam on
Jun 25, 2008 4:31 PM EDT
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Do the Cavs have a pick in the draft tomorrow? I’ve become so accustomed to just viewing the team as Lebron, Z, and whatever veteran cast-offs Ferry can assemble throughout the course of the season/off-season.
by APV on Jun 25, 2008 3:42 PM EDT 0 recs
Yes – 19th pick in the first round. No pick in the second round. If anyone tells you they have a clue what Danny Ferry will do with the pick, they’re lying.
Free Andy Marte!
by woodsmeister on
Jun 25, 2008 3:49 PM EDT
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I am hoping for one of the Kansas guys, Rush or Chalmers
by Roger Dorn on
Jun 25, 2008 3:59 PM EDT
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I want someone who can shoot the pill. These doodz would foot the bill.
by JulioBernazard on
Jun 25, 2008 4:09 PM EDT
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Kelvin Diaz is the Crash Davis of the Dominican Summer League
by APV on Jun 25, 2008 3:44 PM EDT 0 recs
I’m assuming not. He’s kicking the crap out of the DSL for the 3rd time I believe, so I assume he still has visa issues.
by APV on
Jun 25, 2008 4:05 PM EDT
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How many Turkey cable workers have been stabbed already? Not a very patient group of people
by Bernie19Kosar on Jun 25, 2008 4:27 PM EDT 0 recs
You think the Germans are? You’ve clearly never waited in line with a bunch of Germans.
by APV on
Jun 25, 2008 4:29 PM EDT
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I would pay $500 for Tommy Smyth to describe a goal as “Magically delicious!”
by Bernie19Kosar on Jun 25, 2008 4:29 PM EDT 4 recs
This is the funniest thing I have read on this site in ages.
Free Andy Marte!
by woodsmeister on
Jun 25, 2008 4:44 PM EDT
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Well, you have to admire a team that plays so well despite missing so many key players. If you know what I mean.
by SuddenSam on Jun 25, 2008 4:42 PM EDT 0 recs
he better. that 0-4 today dropped his average to a pathetic .426.
by APV on
Jun 25, 2008 6:07 PM EDT
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great now i have to pray for spain to shock russia.
by Gradyforpresident on Jun 25, 2008 4:53 PM EDT 0 recs
well, no, not really. but spain looked really bad against italy.
by Gradyforpresident on
Jun 25, 2008 7:02 PM EDT
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to be fair, most teams would have looked bad against an Italian team that determined to defend a 0-0
by Luis (Tribe Fan in London) on
Jun 26, 2008 4:13 AM EDT
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What an unbelieveable finish to the Germany v Turkey game!! It was amazing that Turkey got a taste of their own medicine but you had to feel sorry for them.
Moment of the night though was definitely the staples to the head…I mean..what?! really? is that normal?
by Luis (Tribe Fan in London) on Jun 26, 2008 4:14 AM EDT 0 recs
It was a great match. I really wish the television feed hadn’t kept cutting out.
by APV on
Jun 26, 2008 8:32 AM EDT
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I had to wait to catch this on Classic at night. What a fantastic game. I honestly cannot figure out why football does not catch on over here. That upset would have made Fresno State pale in comparison. Turkey ended up just being outclassed by the Germans (Schweinsteiger’s goal was especially impressive) but that was the kind of tournament of which dreams are made.
Proud supporter of the Cleveland.
by fwembt on Jun 26, 2008 9:34 AM EDT 0 recs
maybe because I just haven’t been exposed to it enough, but I have a hard time following league soccer. but national tournaments like the EuroCup and WorldCup, I absolutely love.
by APV on
Jun 26, 2008 10:04 AM EDT
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Try watching the English Premiership. It’s the best league in the world right now and usually provides some pretty exciting watching.
Proud supporter of the Cleveland.
by fwembt on
Jun 28, 2008 12:29 AM EDT
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I actually think football IS starting to catch on a little. There’s noticeably more coverage in the media of events like the World Cup and the EuroCup and I think more Americans can name a few of the big time international players than would have been true in the past (Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Thierry Henry all come to mind). There have been good analyses of why it’s unlikely to supplant one of the existing national sports here (just as it hasn’t in places like India or even Australia where other sports dominated popular attention). But, I do think it’s getting more attention and might achieve at least the level of popularity at the national level that NHL hockey does (not local—some cities are really focused on their hockey team).
by peter m on
Jun 26, 2008 10:27 AM EDT
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I love national tournaments. MLS, not so much.
by Gradyforpresident on
Jun 26, 2008 10:31 AM EDT
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MLS is ok. Sure, if you watch a Euro match and then an MLS match you can see an almost hilarious difference in quality, but honestly that’s not all that important to me. I don’t root for my team because they’re the best, I root for them because they’re my team, dammit. Otherwise I’d be a #$@%* Red Sox fan.
One way to enjoy MLS a lot more is to only watch games that are broadcast from DC, Toronto, or Houston, because the fan support makes those games a lot more fun to watch.
by still ill on
Jun 26, 2008 12:46 PM EDT
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but i just don’t have a reason to adopt an MLS team.
by Gradyforpresident on
Jun 26, 2008 12:56 PM EDT
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I ended up just semi-randomly picking one, and I’m glad I did.
by still ill on
Jun 26, 2008 1:32 PM EDT
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Don’t. It’s like adopting a retarded puppy. At first you love your little puppy and it just seems like the greatest thing there ever was. Then, one day, you go to the park and see other puppies. They chase frisbies, come when they are called and generally just act cute. Your puppy trips on its own feet and plays in his own feces. Suddenly you realize that your puppy kind of sucks. That’s the MLS.
Of course, if you have a hometown team, that may not matter.
Proud supporter of the Cleveland.
by fwembt on
Jun 28, 2008 12:34 AM EDT
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Toronto FC fans are ridiculous. Closest thing to Europe you’ll ever see in North America.
by supermarioelia on
Jun 26, 2008 3:11 PM EDT
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What does the US national team look like these days? I saw part of a “friendly” with England a little while back and they looked pathetic, but I don’t know if that was their A team.
Any really talented players on the rise?
by DocNo on Jun 26, 2008 1:05 PM EDT 0 recs
They looked terrible against England, iffy against Spain and suddenly pretty dang good against Argentina in a two-week stretch earlier this month. They’ve just started the easier part of WC qualifying so they’ll be seeing a lot of Guatemala, Cuba, and Trinidad & Tobago for the next five months.
Freddy Adu, who you may recall being hyped to death as a 14-year-old, is now 19, playing in Portugal, and starting to look like the real deal. MLS also just sold a beastly young striker, Jozy Altidore, to Villareal for 10 or 12 million bucks. These guys should both be on the U-23 team at the Olympics this summer.
by still ill on
Jun 26, 2008 1:31 PM EDT
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Went to college with Charlie Davies who is a future star for the US as well
by Roger Dorn on
Jun 26, 2008 1:32 PM EDT
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I should also have mentioned that midfielder Michael Bradley scored approximately one million goals for Heerenveen this past year, but he’s usually used as a more defensive midfielder with the US for some reason.
by still ill on
Jun 26, 2008 1:37 PM EDT
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thanks for all the references . . . I did some brief checking and it does look like there are some young players to be excited about.
And Michael Bradley can even hold his own in Dutch! (barely, but still)
by DocNo on
Jun 26, 2008 2:36 PM EDT
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They are the best team in North America, one of the best in the Americas and probably not even to 20 in the world. Still remarkably inconsistent and without any real threat (Dempsey aside) going forward. They struggle to play anything even vaguely resembling compelling football.
Proud supporter of the Cleveland.
by fwembt on
Jun 28, 2008 12:27 AM EDT
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