RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Jun 13, 2010 18:35:35 GMT -5
Now y'all understand why Dr. Lee commanded to hit them with Flight of the Bumblebee.
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Jun 13, 2010 20:17:56 GMT -5
What a mess for FIFA! They should let the WC Organizing Committee make the decision. Messi's rants help.
I hear ear plugs are selling like hot cakes.
The only thing that I like about the vuvuzelas is that they drown out the English singing.
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Jun 13, 2010 20:24:20 GMT -5
BTW, just finished watching the DVR'ed Germany game. They look like the class of the tournament so far (although they played Australia). The next games will tell more.
Plus, they made FIFA very happy with the goal count. Before this game, only nine goals had been scored through 7 games.
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AvantGuardHoya
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Post by AvantGuardHoya on Jun 14, 2010 6:02:18 GMT -5
What the heck is up with the whining about the Adidas ball? Don't both teams play with the same one? It is what it is. Geez, Louise!
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ksf42001
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Post by ksf42001 on Jun 14, 2010 6:11:03 GMT -5
What the heck is up with the whining about the Adidas ball? Don't both teams play with the same one? It is what it is. Geez, Louise! Haha, I still remember the uproar when the NBA first tried to switch away from using leather ball a few years ago. Change is always bad I guess...
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Post by HometownHoya on Jun 14, 2010 8:02:57 GMT -5
BTW, just finished watching the DVR'ed Germany game. They look like the class of the tournament so far (although they played Australia). The next games will tell more. Plus, they made FIFA very happy with the goal count. Before this game, only nine goals had been scored through 7 games. Australia has a decent team this year but Germany definitely looks the best so far. I was interested to see how they would do without Ballack and their experience at most positions allowed them to succeed. I'm not sure how much of the last 2 goals can be attributed to Australia being a man down but that doesn't really matter because a good team needs to score then too. Podolski showed the world how to handle the new balls, if you shoot it hard enough at the goalie, it doesn't matter if it weaves, the goalie can't stop it. BTW my GF's little brother plays travel soccer and we were talking about the new ball, which he had played with. Some unique characteristics are that it is incredibly sticky (said him and his teammates were falling all over it the first time they used it) and incredibly LIGHT (explains some of those blast shots and how the ball weaves in the air). Ya everyone uses it so no one should complain, but if no one complains FIFA would never improve the ball (but why do they have to change it for every WC!?)
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jun 14, 2010 9:44:07 GMT -5
Some thoughts:
1. Germany did look mighty impressive, even against the Socceroos. I will only note, though, that neither Spain nor Brazil has played yet. I imagine Brazil could beat the Norks about 12-0 if they really wanted to. (Assuming, that is, that they've kicked Wesley Wilson out of their practice sessions).
2. The crazy horns (no, I'm, not going to try to spell the word), really don't bother me that much. I imagine I'd feel differently if I was actually in attendance. Personally, I don't care if the fans find them annoying. There are always fans who are going to find things that other fans do annoying. But if the players are against them, that's a different story & I say get rid of them if that's the case.
3. I really enjoy Jurgen Klinsmann's analyses, even when he's just being silly at times, but Alexi Lalas is getting on my nerves. He is being hypercritical of just about everything. And you can tell there are some teams he just doesn't like and he's not being at all objective about them. Just my opinion. Personally, I like Lalas, I just am not enjoying anything he has to say this World Cup.
4. Can someone answer a question for me? Each match is starting about 1/2 hour after its listed time. Is this Disney/ESPN just trying to get us to watch their pre-games, or is it just unpredictable when the matched will start? (OK, actually kickoff is usually about 1/2 hour after the listed time. Technically, the matches start about 15 minutes after the listed time, if you count the processions, anthems and coin flips).
(Nice goal just now by Japan; poor, poor marking by Cameroon)
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jacko
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Post by jacko on Jun 14, 2010 10:44:51 GMT -5
3. I really enjoy Jurgen Klinsmann's analyses, even when he's just being silly at times, but Alexi Lalas is getting on my nerves. He is being hypercritical of just about everything. And you can tell there are some teams he just doesn't like and he's not being at all objective about them. Just my opinion. Personally, I like Lalas, I just am not enjoying anything he has to say this World Cup. I'll take Lalas over Wynalda any day. Take every criticism you have of Lalas, multiply it by 100 and imagine if the US team played atrociously and that's what you got out of Wynalda in 2006. 4. Can someone answer a question for me? Each match is starting about 1/2 hour after its listed time. Is this Disney/ESPN just trying to get us to watch their pre-games, or is it just unpredictable when the matched will start? (OK, actually kickoff is usually about 1/2 hour after the listed time. Technically, the matches start about 15 minutes after the listed time, if you count the processions, anthems and coin flips). That's all to get you to watch the pregame. I've been using this page for scheduling/times: www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/64/42/24/2010fwc_matchschedule_3004_en.pdfThe times are spot on local time, so you just have to subtract 6 hours for US eastern time.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jun 14, 2010 10:55:59 GMT -5
Very exciting ending to the Japan-Cameroon match.
Now I have to kill 2.5 hours. I guess I'll work or something.
EDIT: Thanks for the schedule, jacko. I figured it was ESPN being misleading, but wasn't sure.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Jun 14, 2010 11:38:46 GMT -5
Tough loss the Indomitable Lions, and you hate to see a team with a nickname that good lose on its home continent to a team that has never won a finals match off home soil.
Now, Vamos Guaraníes! (Am I doing that right?)
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Jun 14, 2010 11:46:04 GMT -5
Yeah I don't mind the horns, but like boz said we're not there. Sounds cool on the tv, but i suppose it'd be more annoying in person.
I hate Lalas so much jsut like boz never has a single positive thing to say.
I was quite dissapointed by Camaroon's performance today. I expected them to advance with the dutch. I suppose they still can especially since the dutch may have already locked up their top spot by the time they play them.
Germany looked sick, but i don't know what the worry was about them being too young. I mean all their key pieces were in the last world cup. It's not like they didn't have any experice: Klose, podolski, Lahm, sweintseiger they were all the stars from last world cup besides ballack's absence and the lack of the well known keepers is there anyone of note from the last world cup not on this squad?
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Jun 14, 2010 12:14:23 GMT -5
As to the vuvuzelas, I have a friend who is in SA for the WC. He tells me that in the stadium, the sound is not that bad. He compared it to last year's Confederations Cup in SA which was the first time that teams and international media started complaining about the sound.
Boz, you are spot on re: Lalas. I had noticed it before, but it's like he's taking it to a new level. All the "therefores" aside, I like Ruud's comments. Ditto future US National coach JK's.
FIFA rules on actual start times for matches. It's 7:30 A.M. 10:00 A.M. and 2:30 P.M. If you want to catch the anthems and line-ups, it's :5 mins before. ESPN cannot change it.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Jun 14, 2010 12:45:14 GMT -5
I also enjoy the work of Efan Ekoku.
That said, Lalas' negativity at halftime of the Ingerland match was really disappointing, and it sucks for people like me who don't really know enough to understand what is going on out there and could use some help from a pro. My evaluation of the first half was basically: bad lapse for Gerrard's goal, lucky break on Dempsey's goal, but otherwise the US controlled possession and seemed the more dangerous team that could have scored on several chances that would not have required a howler of epic proportion. Lalas had nothing positive whatsoever to say about the performance, and because he is the expert, I began to doubt my eyes. In retrospect, I have no idea why I would give the same family of networks that employs Doug Gottlieb, John Kruk, and Mark May so much credit.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jun 14, 2010 13:18:48 GMT -5
I think this may have been brought up previously, but one other thing soccer and the World Cup could really use is more and better camera angles.
The gimmick cams are OK for replays, but they are useless in match. I would love to watch match on TV that featured a quality camera centered above and behind each goal.
(It would certainly prevent "ooohs" and "aaahs" from fans at every single shot, including the ones that are about 15 yards away from sniffing the net).
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Jun 14, 2010 13:28:07 GMT -5
I’ve kicked it and it’s definitely lighter and swerves/moves differently. It does look great (like every new WC ball), but with a different construction (less panels, etc…).
Adidas, a major sponsor of the sport, has the right to manufacture the balls for the WC. Obviously, the new ball is a moneymaker and a big deal is made of its release. As with other sports equipment, the manufacturers try to improve their product for various reasons, including evolution, performance, selling more, etc… Just like with golf, ball manufacturers are creating and marketing balls with supposedly more accurate flight and more power to be transferred to it.
I’m fine with the complaining. Here’s the thing, part of the allure of the new ball is that it will contribute to a higher goal average for the tournament, which FIFA likes to encourage. Goalkeepers always complain about how advantageous for the strikers the new balls are. This time around, some goalkeepers went further calling for FIFA to intervene. What’s different is that the field players are complaining too. South Africa’s higher altitude, a lighter, differently constructed ball and a new synthetic grass are making world-class players misjudge corners, crosses, long passes, free kicks and bounces. Direct kicks no longer end on goal, but in the stands. For example, during the U.S.-England game, Lampard lined up for a makeable free kick. At first I was concerned, but realized, after having watched the first games, that it was not that dangerous. True enough, the ball sailed over the bar. An argument could be made that goalkeepers shouldn’t be complaining since the field players haven’t been able to control the flight of the ball, making it less dangerous for the keepers in set plays.
What we will see is the better teams/players adjusting to the conditions and using them to their advantage. For example, I would set up a player wider than usual for corner kicks and set pieces. The odds are that the ball will sail past the crowd in front of the goal and end up in that player’s feet or head.
In the end, hearing millionaires complaining about footballs and the new synthetic grass in some of the new stadiums is annoying, but what is best for soccer is to have a flowing, higher-scoring Cup, not have its players looking like U-10s. It’s like giving Tiger a new club or ball just before the start of the Masters. He would be complaining too and missing the cut. Stars want to look like stars in the most watched event in the world. Fans and FIFA want to see them shine. (New contracts and multi-million transfers are on the line too, but that’s another post.)
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Jun 14, 2010 13:39:39 GMT -5
I think this may have been brought up previously, but one other thing soccer and the World Cup could really use is more and better camera angles. The gimmick cams are OK for replays, but they are useless in match. I would love to watch match on TV that featured a quality camera centered above and behind each goal. (It would certainly prevent "ooohs" and "aaahs" from fans at every single shot, including the ones that are about 15 yards away from sniffing the net). The 1994 WC in the USA brought around a lot of concepts from the NFL regarding how to show a match on TV and make it more appealling to the TV viewer. Of course, the so-called purists complained. Before that WC, soccer matches on TV did not feature the 45-minute clock on the screen. Basically, the TV viewers knew how much time was left as did the players. The angles you suggest have been tried. That said, you might get your wish if the USA gets the 2018 or 2022 Cup, which will be awarded this December.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Jun 14, 2010 14:12:50 GMT -5
Yeah I don't mind the horns, but like boz said we're not there. Sounds cool on the tv, but i suppose it'd be more annoying in person. I hate Lalas so much jsut like boz never has a single positive thing to say. I totally disagree. I was really looking forward to the World Cup this year, and have still watched an enjoyed the games. But that constant droning buzzing is beyond annoying. I do agree that it is probably worse in person and as someone else pointed out, those disposable ear plug are a hot seller. Still, if the fans in attendance want to have and use those noisemakers, then I have no problem with it. What I don't understand is why ESPN can't mike the games differently. You can't tell me that we don't have the technology to filter most, if not all of that crap out. I haven't heard a single person say that they enjoy the buzzing or that it's an integral part of the game. I guess I could understand someone saying that it adds to the impression of being there to a degree, but still, there's just no way that overall, having that in the broadcast is a positive boost to the coverage.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jun 14, 2010 14:26:20 GMT -5
It's probably a more annoying sound when you're stoned.
I didn't think of that possibility.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Jun 14, 2010 14:33:20 GMT -5
It's probably a more annoying sound when you're stoned. You've got a point Boz. Gives a whole new meaning to that old phrase about "getting a buzz on".
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Jun 14, 2010 14:36:51 GMT -5
It's probably a more annoying sound when you're stoned. I didn't think of that possibility. From anecdotal evidence, I'm convinced of the contrary. When I am watching the games at home (or the lake), the buzzing is not nearly as annoying as when I am at work. And there are a couple of differences between when I am at work or not. Granted, part of that is that I am wearing a tee shirt and flip flops rather than a collared shirt and loafers. But that's not all. Of course that Samuel Adams that is likely in my hand at the lake or at my house helps comfort my hearing a bit as well.
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