USA, Italy, Brazil, and…Iraq!?

It was only fitting that captain Younes Mahmoud of the Iraq national football team send his countrymen to the FIFA Confederations Cup. The sons of a land torn by bloodshed and war, the Lions of the Two Rivers defeated Saudi Arabia’s Sons of the Desert, 1-0, and Mahmoud’s goal off an assist by Hawar Mullah Mohammed sent eruptions of joy, and bullets pumped into the air, from Baghdad to Basra, from Fallujah to Sadr City, and from Karbala to Najaf.

Iraq’s victory over Saudi Arabia was one of the few events that brought happiness. In a country where suicide bombers and car bombers make living or dying a lottery of fate, and where the United States has failed to stabilize tensions to the fact that billions of dollars are wasted on a meaningless cause, its football team was its angels, and its salvation.

With Iraq qualifying for the Confederations Cup in 2009, one wonder if they will be in the same pool as the USA. As if our ill-fated campaign wasn’t bad enough…

Let me go ahead and change the pace, and talk a little bit of Little League. First off, there are brackets where there is only one team qualifying, and one team only. You gotta give credit to Dhahran’s Arabia-American Little League because every year since the Transatlantic bracket was made, this group of expatriate children win this tournament every year. It’s not even a contest. It’s like the Golden Bears of California and the national collegiate rugby tournament: only one team has dominated the entire tournament, though there have been a few breaks.

Maybe the people should change the Transatlantic tournament to the “Dhahran Invitational at Kutno,” because patsies like Dubai (stick to your horse racing), Stuttgart (a football city), London (who even plays baseball there? Did you mean “rounders” or “cricket”!?), and Naples (the home of Italian-American cuisine may be best to stick to watching the Azzuri kick butt at Euro 2008, or seeing the next Serie A scandal unfold) can’t lift a tip of a finger to these regulars. Just bloody forfeit; the worst team in my high school baseball league can rough you guys up! Oy!

This year, the boys from Tokyo Kitasuna return to Williamsport, in hopes of bowing to the Lamade bust when they win it all (no hara-kiri, please). For these guys, this is their only chance, because it’s off to the high school ranks, where Koshien is their goal, and everything must be sacrificed in the name of aspiring to be in the ranks of kokoyakyu immortality. That explains why they do not have a Junior, Senior, of Big League entry: the road to Koshien is already keeping them busy.

That, and the examination exams, the cram sessions, and perhaps, the manga and anime that inspires them to visualize where they will be when the former two result in futulity. Make note of it, Hikkikomori nation.

My take on the early Heisman contenders

Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas – Along with Mike Hart and Steve Slaton, McFadden is on the early top 3 for a lot of people. The reason why McFadden may have a good shot is the schedule. There’s a hefty amount of cream puffs to stat-pad early, and there is no Florida on the schedule. Tennessee and LSU may be the toughest on the schedule. No USC either, and by USC, I do not mean the Gamecocks. Yep, that’s right. McFadden has a great opportunity to lead his team to the promised land, and himself to the Big Apple.

Steve Slaton, WR, West Virginia – Unless he gets a brush date with Vegas chicks a la Pacman Jones, this guy might be the first-ever pure wide receiver since Desmond Howard (no, fellow Wolverine Charles Woodson doesn’t count) to bring home the hardware. Louisville and Rutgers may be the biggest competition on the season. Still, this schedule is tailor-made for some stat-padding. The match with the Scarlet Knights and Ray Rice may be a defining moment, should he catch the pigskin on the way to a Biletnikoff…and a train to Grand Central and Downtown AC.

Mike Hart, RB, Michigan – Hail, hail, the Heisman might come back to Michigan! OR…it might not. The biggest competition to McFadden for the Doak, Hart might surprise some people with a solid performance against the Buckeyes. With the 15^th toughest schedule in the country, Hart might strike the pose if he rips the defenses apart this year: the schedule includes Notre Dame and Oregon, too, while the jump start might be seen against the FCS champions Appalachian State. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers – Is there a bad moon rising on the banks of the Raritan? Rutgers, long been a doormat of football until the rise of the Wood Chopper, Greg Schiano, finally broke through. Ray Rice raised eyebrows ridiculously, and he’s ready to raise the roof this season. The schedule might not work in his favor: the Scarlet Knights face Norfolk State, Army, and Buffalo. But big efforts against Navy, Louisville, and West Virginia might work wonders for his push up the turnpike to Manhattan.

Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii – There are system quarterbacks, and then there’s Colt Brennan. With a reliable arm and NCAA single-season records for touchdowns and pass efficiency, Brennan is looking to cap off his college career as a key playmaker in June Jones’ Run and Shoot offense at Aloha Stadium. The biggest test for Brennan will be to pick apart a Boise State defense that has become a sign of utter frustration for the Green and White. A solid effort on November 23^rd, combined with great playmaking the rest of the season could equal…well, we’ll leave it to you to figure it out.

Ian Johnson, RB, Boise State – Like Brennan, Ian’s biggest moment since running the Statue of Liberty to perfection and successfully proposing to a cheerleader in Tempe will be a great effort by the Broncos back. If Johnson is shut down defensively, his campaign might be off life support. Maybe worrying about thugs wrecking a wedding a la Hollywood silver screen flicks with Ahnuld might be the biggest priority.

My heart goes off to Wake Forest. Skip Prosser, the men’s basketball coach, died today. He was 56, and will be sorely missed. The Deacon will prepare his eulogy on the day of the funeral. All who are invited are welcome to attend.

SOAR and sleep

An anecdote:

There was a time, in Fall of 2005, when I was visiting the campus. I was with a group of people, but originally, I was assigned to Asian-American Studies. Actually, it was a sneaky way to get into the university, because Asian-American Studies is not impacted, and Business is impacted. I was allowed entry because of the non-impacted major I declared. Once I got in, I immediately switched my major. It floundered by mistake into Marketing, then Finance, before it settled on Management Information Systems.

So I went from a lecture hall in one of the Liberal Arts buildings to the campus, and visiting every part, every nook and cranny. It was a great time. I even watched a video about the campus being *insert microphone with echo* “HUGE!!!” and so on. From there, I got my ID, but I couldn’t register my first classes with the teachers I wanted, because the upperclassmen get first dibs, and I’m left with the scraps, like the others. Add that my first semester had a professor that looked like he in a bloody time warp and had no business to be here, and I can’t say that my SOAR experience paid off in the short run.

But fast forward two-ish years later, and I am sitting on a small wall that says “Go Beach”. A few meters away, the Beach flag is fluttering, that gold and black banner, weathered, a bit dirty, but still functioning like it has always done when it was first commissioned years ago. A small group of young freshmen with stickers on their shirts is accompanied by a couple of juniors dressed in black polos with white floral print. Some of the young freshies are still in awe regarding the place. I kinda feel for some of them because a few courageous plebes are going to go Greek, and I just hope someone up above watches for them, and for the frats that they are pledging for.

I notice the guys with the black aloha polos and said, “Nice shirts. Good job!”

“Thanks!” they hollered back.

One of them says to the group, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the guy that won the Beach Pride program Grand Prize last year, Super Fan!”

I tip my hat, and greet the contingent. It’s a interesting feeling: I have retired from bringing the energy to the games, and they still remember it. It’s fresh in their heads. That’s good, because I believe not only did I do my part, they remember the payoff that came with the publicity. Double win.

They walk on to the next stop on the tour, and I wait a few more minutes on the wall till the next 171 rolls into Beach and West Campus.

I always learn something new every day. I return to the sleep topic. I learned a new thing: at this time of the season, even during this time, sleep is luxury for my Mom. I apologized for not informing her (even though it was just out of diplomacy, she knows just as well as me that the damage has been done, and apologies are meaningless unless the damage is rectified substantially, and that it would be prevented for the long haul and some), but it seems we’re going to have to bring out the Maytag people.

Goodbye Maytag washer and dryer combo…hello, coin-op Laundromats. You know, I found out, it’s actually been a long time since we went to the Laundromat near Golden and Willow. I would go with my Mom or with my sister, and we would use the machines. Sometimes I would wander over to the convenient store across the street and buy a soda or two as I wait patiently for the clothes to finish.

I think those days might be coming back soon, I mean, real soon.

In the days when police officers kept the peace...Part 2

On the flip side…

I’m always ranting about my mom being stubborn like me, but I think I should put it all in perspective for a number of reasons (she is getting some sleep right now as I am blogging).

1. The rage that she and Dad have is in my veins, and I translated it into bringing the energy when I watch a game. My parents don’t like losing, and neither do I. That’s why when my team is feeling it, I am, and I let the opposition know. It actually has paid off, one of them being us flooding the court at the Anaheim Convention Center months ago.
2. It’s a lesson for me when I reach Dad’s age: mellow down, and don’t put stress on yourself. Don’t do what Mom did when you have children that are old as you are now. Even if they are in your household, accept that they will be responsible, and so on, and leave it at that. It’s an argument you will never lose, even if your threat all that stuff…be honest. You can never do that, not after you’ve been proven wrong. You’ll only dig a deeper hole than what you’ve dug when you can’t let go of your flawed convictions, and you will never get out of it, dying while trying to.
3. Sleep is important, after all. No, really, it is. Mr. Sandman is awesome, because he prevents you from realizing your own doom too soon. But it’s up to you to make a nightly visit. And to do that, you must sleep.
4. Never use anyone as a scapegoat when something goes wrong in any group. You are going to lose credibility, and you will be seen as a divider. It happens in every business, in one way or another: one person is blames for everything, and everyone else but the scapegoat believes it. Don’t be like my mom and scapegoat anyone when something that will be eventually fixed goes bad. Sure it hurts, but to think too much of it? You’re only gonna lose sleep over it, and perform lousy the next day.

I keep this in mind as I finish the laundry and prepare for the first Business Law exam on Thursday.

In the days when police officers kept the peace...

debacles like this never occurred if ever.

As the washer and dryer went through the daily spins, the dry belt creaking, whirr, whirr, whirr as it went along like an improvised pet seal, I assured my mother that I will be keeping the loads below the brim. Unfortunately, instead of acknowledging it, she does what she always does every few weeks, and escalates a discussion into a stupid argument, and even threats me with a knife or a fork.

I dialed 911 to report the incident, and I let them know about the situation. Mom sees this as a threat to her soon-to-be-shortened existence, and tells me to leave the house.

There is a reason why I have to call the police. Actually, there are two reasons.

1. Mom just doesn't know when to shut up. I tell her to, she won't acknowledge that she's being as obnoxious, maybe even more of a loose cannon, than I am, so I have to summon an officer to tell her that she's disturbing the quiet of the neighborhood. She does not acknowledge the neighbors unless there is graffiti from the Longos on our family garage door. Actually, that's the only time she does something: when there is graffiti. But that's the thing, if I can't get her to just shut up since she's ruining it for herself as well, I'm going have to get the authority to do it for me.
   
2. If I don't do it, one of the neighbors will, and we're both screwed. Actually, so is my dad, the Man of the House (and one who I haven't had a problem with for several months.) In a neighborhood like West Long Beach, we have what we call Neighborhood Watch. Everyone looks out for each other, and the police are there to make sure our community is safe, and their are no loud disputes that are ruining the others' rest for tomorrow's next battles and challenges.
3. Actually, I'll add a third one. I don't believe in using weapons or war, or any of that stuff. I am a student of learning diplomatic ways to stop conflicts. If I believed in using guns and what have you, none of the members of my family, or me, would be alive today.
   

There's a commandment that says, "Honor your father and your mother." But what if the father/mother does not recognize that their son and/or daughter is honoring their wishes, what good is it? It should be a bigger sin for the parents to not understand that their children is, in their own way, following the commandment.

Sheesh. And my mom goes to church every Sunday. Word up, dear mother, there's this thing called "Confession." I don't go to church anyway, mainly for a reason like this...

Two sorry cities, two sorry affairs.

There are high schools, and there are high schools who make 4 years of hard work look like wastes of time. Galeburg, Illinois...ever heard of anime? You might be enlightened, you bloody admins...

Article

And a poor Tulsa Drillers coach gets drilled in the head by a beanball. Ray Chapman send help!

Oh the tragedy!

More Football Futility

Melbourne Victory lost to Newcastle Jets, 1-0. Seems Carlos Hernandez is not impressing early. The Victory boys need to change some things fast.

Chelsea defeated the LA Galaxy, 1-0. I’m not disappointed that the Galaxy continued their losing streak. I’m disappointed that Chelsea scored only 1 goal, and not 3 of them. And poor Toronto FC failed against Frankie Hejduk and Columbus, 2-0.

I’m looking more forward to American Football season beginning now. It seems my favorite soccer teams are not cashing in on success.

Oh Lord, not another weekend from hell...

I am steaming.

Man, I hope this isn’t the start of a weekend from hell. The USA lost to Cuba, 3-1, in the gold medal game at the Rio 2007 Pan-American Games. We can’t even win at our own national pastime. I wonder if Mike Weathers was coaching that team. That might explain it, as well as the fact that Oregon State’s 2007 squad could smash the bombs out of this team early. What a half-assed effort.

Speaking of Pan-Am, why the hell are we bringing incompetent footballers in group play? Our USA women lost to Mexico today. Usually, we own these guys, but not today, it seems. What a bloody shocker. I so hope Canada crushes them for not getting the job done.

The Saskatchewan vs. Edmonton game confirmed that things are not looking up for my teams so far (the Eskimos won, 21-20). Those damn Roughriders let Edmonton back into the game to rally. Come on Kent Austin, BC was last week. Wake your guys up! Are you gonna be giving more of the same, chokers?

Oh, and those Angels. Again, they fail to impress, this time against the Twins. They lose 5-7. And I think I’m seeing some more futility from the Galaxy, even with Beckham, because if they can’t lift a finger to Tigres, not even God can save them from Chelsea. The world will turn upside down if we defeat Mourinho’s boys. Galaxy defeating Chelsea? Fuhgeddaboutit!

Tim Donaghy, you oughta be shot for your actions outside of officiating in the NBA. Gambling, and keeping books while officiating? Boy, you are as bad as they come in a league already seeing its ratings sink. Watch yourself.

If I were to write a Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic, one of the chapters would have a section like this.

The SOS Brigade jumped up and let out a huge roar. Everyone patted each other on the back, hugging, partying like the New Year had started. Meanwhile, Yuki Nagato was still in her corner, reading the last Harry Potter novel.

Kyon went over to her as the group continued their reveling in the distance. “Hey Nagato, Japan won.”

She looked up, adjusted her reading classes and nodded.

“Was this…you prediction?”

He remembered a few hours ago her saying, “I am going to predict that the winner of the match to be the one who wins the penalty shootout.”

“And who might that be?” Haruhi asked with a smug look on her face.

“As Mikuru-san likes to allude, it’s classified information.”

She snuck a dirty look, then said, “Well, we all are calling for Japan to win. The game’s live. Are you gonna watch?”

“I will watch with me ears,” she said silently.

Kyon asked Yuki again. “Did you predict Japan to win the penalty shootout?”

She said in her trademark monotone voice, “They won, did they not?” He continued to stare at Yuki, who later gave a smile as she adjusted her glasses again, the lenses glinting in the light.

“So you did.” She nodded, the smile a bit wider.

“Hey Yuki, we’re going to get some food to celebrate,” said Haruhi. “And Kyon’s paying. You coming?”

“Haruhi! When did anyone say I was gonna pay for the food?”

“You’re one to talk, Kyon. So,” she said, turning back to the gray-hair girl reading in her corner, “are you going with us?”

Putting down the book, she paused, and said, “Relatively.” She rose from her chair and followed the congregation down the hall, who were still in cheers from Team Japan getting their hard-earned payback. And as Haruhi and Kyon debated the issue, the favorite won, but it took a penalty lottery to do it.

Thanks a lot, Mom. You just had to open your big complaining mouth, and indirectly change the outcome considerably. Well, I know who my personal scapegoat will be.

Grads do it right - News

Some type of nostalgia, looking back...


Grads do it right - News

Impressions...

So my Business Law 320 instructor is a person by name of Dr. Lynn Dymally. A savvy, smart, straight-to-the-point person, Dr. Dymally is the daughter of Congressman Melvyn Dymally, and her son is a talented drummer attending CAMS. (Hopefully, he will do the right thing and come to The Beach when he graduates from the California Academy of Math and Sciences.)

In her opening lecture, after debriefing on how to write a killer case brief, she talks about commerce, and how we are affected by it. We come into contact with it every day. Speaking of commerce, Michael Vick is dinged today by the cops for illegal commerce. That is, the Falcons QB is being questioned for his dog-fighting activities. Uh oh; this can’t be good. Stay tuned for more developments.

My second Management instructor is a guy by the name of Dr. Philip Chong. No, he’s related to Tommy. He is full Chinese, while Dr. Thomas Chong from the University of Alberta is half. He is one of the assistant deans at the CBA, along with Dr. Nelson Horn. Actually, he is an interim associate dean (so it says on his syllabus), so this means the CBA is in transition. And he has a strong accent, so I guess it makes me feel a bit easy.

Anyway, I can’t drop this one. I had a bad experience with Sal Kukalis, and I am not keen to have that happen again. The hell I will, with 425 coming in the Fall! With everything crammed up, I’m due to get my portfolio started after this session is over.

And it starts all over again.

It's a drag, really. Here I am, posting on BoBA, and I am a few minutes away from starting my next class. Yes, I am doing Summer Session III at the Beach again. But this time, I am taking two classes in the same semester. Two of them! One in the morning (Business Law 320) and one in the evening (Management 300).

The summer was cut short for me, but for a reason. It's all part of the final push towards my degree. Here come the case briefs and Phoenix Wright-style accusations.

10,000...

Ain’t it great to be a Phillies fan?

10,000 losses. The most in any professional sport in this country. The most futile franchise in the majors reached a milestone that will be in infamy.

Wonder if the current manager down there is already sacked.

The Tropicana has invited be for a slot tournament in September. Well, this is a no-brainer: NO THANKS. I already have classes going on. I’ll take school over slot machine tournaments any day.

Saimoe 2007 is underway with the preliminaries up an running. Who will dethrone Suiseiseki as the champion? Find out by clicking the link in my del.icio.us page, and click the “Saimoe 2007” link. Saimoe is a combination of Saikyou and Moe, meaning “The Best Moe.”

Australia escaped with a 4-0 victory over Thailand at Rajamangala. Took them a while to actually do something right, didn’t it? God save this Socceroos team.

Friday the 13th

“Hmmm…A haunted house…”

So pondered Utena Tenjou before going on a spree, defeating every opponent, save for a slight hiccup that was rectified.

Speaking of haunted houses, for Australia’s Socceroos, they met their undoing in a house of horrors earlier today, also known simply as…Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, where Iraq entered the Twilight Zone as foretold by Rod Serling, 3-1.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders saw their own house, Mosaic Stadium, turn into a house of horrors on Friday the 13^th, as the defending Grey Cup champs BC Lions continued from where they left off, soundly smothering the Green and White through some savvy ballhawking, 42-12.

One wonders if the USA U-20s are poised to see their impending doom against the Austrians in Toronto later today.

David Beckham is now officially with the G’s. Good. Now crush Tigres for me, please.

So Melbourne Victory did get some early silverware, after all…

Go figure. I thought the match ended in a draw (blasted GlobalScore), but the game between Tianjin Teda and Melbourne Victory did go to penalties, with Victory winning the shootout, 6-5. The Chinese teams seem to be tough nuts to crack for Melbourne Victory. This will be some nice momentum heading into their Pre-Season Cup campaign. Best of luck putting the boots to Adelaide United once again.

And I hope Australia gets their mojo back putting the boots to Iraq. The last thing I would like to see is the Roos getting an early exit. Believe in yourselves, Australia. Save the SexyBall when you got a stranglehold on them.

USA 2-1 Uruguay: Own goal, and then a brawl afterwards. What mo, er, less could you ask for?

Midweek Mayhem Minutes from the Midwest couldn't have come any sooner.

Just when things couldn’t get any worse for the USA, Uruguay take a page of the playbooks of the ultras of Nueva Chicago and Tigres, and starts up a postgame brawl…in Toronto, Canada! Toronto, Canada, peoples! If there was a wrong place to start up a melee between young men (bring out my One Piece pirates, Naruto ninjas, and robot army for reinforcements!), it was here.

Baghdad, Iraq, should have been a place to do it. Send out some streakers were suicide bomb jackets to shut them up. But they never came to Toronto, and I don’t think they ever should, so to keep their youthful, troubled, weeaboo-free sanities intact.

The melee on the pitch tainted a 2-1 USA victory, thanks to the heroics of one Michael Bradley, and you wonder if the Ultimate Fighting leagues of the world were watching intently. Maybe some of these closet hooligans can make money off of this, albeit in a more proper setting.

Spirited group fight, wrong place to do it by far. End of post.

Woe-klahoma! Chokelahoma! The Great Depression returns to Okie-land again, and the Cowboys are smiling wide.

Hello, Bad News Bears.

Oh, what a drag for Oklahoma’s football team. The NCAA, that bunch of scumbags who make Congress look like forensic rejects prostrating toward Phoenix Wright, decided to stiff the Sooners even more. After some self-imposed penalties thanks to former QB Rhett Bomar and OL J.D. Quinn, the NCAA imposed:

*clears throat*

• All eight wins in the 2005 season vacated
• Two less scholarships for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons
• One less coach that can recruit on campus

And that is just a few of what the NCAA decided to do. Naturally, Oklahoma president David Boren said, “Okay, if you want to lay the heavy artillery on one of the Big XII powerhouses, it’s on!” In other words…Boren decided to appeal. Baron de Montesquieu, you should be smiling in heaven, for once again, checks and balances are ruling American bureaucracy just as much as it is giving both sides headaches in a lose-lose situation the media papers love to feast on. It seems to actually give them something to write about, although the articles are nothing more than clichéd, unoriginal crap in attempt to get a paycheck boost.

Sigh. Such are American sportswriters. Disgrace to the journalism concept for what its worth. They're as bad as they come, though the British do it better.

Rammstein send help!

The New, Officlal Los Angeles Galaxy Logo. Finally.

The New, Officlal Los Angeles Galaxy Logo. Finally., originally uploaded by uhlocalboy.

I was given some bootlegs. This is the real deal, I promise you. Kudos to BigSoccer's very own marighand for the find. *applause*

News flash: The AL East is still up for grabs.

In my mind, nobody cares about the MLB All-Star Break, unless you are a retired, obese baby-boomer or a spoiled, fugly wife of one of the players who will be taking part. That said, those who are calling the race for the AL East pennant to Boston are fools, and for good reason: the New York Yankees are catching up. Right now, they are literally crushing the Los Angeles Angels, 12-0, heading into the late innings. As if things weren’t bad enough for my favorite teams. Mike Scoscia going to have to get these players more focused on the task at hand, and that’s win games. We’re still on top of the AL West, but by the seat of our asses.

That said, I’m more interested on the football: the arena football (the Avengers face the defending ArenaBowl champion Chicago Rush tomorrow), the Canadian football (Saskatchewan takes on Calgary in a few hours), and the associated football (can Team USA U-20 go far in the knockout stages, and will the Socceroos rebound from their dismal performance against Oman? And what of the Galaxy? Can they dispose of the Richmond Kickers on the 10^th, while seeing David Beckham take care of things as he jumps aboard?).

One thing is for sure: those Damn Yankees are back. Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo. and Lola send help!

Bryan Brothers choke in the final. The world turned upside down.

All you doubles teams playing tennis right now, whether competitively or for recreation, here is a perfect example of what not to do: give up three straight sets while winning the first. I seriously have to question Bob and Mark Bryan’s preparation against Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra in the gentlemen’s double final at Wimbledon. After steamrolling through most of the bracket, the last thing you want is to give up three straight sets in the final after not dropping a single one until then.

Overconfidence? Divine intervention? Karma being a bitch after Venus Williams defeated Frenchie Marion Bertoli? The conspiracies, accusations, and water cooler double talk will no doubt linger in the local tennis circles regarding this match. It’s an unpredictable game, tennis is. And a loss of this magnitude is something the local papers love to rip apart.

Speaking of choking, a few of my favorite soccer teams came out with draws. Ties. Not victory or a loss. Melbourne Victory ties Tianjin Teda 1-1, Australia drew 1-1 with Oman, the LA Galaxy tied 2-2 with Kansas City, Toronto FC tied Chicago Fire 1-1, and the Japan U-20 played to a scoreless draw with Nigeria’s U-20’s. What a drag. This means the only new torrent downloading right now (outside of Toronto’s victory over doormats Real Salt Lake and USA humbling Brazil in the U-20 world cup) is Saskatchewan starting their season off right with a victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL.

Well, my Angels won, the Dodgers choked, and the Armada got back on the winning track after Orange County prevented a 5-game sweep. Not the best weekend for me, but not the worst in terms of futility, either.

At Anime Expo 2007...

At Anime Expo 2007, I read the translation of the lyrics to the song “Hare Hare Yukai” and upon further review…this song sends a clear, strong message: the youth of tomorrow are the key to our future, and when they achieve their ambitions and lead the world to progress and satisfaction and leave a memorable legacy, humanity itself has chosen the best path for survival for many centuries to come, and in turn, picked the right path Haruhi Suzumiya would want her world to follow.

And at the same time, have fun doing it. Because being bored is evil, and being active and having something you like to do that promotes that concept of world piece is heavenly. That’s what Haruhi thinks.

Actually, she’d prefer to play around with Kyon forever, but let’s be serious. Those words written were not written for money. These words are a message: if we do not believe in piece, and decide to go the wrong path, then the future will always be bleak. But if we decide to choose the right path, and do the right things, and be ethically right in every judgment and decision we make, then the future will show promise and continue to pave the way for many more generations to come.

Well, Aya said she will be back. I could hear the strains of “Mottete! Sailor Fuku” ringing out loud next year at AX 08. Either that, or I have had too much fun today. May the Haruhiism movement continue to be spread to all the corners of the world. It will not die, so long as there are those who believe in it.

The convention was awesome. We set a new record for attendees. I got a workout from a concert with Halko Momoi, a Guest of Honor that was spotted by an attendee at the Wal-Mart nearby, of all places. The auction raised 25,000 big ones for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. And I got some sweet autographed goods from Yuuna Inamura, as well as an armband from Haruhi herself.

This was a great convention. Next year, AX will be at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the first weekend of July of 2008. Now this has possibilities.

My condolences go out to the family of Avery Atkins, a football player from Bethune Cookman. Another small school makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. I smell foul play involved.

Those USA guys down in Venezuela, a.k.a. Chavezstan, must be having a miserable time down there, while the U-20’s are in for the biggest match of their lives against Brazil. I just hope our senior American Football team kicks butt in Japan. I’m also looking forward to the start of Canadian Football season. Hmm, hmm, hmm…go Roughriders!

I hope the Socceroos put on a great show down in Thailand. They called for “Le Sexy Football.” I hope they play great enough football to make a maiden’s knickers get drenched. After all, group play involves Oman, Iraq, and Thailand, so it shouldn’t be that bad. The biggest enemy, of course, is the weather…and themselves, if things go real awry…

Beckham will be falling in with the Los Angeles Galaxy soon…until then, I ponder Melbourne Victory’s efforts against Tianjin Teda…they did hold the Chinese national side to a 1-0 victory for the home team in Hong Kong.

Japan’s Tsunami silenced by Route 66

So, Takeru Kobayashi is bested by the likes of one Joey Chestnut. We are taking back eating. Hallelujah. And 66 hot dogs at that. This is what happens when your jaw just gets crushed. The Tsunami is silenced. And redemption is sweet.

I just learned that Sochi, Russia, is hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics. Pyeongchang is 0-for-2 when it comes to bids. If there was one scapegoat that I would have to point at, it would be one of the most roneriest dictators in the world. It’s sad that North Korea’s situation is perhaps a reason why Pyeongchang did not get the bid.

I hope all the people up in North Korea defect-all of them, save Kim Jong-Il. If they should die trying, they should be declared martyrs, all umpteen hundred-thousand of them.

Sochi won the bid 51-47.

The Galaxy and Toronto FC got out of the cellar for a few days. Toronto defeated Real Salt Lake 2-1, while Landon Donovan knocked home two penalties in a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Fire. Drawback: my Angels lost.

Later this week I will do a little blog on what happened at Anime Expo 07. It was a success, in spite of some annoying delays.