Nutella Day 2009

Okay, it was 10 days ago, but who cares?
I'm posting this to celebrate anyway. Happy Nutella Day everyone.

"I believe nutella is the future.
Smear it on, and let it lead the way.
Show them all the chocolate tastyness inside.
Make it a sense of pride. Can't be more easier.
GIve your muffin slathers.
Delicious. Spreadably.

Every toast is searching for a hero.
Bagels need someone to look up to.
Peanut butter could never fulfill their need.
A lonely jar to be.
And so the right choice depends on me.

I decided long ago, never to walk in Vegemite's shadows.
This will fail. This won't succeed.
But at least I still can brush my teeth.
No matter what is here for me,
The best chocolate spread starts with "n-u-t-"...

Because the greatest spread of all
is nutella, you see.
I found the greatest spread of all,
and it's for me.
The greatest spead of all
Is also really cheap.
For less than three dollars,
you've got The Greatest Spread of All.

I believe nutella is the future.
Grab a spoon, and lick it all the way.
Indulge all the chocolate tastyness inside.
Make it a sense of pride. Can't be more easier.
Give your croissants slathers.
Delicious. Spreadably.

I decided long ago, never to walk in marmalade's shadows.
This will fail. This won't succeed.
But at least I still can brush my teeth.
No matter what is here for me,
The best chocolate starts with "n-u-t-"...

Because the greatest spread of all
is nutella, you see.
I found the greatest spread of all,
and it's for me.
The greatest spead of all
Is also really cheap.
Grab some at Target.
This is The Greatest Spread of All.

And if by chance that spread you buy,
Is the one you're dreaming of
And it's so good, you want to die,
Nutella is Love!"

Sappy song, sung to a Whitney Houston classic.

And so the plate is raised.

The countdown to the Grand Final is on down in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. From the Age. Wahey!

Big brother asserts pecking order

Dan Silkstone
February 15, 2009

It isn't easy being a younger brother. You go out into the world, trying to make a name for yourself — and you succeed, you really do. You play out of your skin but whatever you do, wherever you go, big brother is always waiting to deliver a dead arm.

And then — suddenly — you are back at mum and dad's for Christmas dinner. You made a million dollars last year, you hit the big time overseas and there's a glamorous girl on your arm. But none of that achievement, that globetrotting glory, counts for anything. The natural order is painfully imposed.

Adelaide — little old Adelaide United — had every reason to throw everything at Melbourne last night. Down two goals after a disastrous home leg and with a grand final spot up for grabs, the running was theirs to make. The pride earned during a barnstorming year in which richer and more exotic opponents had been dealt with and a spot secured as the second best team in Asia was under threat from a rival who knew them much, much better.

You wouldn't have known it from the way they played. From the opening whistle, the Victory imposed themselves — the men in red meekly submitted, strangely accepting of their allotted role. Chances were fashioned from the earliest seconds, a goal came after just ten minutes, Archie Thompson, put through by Carlos Hernandez, sprung the trap and steered it past the hand of Eugene Galekovic. Thirty seconds later Allsopp scuffed a shot that could easily have burst the net. Adelaide was gone.

Two years ago, on this ground, they had been cut open and made foolish in a six nil Grand Final rout. That sort of result left not so much scars as fault lines. For all that they had achieved this year — and it had been plenty — they found themselves back here. Back there. Quaking.

Melbourne should have had four in the first 20 minutes, Ward spurned a chance , Pondeljak netted from an Allsopp through ball instantly ruled offside. It didn't matter, chances were not going to be in short supply. Adelaide was simply absent, Melbourne partied without them. You wondered whether South Australian minds were already trained on the upcoming match against the Queensland Roar. You saw them wondering how, playing so listlessly, they could possibly win it. Would they want to if the prize was a trip back into this?

Few expected Hernandez to start — if they'd thought about Ernie Merrick they should have. The Victory were — as they had been all year — settled. The best 11 played and each of them played in his best position. Hernandez might not have had 90 minutes in him. The way he started, his team was never going to need that much.

The second was his — on 24 minutes — after an irresistable exchange of passes between an inspired Tommy Pondeljak, Ward and Hernandez — the latter picking his spot and smashing it into the roof of the net. The options then for Adelaide were embarrassment or humiliation. With cheap fouls and a red card in an anti-climactic second half, they opted for the latter. The crowd resorted to the Mexican wave.

It wasn't just that they played without energy, they played without sense. Defending high up the park and square at the back, it was like a manual for how not to set up aganist a team determined to hit you fast on the break. These men had earned things in 2009 and now they counted for nothing. Eugene Galekovic, the goalkeeper of the year and newly-capped Socceroo was simply a Victory discard, picking the ball out of his own net.

The fourth goal was just a joke. Pondeljak spread it to Hernandez and kept on running, the Costa Rican curled a perfect ball to the far post where Pondeljak volleyed home.

By the end, Victory fans — wary of Queensland's vigour — would have paid money to play these guys in the grand final. After all, who does not enjoy the occasional wrestle with their little brother?

Cornthwaite and Jamieson, Mullen and Barbiero, Adelaide had impressed with their youth in Asia. By the time 90 minutes had passed they looked in need of something that sounded mighty similar. They had taken on Japan and Uzbekistan; even — at the World Club Championships — beaten the African champions. But when it mattered they were crushed by a better team, in a bigger stadium, in front of a crowd that dwarfed them. Asia be damned, the natural order is restored.

On the USA making another case for the World Cup...again

1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006. Can 2010 also be in the distance for the USA in the World Cup? I would think so. Ahhhh, the power of the spaz. It compels you.
From MLSnet.com...

Those Bradley Boys
US national team coach gets big night from his son
By Michael Lewis / Special to MLSnet.com

COLUMBUS -- If there was a time for any man to be boastful about his son, this was it.
After all, it isn't every day that your son scores twice in a World Cup qualifying game, let alone against archrival Mexico.

But this is much more complicated than than just a father saying how proud he is about his son.

The father is Bob Bradley, coach of the U.S. national team. The son, Michael, a midfielder on the team that defeated the Mexicans for the third consecutive time in this city by a 2-0 score.

Beyond Michael becoming only the fourth U.S. player to score two goals against Mexico in qualifiers dating back to 1934, Michael played a fine all-around game as holding midfielder, helping key a midfield that dominated the Mexicans.

But when he was asked whether he was proud of his son's performance, Bob did his best to downplay the question.

"Right now I'm the coach, it's about the team," he said during Wednesday night's postgame press conference after watching his team outbattle the Mexicans and the wind at Columbus Crew Stadium. "When you coach at a professional level there's a way that you want to do the work. There is an environment that you create and you want to establish a high level of being a pro in terms of what the right mentality is. The one thing that happens with Michael is that he gets a steady dose of that, not only when he's in with the team but in terms of the father-son relationship that we've had.

"I have three children and I have to say that I'm proud of all my kids. I have a great family and I'm a lucky man."

Bob Bradley doesn't like to single out or talk about his son. He has been walking a tightrope about the subject since 2004, when as the MetroStars coach, he selected 16-year-old Michael 36th overall in the MLS SuperDraft. Michael had just completed his time at the U.S. under-17 residency camp in Bradenton, Fla. He was ready for the next challenge -- professional soccer.

Michael was hampered by an injury in 2004, but became the starting defensive midfielder the next season. Ironically, he did not score his first professional goal until after Bob was dismissed as coach, in a playoff-clinching victory against Chivas USA in the regular-season finale.

Some MetroStars fans felt there was nepotism involved. The same thing happened when Michael started to play for his father on the national team in 2007. Hence, Bob not trying to boost or boast about his son.

A few years ago, there was a rare comment about how proud Bob was of Michael after he joined Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie (Michael currently performs for Borussia Moenchengladbach in the German Bundesliga).

"I am happy for him," Bob said. "To go to a club in Europe and to establish yourself very quickly, earn the respect of the coaches and your teammates, so that you're playing and starting in the most important games of the season, that says a lot.

"For me, it's just with what we saw the last two years, especially last year. He's got a strong mentality, understands the game. He plays well beyond his years. I really felt that last year as the season moved along that he got stronger and stronger. And that's not something you see that often with young players in MLS, especially with ones who are asked to cover that much ground and be a factor in the center of the field, where things are really hard."

In many ways, they are so much alike and the similarities are not lost on Michael's teammates.

"He and his dad are just alike," said former New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore, who helped set up Michael's second goal Wednesday. "Bob's just a bit older than him. On soccer they're both very intense. They have so much passion for the game. They really just eat, breath and sleep soccer.

"Michael loves the game. He loves talking about it. He loves talking about new ideas. The subject for them never gets old. And it's really refreshing to see that in American players and coaches. I think he's a great kid, has a great head on his shoulders and loves to work hard. What more can you ask?"

When asked about his performance against Mexico, Michael Bradley spoke of the team, rather than himself.

"I think everyone on our team was really excited to play tonight," he said. "Anytime you can play against Mexico it's great, it's also a really important World Cup qualifier. To be a part of a team effort like that and come away with three points is a great feeling."

When pressed about how he felt personally, Michael responded, "I'm happy we won. We got three points and we beat Mexico so that's important."

The thing is that he's only 21 years old and still learning the beautiful game. But already Michael Bradley has left his mark. With Heerenveen in 2007-08, he scored 21 goals, the most by an U.S. player in Europe.

On Wednesday night, Michael went into the U.S. history books as the fourth man to tally twice against Mexico in a qualifier. He joined Aldo "Buff" Donelli (hat trick in a 4-2 win in a 1934 qualifier), Eddie Murphy (in a 7-2 loss in a 1962 qualifier) and former California Surf and New York Cosmos forward Steve Moyer (in a 2-1 win in a 1982 qualifier) in this exclusive club. This from a player who had scored three goals in 25 previous matches prior to Wednesday night.

His performance certainly left his teammates impressed.

"It's great," said Landon Donovan, who set up both U.S. goals. "People forget he does a lot of hard work. He gets in [passing] lanes. ... He's dangerous going forward. He's a good, smart player."

Added goalkeeper Tim Howard, who survived a nasty hit by Mexican defender Rafael Marquez to record a shutout: "I think he was fantastic, aside from the goals. He was up and down the field, side to side, staying in the tackles, winning balls, collecting second balls. He did everything right."

Howard said that Bob "probably demands more of [Michael]. He treats us all equally. We trust all in the relationship that we have with Michael as a teammate and that Bob Bradley has with Michael as a player. We trust in our relationship. Michael doesn't take any short cuts. He is the hardest working guy on the team. He demands a lot of himself, which I think is the epitome of a big-time player, which I think Michael will be."

Perhaps someday Michael will accomplish something so grand (a national team hat trick or a spectacular or dramatic game-winning goal, maybe?) that we'll hear the father and not just the coach speak.

Until then, we'll have to let Michael's actions speak for themselves.

Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.

And some more from Goal.com...

Mexico Captain Marquez Apologizes For His "Error"
Rafael Marquez said he made a mistake by kicking American goalkeeper Tim Howard, which led to a red card in Mexico's loss to the U.S.

After not having spoken to the press upon his arrival in the United States, Mexico captain Rafael Marquez sought out the media in a press conference after El Tricolor's 2-0 loss to the U.S.

Marquez was sent off in the 65th minute for a vicious challenge on U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard, which left Mexico the task of trying to overcome a deficit with 10 men.

"My intentions to be here in this press conference is to ask for public forgiveness," Marquez said. "I've already asked the same from my teammates, the coaching staff and the federation and now I want to apologize publicly to my fans, my country and the media for my conduct... I made an error and threw away all the hard work we had put in all week."

The red card was the latest in a history of ejections for Marquez. In the 2002 World Cup, Marquez was shown red after a horrid assault on U.S. midfielder Cobi Jones. Marquez also was sent off in the 2005 Confederations Cup semifinal match against Argentina.

"It always happens here with the national team," Marquez said. "My desire always is to win and perhaps when we don't, I don't know what to do and that is what causes me to do this."

Until that point, Marquez had done well to patrol the Mexican defense. Aside from the United States' first goal, a 43rd-minute strike from Michael Bradley off a corner kick, and a scattered few chances, Marquez had done well to cover for a shaky Aaron Galindo and to set the tone for Mexico in defense.

After Mexico was left with 10 men, the U.S. tried to control the match having the advantage of personnel. Mexico, though, pushed forward in search of an equalizer.

It was the United States, though, who nabbed the game's final goal. Again, it was Bradley who did the damage as he fired a shot from distance that appeared to fool Mexico's Oswaldo Sanchez. The shot went right through a giant gap in Mexico's defense, one that may have been filled by Marquez.

Mexico must now make do without Marquez for the next World Cup qualifying match, a March 28 home match against Costa Rica. When he does return, Marquez said he will try and be on his best behavior.

"I will put forth my best desire to try and control my intense desire I have to win and the type of desperation I feel," Marquez said.

On the Roos' rush towards crossing the Indian Ocean

I had a pretty tenuous day. Crappy internet connection at home, pancakes that gone south for the winter, maple syrup running over the plate, my professor unfamiliar with Geico commercials...

And so I pondered the possibilities of the Socceroos booking their spot in the FIFA 2010 World Cup. From Fox Sports...

Earning a point, learning a lesson

Comment by Tom Smithies

February 13, 2009

NEVER mind the quality, feel the points - that is the message Pim Verbeek and his troops were articulating after their priceless draw in Yokohama on Wednesday night.


Sitting top of the group with 10 points from four games, and the most difficult fixtures of this final round navigated successfully, is an enviable position and one that Verbeek's paymasters at Football Australia would have snatched at when qualification began.

So let's acknowledge the positives first of all - the most overwhelming being that Australia stand on the brink of a second successive World Cup appearance.

The last two were 32 years apart but, like buses, it seems Germany and South Africa will follow in quick succession. We could get used to this.

The point earned in Japan came on the back of essentially no preparation, no time for work on tactical shape and barely a chance to stretch properly after the flight.

It was built on the acumen and resilience this squad has accrued over recent years and, while there was luck involved, Japan didn't have a huge number of real chances.

There was also a fourth consecutive clean sheet, a miserly statistic to be proud of.

Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill and Craig Moore are a holy trinity for Verbeek and he knows it.

The coach was a satisfied man in the aftermath of the draw, well aware of the fine margins that define success at this level - in this case the centimetres by which a deflected shot flew wide of Schwarzer's goal at the death.

But Verbeek also touched on some of the negatives, chief among them the carelessness with which possession was squandered.

Albeit against inferior opposition, remember the way Australia kept the ball in the 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Tashkent? Handing over possession so much on Wednesday just invited Japan to keep coming at the Socceroos.

Part of that was Tim Cahill's struggle to hold the line as a makeshift striker.

Boxed in by smart defending and crass refereeing, Cahill failed to give his side respite by holding on to the ball - not surprising as his natural game is not remotely one with his back to goal.

As an experiment it didn't work and deprived the team of Cahill's lethal qualities from midfield.

There is only one sure-fire solution to the forward line issue, and it answers to the name of Mark Viduka.

How well Australia might do in South Africa - assuming those final qualifying points are secured - could be defined by whether Viduka will ever be fit enough again to pull on the gold shirt.

But for now the focus is on Uzbekistan in Sydney in April. The best-case scenario would be for Bahrain and Qatar to both lose their games on March 27, so an Australian win five days after would mean they could only be overtaken on goal difference.

But whenever the actual point is reached, it's going to take an absolute disaster to prevent Australia reaching the World Cup from here.

FINALLY!!!

AFC Wimbledon did it! Courtesy of the official team site...

Saturday 31 January 2009

Dons win top of the table clash


Wimbledon confirmed their position at the top of the table as they beat rivals Chelmsford City 3 – 1, in a match played before a record crowd of 4690 with a couple of hundred more fans unfortunately locked out for safety reasons.

The hero was once again Jon Main, who scored in the 18th and 28th minutes to put the Dons two goals ahead by half time. The visitors raised their game early in the second half and although they enjoyed a lot of possession, they rarely threatened James Pullen’s goal. However, they did pull a goal back after 64 minutes when Kevin James bundled the ball home following a free kick out on the left.

The Dons wrapped up the points a minute from time when Tom Davis passed the ball home following an earlier miss from Sam Hatton from about the same position.

Terry Brown was delighted with the result. “I am of course very pleased that after a number of reverses against Chelmsford in our last few matches we were able to come out on top and secure the three points.

“As I said before the match, there are still 45 points to play for and a lot more work to be done before the end of the season. I thought Chelmsford played well at times and enjoyed a lot of possession. However, when you have a strike force of Jon Main and Danny Kedwell they are always likely to get you goals, and today Jon scored two more to maintain the incredible record he has set since the start of the New Year.

“I thought our defence was again sound with Ben Judge and Jason Goodliffe providing a difficult barrier to breach, and it was a very encouraging debut by full-back Andy Sambrook.

“The boys will have Tuesday night off to give them a rest after a run of three games in eight days, before preparing for the visit to St Albans where I am sure we will again have a difficult match.”

Blah, blah, Blahgojevich.

After being dormant for a fortnight plus, I have come up with an entry for the Bedlam. This is a little tribute to Illinois favorite governor turned traitor: Rod Blagojevich. Sung to the tune of "Rockaway Beach" by the Ramones.

No more Blago, no more, no no no.
The verdict's out, we've had enough.
All you Senators must impeach.
America is tired of Blahgojevich.
Throw him out, onto the street,
trying to sell Barack Obama's seat.
Process is too slow.
His soapbox is spamming all the radios.

Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Illinois is tired of Blahgojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
America is tired of Blahgojevich.

It's not hard, you must impeach.
The whole state is tired of Blahgojevich.
It's not hard, you must impeach.
America is tired of Blahgojevich.

No more Blago, no more, no no no.
The verdict's out, we've had enough.
All you Senators must impeach.
America is tired of Blahgojevich.
Throw him out, onto the street,
trying to sell Barack Obama's seat.
Process is too slow.
His soapbox is spamming all the radios.

Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
America is tired of Blahgojevich.

Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
America is tired of Blahgojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
Blah, blah, Blagojevich.
This bloody world is tired of Blahgojevich!

Good riddance, indeed!

T-minus 5 days till the homeboy checks in...

===

Analysis: Americans happy 'failed marriage' with Bush is ending

By Bill Schneider
CNN Senior Political Analyst


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For most Americans, the Bush era is ending not a moment too soon.

As President Bush prepares to leave office, three quarters of Americans have a parting thought: "Good riddance."

Asked their view of President Bush at the end of his presidency, 75 percent said they are glad he is leaving, according to a CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll taken in December. Only 23 percent said they will miss him.

It's been like a failed marriage. Things started out well. When President Bush first took office, more than 60 percent saw him as strong and decisive.

That impression was re-enforced after the September 11, 2001,attacks when the president stood at Ground Zero and declared, "The people who knocked these buildings down will hear from all of us soon.'' View iconic images from the Bush presidency »

Bush's image of resolve got him re-elected in 2004, when terrorism was the dominant concern. More than 60 percent of Americans continued to see Bush as strong and decisive when he started his second term in 2005.

No more. There is a fine line between resolve and stubbornness, and Bush seems to have crossed it.

Now only 45 percent consider Bush a strong leader.

Bush did once have a reputation as a good manager (61 percent in 2001). Then came Hurricane Katrina in 2005. And Bush's reputation as a manager got blown away. Last month, only 25 percent said he has managed government effectively. View a timeline of key moments in Bush's presidency »

Bush got elected on a promise. "I think that people look for someone who is a uniter, not a divider,'' he said when he first ran for president.

But the vast majority of Americans now think he betrayed that promise. Only 17 percent now believe Bush united the country.

"I think one of the big disappointments of the presidency has been the fact that the tone in Washington got worse, not better,'' Bush told ABC News. "The tone was rough," Bush said, "and I was obviously partially responsible because I was the president."

Even some conservatives feel betrayed. Evangelical leader Pat Robertson said, "I think we've had some serious goofs along the way. The Katrina matter was terrible. The rebuilding of Iraq has been terrible. The handling of the economy right now has been terrible."

Fewer than a third of Americans believe George W. Bush will go down in history as a good president. Forty percent said Bush leaves a poor legacy and 28 percent said Bush is the worst president in American history.

"I think historians will look back and they'll be able to have a better look at mistakes after some time has passed,'' Bush said at his final news conference on Monday. "I don't think you can possibly get the full breadth of an administration until time has passed.'' Watch Bush's final press conference »

Bush's two signature policies were the war in Iraq and tax cuts. As he leaves office, neither is regarded as a success.

The president argued at his news conference, "When the history of Iraq is written, historians will analyze . . . the decision on the surge."

Americans do acknowledge the security situation in Iraq has improved since Bush sent 30,000 additional U.S. troops.

But public opposition to the war has not budged. More than 60 percent of Americans continue to think the war was a mistake.

Bush also defends his tax policies. "I helped implement tax cuts when I was president," he said, "and I will defend them after my presidency as the right course of action.''

But the outgoing administration's economic record is the weakest of any president since World War II. The country's job growth under Bush: just 2 percent. Bill Clinton's eight years in office saw more than 20 percent job growth. Job growth for the previous nine postwar presidents averaged 12 percent.

"It's sad to say, but we really went nowhere for almost 10 years after you extract the boost provided by the housing and mortgage boom,'' Mark Zandi, chief economist and cofounder of Moody's Economy.com, told The Washington Post. "It's almost a lost economic decade."

President Bush's response: "I inherited a recession. I'm ending on a recession. In the meantime, there were 52 months of uninterrupted job growth."

Bush is proudest of his steadfast leadership after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Indeed, the trauma of the attacks did bring the country together -- for a while. Exactly one year, to be precise. From September 2001 to September 2002, Democrats, Independents and Republicans all supported Bush.

It came to an end in September 2002, when the Iraq rollout and the midterm election campaign began, and the country's bitter divisions re-emerged.


Bush says he has no regrets. "In terms of the decisions that I had made to protect the homeland, I wouldn't worry about popularity," he advised his successor. "All these debates will matter naught if there's another attack on the homeland. ... The question's going to be, 'Why didn't you do something?' "

That's how President Bush wants to be remembered -- as the president who kept the country safe.

===

We got Marta. Yawn.

Personally, I don't care where we get our players, or who we get. As long as we win the championship, I'm fine with whoever we get.

===

Los Angeles Sol Signs Brazilian Superstar Marta
Monday, January 12, 2009


Three Time FIFA World Female Player of the Year Joins Already Strong Los Angeles Side

CARSON, CALIFORNIA – Monday, January 12, 2009 – The Los Angeles Sol (Women’s Professional Soccer) achieved a major milestone in women’s professional sports when they announced an agreement today with three time FIFA World Female Player of the Year Marta Vieira da Silva, better known worldwide simply as Marta. Per team and league policy, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Marta joins a potent Sol team that will be sure to captivate soccer fans throughout the Southland and already features three U.S. Women’s National Team players (Shannon Boxx, Aly Wagner, Stephanie Cox) and a host of others with significant international experience. The agreement comes upon the heels of Marta’s great accomplishment of becoming the FIFA World Female Player of the Year for the third year in a row.

"With the signing of Marta there is no doubt that we have brought in one of the biggest and most exciting pieces of the puzzle we targeted when we launched this franchise last fall,” said Scott Hanley, Vice President AEG Sports, who operates the Sol. “She is a bonafide superstar in the sport of soccer who will undoubtedly electrify fans and raise awareness for both our team and WPS on a global scale.”

The Sol originally acquired the exclusive WPS negotiating rights to Marta on September 24, 2008, when they drafted her third overall in the WPS Initial International Draft. In that draft, each team was allowed to draft four international players.

The initial International Draft gave each of the seven WPS teams the opportunity to begin a formal negotiation process with each selected player upon receiving permission from that player’s club. For the 2009 season, teams are allowed to sign up to five international players each.

“I am extremely excited to be joining the Los Angeles Sol,” Marta said. “Knowing that WPS is going to be the most competitive league in the world made my decision easy. I am going to Los Angeles to win as many titles as possible and achieve all the remaining goals in my professional life.”

Since 2004, Marta, a native of the Brazilian state of Alagoas, has been playing for fabled Swedish women’s club side Umea IK, helping lead to wide variety of team and personal accolades.

Umea has captured the Swedish league title three times (2005, 2006 and 2007) since her arrival, and took the UEFA Champions League crown in 2004 and a runner-up finish in 2007. In addition, they have drawn an average of nearly 10,000 fans per home game, easily best in the league.

A gifted left-footed attacking midfielder with a very deadly shot, Marta has also shone brightly individually since her arrival in Sweden, winning the FIFA Women’s Player of the year award in 2006, 2007, and 2008. In 2007, she also won the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China and the Golden Boot as its top scorer as Brazil captured the silver medal.

Marta and Brazil’s full national team first gained recognition on the world stage for their attractive, attacking football at the 2004 Athens Olympic Football Tournament, where they took the silver medal, losing to the USA in the final.

Marta turned in some amazing performance at the FIFA Under-19 Women’s World Championship in Canada, and has been a fixture with the full side since. In 2003, after some excellent performances in the Pan-American Games in the Dominican Republic, where Brazil won the gold medal, she received an offer to move to Umea, and has been there ever since.

The Sol will kick off the 2009 season on Sunday, March 29 at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University-Dominguez Hills, when the club hosts the Washington Freedom in a 3 pm (PT) match. The WPS Inaugural Match between the Sol and the Freedom will be the only one played in WPS that weekend.

The remainder of the Sol’s 2009 schedule will be announced in the coming weeks and season tickets are already on sale. Prices range from $125 to $750. For more information or to purchase your tickets today, please call toll free at 1-877-4-SOL-TIX and www.LosAngelesSol.com.

It was in God's plan. Right?

It was God's plan for the Florida Gators to get the crystal football after Sam Bradford of Oklahoma got the Heisman. I knew it was bound to happen.

From ESPN.com...

===

Trademark dominant fourth quarter elevates Tebow, Gators

By Ivan Maisel
ESPN.com


Updated: January 8, 2009


MIAMI -- Give the Florida Gators a team they can dominate, and they will mesmerize you with their speed and athletic gifts. Make them work, however, and the Gators will call on the heart and guts that have become the indelible trademark of Urban Meyer's best teams.

That's why, for the second time in three seasons, Meyer finished the season cradling a crystal football.

No. 2 Florida defeated No. 1 Oklahoma 24-14 in the FedEx BCS Championship Game on Thursday night before 78,458 at Dolphin Stadium. After a sloppy first half that raised hopes among fans of Utah, USC and Texas, the Gators won with defense and a dominant fourth quarter fueled by the human can of Red Bull that is junior quarterback Tim Tebow.

Stymied by an aggressive Sooners defense in the first half, Tebow rallied the Gators by calling on his best offensive player -- Tim Tebow. He finished with 231 yards and two touchdowns passing, and 109 yards on 22 rushes. Not bad for the fourth-best quarterback in the Big 12, as Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks tagged Tebow this week.

"We didn't execute offensively as I wanted to for the whole game," Tebow said, "but what I'm so proud of is my teammates came out here and battled for four quarters and played with so much heart, so I'm so proud of them."

Tebow could have meant the defense, which held Oklahoma 40 points and 199 yards below its season average. The Sooners finished with 363 yards and the haunting memory of two drives inside the Gators' 10-yard-line without scoring.

Tebow might have been referring to Percy Harvin, who said after the game the high ankle sprain he suffered against Florida State on Nov. 29 included a hairline fracture. Nevertheless, his 52-yard dash on the first play from scrimmage after Oklahoma tied the game 14-14 in the fourth quarter immediately switched the momentum back to the Gators, and for good.

"I could run but I couldn't quite push off and get that gear I needed," said Harvin, who finished with 122 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries, and added 49 yards on five catches. "But I was able to make some plays to help my team win. You keep faith, and you keep pushing and pushing, it's amazing what can happen for you."

Or Tebow could have been referring to strong safety Ahmad Black, who, four plays after the Gators had taken a 17-14 lead, snatched a deep pass out of the hands of Sooners wideout Juaquin Iglesias at the Gators' 24.

"If my toes are on his toes, I got the right to make the play," Black said. "…I was on him. I put my hands on the ball and grabbed it. He touched it. I guess he wasn't strong enough." Black grinned.

"No, I just pulled it out."

Tebow marched Florida 76 yards for the clinching touchdown, and he scored it with a cherry on top. Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, in his farewell performance before leaving to become head coach of Mississippi State, called the jump pass. Two years ago, Tebow threw a jump pass for a touchdown against LSU, an early chapter in the Tebow legend.

With 3:07 to play, from the Oklahoma 3-yard-line, Tebow took the snap, started as if he would crash through the left side of the line, then leaped and flipped a pass to 6-foot-5 junior David Nelson. Though Florida never trailed, it was not until Nelson caught the pass that the Gators led by more than seven points.

Sam Bradford, the Oklahoma quarterback who stopped Tebow's bid to win a second consecutive Heisman Trophy, played well by almost any standard but the one he set for himself this season. Bradford completed 26-of-41 for 256 yards and two touchdowns, both to tight end Jermaine Gresham.

But the sophomore will long remember the interception he threw right before halftime that prevented the Sooners from taking a lead. With the score tied 7-7 on third-and-10 from the Florida 17 and less than 20 seconds remaining, Bradford completed an 11-yard pass to Gresham. Oklahoma used its last timeout.

Every quarterback knows you look for a receiver, and if he's not open, you throw it away. Bradford knew it. But when he saw a smidgen of daylight between wideout Manuel Johnson and corner Joe Haden at the 1, Bradford couldn't stop himself.

The ball bounced off Johnson, Haden and another Gator before free safety Major Wright came away with the interception at the 3.

"I tried to force one in there, but I probably should have just thrown it in the back of the end zone and taken the three points," Bradford said after the game.

No field goal, no halftime lead, and thank goodness, only one more play left in the first half. As the years pass, and the memories fade, few will remember how this game began. The first half may have been watched with delight in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Austin, but it looked pretty scruffy in South Florida. The Sooners and the Gators both made mistakes uncharacteristic of the brand of football that earned their trips here.

Nothing looked more out of place than the zeroes on the scoreboard after the first quarter.

Blame the rust from a 33-day layoff. But give the defenses some credit, as well.

"They brought a lot of pressure, which wasn't what they had done for 13 games," Florida offensive line coach Steve Addazio said. "…It was a little different schematically than what we anticipated."

The odds of Tebow, who threw two interceptions in 268 attempts this season, matching that pick total in the first half were large, but no larger than the chance that Oklahoma could drive inside in the Florida 10 twice and come away with no points.

This was Oklahoma, an offense that had scored on 76 of 80 trips into the red zone. That's a .950 batting average.

The first whiff came on the heels of Tebow's second interception. On a zone blitz, tackle Gerald McCoy dropped into coverage and Tebow threw the ball right to him at the Florida 26. The Sooners needed only three plays to get to the 1-yard-line, third-and-goal. Chris Brown failed to gain. On fourth down, backup nose tackle Torrey Davis, who plays on the goal-line defense, knifed past All-Big 12 center Jon Cooper to tackle Brown for a 2-yard loss.

"That was my only play in the first half," Davis said. "When I did get it, I made it."

"He kept his feet alive," defensive line coach Dan McCarney said of Davis. "If you're going to win championships, you never know where that next big play is coming from. A lot of guys have to contribute, and that was a huge play at the time."

As much as that hurt, the other red-zone failure, Bradford's first interception, devastated the Sooners.

"We played awfully well for a good part of the game," said Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, now 1-3 in BCS Championship Games and loser of five straight BCS bowls. "…It doesn't take much to lose a tight game like it was."

Over the course of its first 12 games, Florida displayed its sheer physical talent. The Gators had more speed on the outside and more strength on the line of scrimmage. They won big.

In their last two games, however, the Gators won with all that stuff you earn in the weight room and the sand pit and the stifling heat of a Gainesville summer. Florida won the SEC championship game 31-20 over Alabama by scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter while holding the Crimson Tide to a total of 1 yard.

And on Thursday night, Florida did it again.

"I've been a coach now 23-some years," Meyer said. "and I've had to rank this [team] either 1 or 1-A as far as quality of people, as far as work ethic … I love them, I'm proud of them, and they're national champs."

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Ivan Maisel is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Send your questions and comments to Ivan at ivan.maisel@espn3.com. His new book, "The Maisel Report: College Football's Most Overrated & Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions," is on sale now. For more information, go to TheMaiselReport.com.

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Congratulations, Gators. They said it couldn't be done, but now thanks to you and a convoluted concept touted by a bunch of old farts who stick their middle finger at the mere mention of a playoff system, any unassuming group of rubes in the Football Bowl Subdivision can get away with roughhousing patsies like Richmond, NW Missouri State and (if it's in His plan) Mount Union while lifting with another crystal football.

BoBA Special: An interview with ISML Commissioner Minhtam Nguyen

Earlier this week, I was able to chat with International Saimoe League Commissioner/Administrator Minhtam Nguyen about the ISML. The transcript is shown below.

How did you come up with the International Saimoe League? Was it out of frustration with 2chan Saimoe and other Anime Saimoe Tournaments? Were you unsatisfied with the process? Or did you feel that there needed to be this one HUGE contest that spans the world's tournaments?

To be honest, the process of 2chan Saimoe and other Anime Saimoe Tournaments itself only played a role in the format of the International Saimoe League, which I will explain later. However, it was because of its results that became part of my desire to run a contest as huge and prestigious as what the International Saimoe League is now, concept wise.

I first was introduced to the concept of Saimoe as a Shana fan, and I was almost captivated by it that I’ve started participating late in 2007. When I went to do some research, I learned about the past matches and realized that there were popular rivalries, such as Shana vs. Suiseiseki, Haruhi vs. Yuki, Fate+Nanoha vs. the Rozen Maidens, etc, as well as matches many have come to expect to happen that have never happened. I thought to myself what might happened if all of the characters, now known as candidates, came together and fought each other one on one for a long time. Hence I made a mock Round Robin schedule taking the top 16 candidates from past tournaments. Then many people from AnimeSuki asked me to run the contest. The rest, as you say, is history.

I guess if you want a short answer, I ran the contest sort of on a whim, so to speak, but standing here one year later, I’m kind of glad I did it.

Give those who are new to the ISML a little background on the selection process. How are the best characters in all of anime and manga selected? I would assume it's a convoluted process, but a comprehensive one as well.

Well, since this is for the people who are new to ISML, I guess I wouldn’t have to explain last year’s process, which was intended for only the first year, but you are right, the process is very convoluted and comprehensive.

This time around, we have a new background checking system. ANYBODY who makes it in would have to pass the new background check rule, which in summary, you have to be female, have a name, represent a series rated below 18+, and have sufficient screentime in the anime being represented. Think of this as showing ID at an airport.

We first take the top 16 candidates from the International Saimoe League the preceding year, or in this case, ISML 2008. That’s 16 candidates right there. Second, we also include any necklace winner who has had at least a .500 record, which unfortunately excludes Topaz winner Setsuna Sakurazaki from Negima?! , who had a .365 record last year.

Third, we take the “top 8” from the main tournaments from Korea and Japan. Excluding candidates already qualified, that adds 8 more. I would like to add to the fact that although Konjiki no Yami of To Love-Ru officially finished 9^th in that contest, as she would have made the top 8 if a very well-documented tie didn’t happen, we have decided to allow Yami an automatic entry as well. We also take the top 8 from AniZone’s exhibition tourney, Korea Super Best Moe, but as those from the top 8 in that tourney are already in or would be out thanks to the new background check rule, that adds no new candidates.

Finally, if there’s less than 48 candidates, we invite all of the .500 winners from the last year who didn’t meet the requirements above to come back to fill up that roster. This year, however, we only have 37 candidates, which means 11 extra spots are open and added to the 16 that were reserved for nominations.

This year, the nomination process will take place as two parts. First, a voter would go on to nominate eight candidates who didn’t make it already using a weighted system, giving 10 points to the candidate one most wants to see in and going down to 1 point. From there, the staff members will sort it out and take the top 48 candidates by points and have them participate in the new preliminary system, in which we divide those candidates to groups, take a winner from them, and reshuffle and repeat the process.

That’s as much as I can say without a reader falling asleep, but it is a very comprehenseive process that it’s so hard to describe it in short. I guess I should invite any reader who wants to know more about the process to contact me using the contact form on the site.

Also, tell us a little bit about the regular season and postseason, including the necklaces, the locations for the battles, and the Tiara. How do you put it all together?

The regular season is a 64 x 64 round robin league, which means all candidates will have to face every other candidate in a head-to-head matchup eventually. This means that every matchup is expected and it also gives voters time to gauge other candidates and prepare for when it is the best time to go campaigning for votes and which matches are shoe-in wins.

The necklaces were actually not in the original plan for this contest, but then again, it would be boring to just have a round-robin contest straight out. It would render some of the early matches “pointless” as there would be nothing at stake. The necklaces provide an incentive to each candidate to try to do her best in a three-week section of the season and also enable her to be recognized for being successful in ISML, even if she isn’t the overall champion.

The postseason is a straight seeded double-elimination contest. This is probably where the frustration of the 2chan Saimoe process comes in. Instead of matches being randomized and strong candidates eliminated early as a result, the matches are seeded and set up due to relative strength parlayed in the regular season. Once again, matches are expected, and the winner gets the final prize, the Tiara. In short, the Necklaces and Tiara are what distinguishes this competition from others because anime characters actually “win” something rather than just finishing first.

The locations of the battles are something new we’ve added for this year. Last year, we’ve just named them Arenas 1 to 32, but again, that’s sort of boring if you think about it, so we actually gave them Cities to be located. The locations are picked solely because geographical location, population (3 million minimum), and absence of political conflict. I would like to add that we are going to try to get the locations to coincide with real world conflicts, meaning that we will relocate matches if one of the venues selected has a strong worldwide conflict during that time.

How has the ISML been received in places like Korea and Japan? Has the feedback generally been positive, or do they feel it just doesn't have the same muscle their tournaments have?

This is a very interesting question, and it’s somewhat hard for me to answer with a straight face. We do indeed have voters from Japan, but I have yet to see that we have yet made an influence in the home country of anime, largely due in part to a lack of an actual Japanese translator, which… we are still looking for at the moment. So the feedback from Japan is certainly nonexistent, and it is currently a target audience we would reach for this year.

South Korea, on the other hand, is ranked second to the US in participation, thanks in large part to one of our most devoted voters, who tries to advertise the Korea Best Moe in the US. As a matter of fact, he was one of those who convinced me to start the International Saimoe League, and as I had done so, he’s done his best to serve as an ambassador of ISML in Korea, as he is the US ambassador of Korea Best Moe. Feedback I generally get from South Korea is mostly positive, up to the point that Koreans are already planning on campaigning days to get others to vote for said candidate on particular days. AniZone, in fact, has considered ISML to be a worthy rival Saimoe contest that they have begun to try to make their own contest better, adding features that ISML will probably never include to try to make their contest as unique as possible.

Other countries do have regular followings, such as China and Vietnam among others. We hope to someday reach a point in which ISML would truly be international, with possibly more languages to be able to accommodate foreign voters.

In your opinion, and this is one where you can go on a spiel on, what makes the International Saimoe League special? Is it the girls competing? The locations? The necklaces and Tiara? What is the one thing that makes the ISML awesome?

Almost everything ISML has to offer makes ISML awesome. Peirod. The only way to truly experience how “awesome” ISML is is to fully participate and visit regularly. What you do with the experience is up to you.

If I changed the word “awesome” to “unique”, then the answer would be different. Though many voters would miss this rather minor detail, if you look at the staff page, you can see that I am also listed as “Story Director”. Yes. International Saimoe League is probably one of the only contests to include an actual storyline, which is what I take out of this competition a lot. The seven necklaces that reveal the heavenly Tiara, the chaos that is round-robin, the rivalries between the candidates themselves, new and revived, etc. It is all part of one central storyline, and it is one that I continually try to form regularly. In fact, my original contribution to the Saimoe community is a storyline based on 2006 and 2007 results, one that has been put on hold for the moment due to real life implications, but I find myself continually writing stories based on the results of these competitions.

This year’s story is a continuation of the 2008 story, which is something a fellow staff member and I continually try to rewrite to come up with the best prologue possible. While the story is still trying to be rewritten detail by detail, the structure of the story is what gives ISML its now pernament image of the seven necklaces and its revelation of the tiara, and one can merely imagine the storyroute of his or her favorite candidate by looking at the results that come out of this contest.

Others will give you a different answer, I am sure, and many of them would definitely say it is the unique round-robin structure, but I am certain that it is the storyline concept and the image that comes with it that sets the International Saimoe League apart from others.

What are your future plans for the International Saimoe League? Is this something that will be here for the long haul? Are tournaments from other countries like China and Thailand in the discussion for having an automatic bid? Tell us what's in store for people following the ISML.

I generally try to think long term as much as possible, but the International Saimoe League, after its successful 2008 season (albeit with the well documented glitch issues and miscounts), is definitely here to say. Does it have a long way to go before it can reach the standards of the Japan Saimoe tournaments, if not surprass, definitely, but I am confident that we will reach that point in which the International Saimoe League will be the one contest everybody talks about.

It is ironic that you mention the Saimoe in China competition. Actually, staff members from China’s competition have already contacted me asking to make their competition an automatic bid for our contest, which is saying a lot. I responded to them that they needed to make an attempt to reach an international fanbase before we start talking about it, but I am sure that they will do just that.

What’s in store for the next few years, I can’t really say much, because we’re not sure if looking ahead to 2013 is a strong priority. But we have almost finished everything for 2009, and I am sure our first attempt at the preliminary rounds will give us success. I guess you can say that we will have to wait and see. Check the news page often for anything that is going on with ISML at this point, because I think that’s the best place to go to follow ISML as close as possible.

The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue thanks Mr. Nguyen for his time talking about the International Saimoe League. For more information on the tournament, the participants, and the upcoming 2009 season, visit the ISML web site at www.internationalsaimoe.com.

Just give up, Minnesota Republicans.

What's the bloody point in litigating and contesting the results, you sore losers? You're wasting your time and the state's money. Give up already.
From the National Post...

Al Franken likely victor in contentious Minnesota Senate recount

Posted: January 05, 2009, 10:39 AM by Shane Dingman

U.S. Politics, u.S. election

Reuters is reporting that Democrat Al Franken will be declared the winner of the tight U.S. Senate contest in Minnesota, emerging from a ballot recount with a slim margin over Republican Norm Coleman, state officials said on Sunday.

“At the moment, Franken has a 225-vote lead,” after the weekend counting of what were deemed the last uncounted absentee ballots, said Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a Democrat who oversaw the process.

Ritchie said unless the supreme court acts on Coleman’s request and orders more ballots to be counted, he will reconvene the state’s Canvassing Board on Monday to certify Franken as the winner of the Nov. 4 contest.

As the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes, Coleman isn't going away quietly.

Coleman, who led Franken on election night, hasn't ruled out a lawsuit challenging the results, claiming there were irregularities that gave Franken an unfair advantage. The Coleman campaign also has a petition pending before the state Supreme Court to include 650 ballots that it says were improperly rejected but not forwarded by local officials to St. Paul for counting.

"We are prepared to go forward and take whatever legal action is necessary to ... remedy this artificial lead that we believe is being shown now for the Franken campaign," Recount attorney Fritz Knaak said.

Franken campaign spokesman Andy Barr said in an e-mail Sunday: "In terms of future planning, we're taking it one step at a time. The next step is the canvass board's meeting tomorrow, where we have every expectation they will declare that Al won the election."

As MSNBC pulled out: "Not surprisingly, Chuck Schumer wants Franken seated, now. And the Wall Street Journal editorial page thinks Franken is the illegitimate winner."

Reuters writes that the recount of some 2.4 million votes cast for the pair has swung back and forth over several weeks. Coleman initially held the edge, but his narrow victory margin necessitated the recount under state law.

The Canvassing Board sifted through hundreds of ballots contested by the two campaigns.

"The recount has been done so precisely, and so transparently," it would be difficult to envision a challenge succeeding, Ritchie said.

But the Washington Post reports that the process itself may come under challenge:

"The Coleman team has laid the groundwork for a real, substantive challenge in front of the Minnesota Supreme Court," said Vin Weber, a former member of Congress from Minnesota and now a lobbyist in Washington. "The race is still a ways from being over."

Photo: Cory Ryan/Getty ImagesAl Franken is a well-known satirist who wrote for and starred on "Saturday Night Live," and more recently hosted a liberal radio show before running for the Senate.

On Assignment: The 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade

I spent the last Wednesday of the old year and the first Thursday of the new year in Pasadena. As soon as I saw the USC Trojans destroy the UCLA Bruins and the Oregon Ducks crush the Oregon State Beavers, I knew that I would be doing something that I had never done, and something no one in my family has ever done either.

I first watched the Rose Parade as a child. The channel that has nonstop coverage was KTLA 5, which still has nonstop coverage today. But what made these two days special for me is that I not only get to watch it live, but actuall see the floats, the horses, the bands, and experience camping by the curb. It is unprecendented my my family to have seen the parade, IN ITS ENTIRETY, LIVE.

I herded enough cash (thanks to some gifts from my family and from my job at the Bar Foundation) to make this possible. The itinerary was as follows. Note: I will also add some side commentary as I go along.

December 31, 2008

4:00 a.m. Alarm bell on my cell phone rings. I wake up.
4:40 a.m. Shower
5:00 a.m. Dress into my special gear: a USC trojan shirt a USC sweater, newly bought brown pants, socks and my reliable black Nike leather sneakers, and my thick black jacket. I also had, at my disposal, a gray beanie with matching gloves and a muffler, my "Alaska hat" (a simple leather beanie with ear flaps and strings), and a few caps.

5:30 a.m. Breakfast. Honey Nut Cheerios, a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches (Monterey Jack toasties), some coffee and water. Oh yes, and also a bowl of Kettle Chips. Lightly salted. The only plain crisps I approve of. By Bonga's Assent.

6:00 Pack up supplies. A few papers to log the fun, a large black blanket, my iPod, Mom's camera, a couple disposables, and three rolls of film. I underestimated the amount of shots I needed, as well as the cold. Next January 1st, I'm bringing a sleeping back and SEVEN rolls of film. Or two boxes of threes and a disposable.

6:30 I walk to the bus stop at the corner of Easy Avenue and Hill Street to take Route 1 on Long Beach Transit to Wardlow Station. They had some road work, so I had to make a detour.

7:00 I arrive at Wardlow Station, and take the Blue Line to 7th Street & Metro/Julian Dixon. At this point, Japan in now in the New Year, with the Philippines soon to follow.
7:40 Transferred to the Metro Red Line heading toward Union Station, but first took a detour to Civic Center to purchase some trinkets from Kinokuniya in Little Tokyo.

8:00 I arrive at Kino's to buy a Konata Izumi accessory for my keychain...but they would not be open for another two hours. Like the Costa MEsa store, they don't open until 10:00 a.m.
I sat on a bench nearby and waited, scribbling some stuff on the log.

10:00 Kinokuniya opens.
10:10 I purchase the accessory, and a volume of a little one-shot by Arina Tanemura, "Mistress Fortune." Arina T. needs to consider drawing more buxom chicks. Seriously. Maybe a little mole or two, but there can only be one Mikuru Asahina.
10:20 Returned to Civic Center Station.
10:36 Took Metro Purple Line to Union Station.
10:50 Got on board Metro Gold Line to Memorial Park Station.
11:25 Arrived at Memorial Park Station.

11:35 Purchased Rose Bowl Game program and a red Tournament of Roses cap.
11:40 A native guy by the name of Will found a spot for me to camp on. Using a piece of pink chalk, I marked my spot: just a few feet from the merchandise stall. This location was great for a number of reasons: it was close to the Norton Simon Museum, where a majority of the grandstand watchers and cable networks were located, and it was just a 15-minute walk from Tournament House.

12:00 p.m. Walked to Norton Simon Museum, took shots of the rose.
12:10 Took photos of Tournament House and some of the bleachers on Orange Grove Avenue.
12:20 Snacked on some clementines by a tree on Orange Grove.
12:30 Walked back to viewing spot while taking another shot of the rose at the museum, now raised. Lunch. Some pasta, a bag of chips, and Blue Diamond Almonds. I should have brought a few more water bottles.

1:45 You see all these different cars going up and down Colorado Boulevard Antique coupes. Horsepower roaring on the asphalt. Broken down, rusted trucks. A limo. Another limo. A stretch Hummer. A caravan of police cars. A few open air convertibles showing their school pride out loud. This place had mostly USC supporters, though.
I was listening to some ZZ Top. I couldn't wait for the sun to go down. New year already passed by most of Asia and Russia.
For the next few hours, I wasn't inclined to leave my spot. I continued to watch the cars go by. Watched over Will's area, with the Oakley MP3 sunglasses blasting reggae music.

3:27 33 minutes till London rings in '09. 5 hours snd 33 until the ball is dropped in Times Square.
I saw more copues, still more Eliminator wannabes, motorcycles, mopes, cars with craploads of silly string attached to it, the occasional Metro Rapid bus, and countless chicks going in and out.

A little trivia: this year's court is made up of high school girls and college freshmen. And the Rose Queen, Courtney Chou Lee, has a moe feel to her. This could only mean one thing: all you jocks out there, at least one of these darlings may be available, if they aren't already...Who knows, one of them might end up making it big on Playboy. Whoa. Now THERE'S an ambition.

By the way, Courtney chose USC to win the game. She's love.
Really love. I hope more Asians get selected as Rose Queens and Princesses. It will say a lot about my folks.

Those mufflers are roaring up and down Colorado Boulevard as I write this. Just saw a broken-down Clampett-quality Ford advertising a company called "Rags Car Wash" heading east on Colorado. Ah, Colorado Boulevard. Home to the Weird and Wonderful.

Is it just me, or do all these Parade participant pretenders just want to be seen and heard?


5:00 p.m. A drunken boor who fell in with us a few hours ago was taken away by police after impeding traffic while taking photos, littering on the sidewalk (smashing a bottle of liquor), and fighting a couple near my area. I picked up my backpack, lunch bag and blanket as the guy, who was Will's bro, wrestled him down. Taking a photo, I observed something interesting as onlookers took notice.

"A guy in a red shirt taking down a transient in a blue jacket," I said to one of them, sneaking a contemptuous grin. "That can only mean thing: USC is gonna kill Penn State tomorrow."
He cracked up, shaking his head. I turned to the rest of the crowd and said, "Attention all you Penn State supporters! THIS is what's gonna happen to your team tomorrow! You have been warned."

Bored with the situation, I went to Hot Wings for the last (actually next-to-last) dinner of the year. A simple meal: a burger, fries, and a couple swigs of pink lemonade. $10. I had the owner keep the change as her tip.

Returning to my spot, I had a feeling that the last batch of pasta would be downed tomorrow morning. In reality, it would be consumed a few hours later.

6:15 p.m. A biker with blue sparkling lights passes by. Two hours and 45 minutes until the ball drops in Times Square. Five hours and 45 minutes remaining of 2008, 13 hours and 45 minutes until Rose Parade CXX begins. I am calm, I am collected, I watch a young girl cry in her partner's arms, America-style.
6:40 Professor Wes Weasely of the Division of Theremin Studies explains what a theremin is. It's a device used on the old Hollywood horror flicks of the past. In the spirit of the theme, "Hats off to Entertainment."

The secret invention was tested by me, Will and the rest of his crew, including a stout guy by the name of Kong. He's a load of fun. He makes a prognostication (a correct one, if you will) of USC winning the game. "You know, fuck all this talk about Penn State winning and all that. You might as well give your money to me, because USC is going to win this game." A lot of bookmakers are calling it too. So am I. OoooooOOOOOooooooo....

The next few hours are just relaxing on the concrete, saying hello to other passers by. Will asked me, "What music do you like?"
"Ramones, The Clash, The Rolling Stones," I said. "You are a PUNK! You're awesome!'
Flattering.

9:00 p.m. The ball drops in Times Square. The new year enters the bulk of North America and the USA. I sit back on thge concrete and reflect on what 2008 brought: the personal highs and lows, the tragedies and triumphs, graduation, grad school and other events that have happened. At the same time, I accept the fact that there will be a new agenda, a new administration a new sense of hope.

9:25 p.m. A car utilizing its windshield wipers as arms, and is coated in silly string, rides down Colorado Boulevard eastward. Another string of seven police cars heads east.

10:40 p.m. Half the country is in 2009. A shitfaced reveler hurls a bottle of Bundaberg in the direction of a group of revelers next to me. The cleanup crews head off to clear the shards as I take my spot behind the blue honor line.
That guy is going to be very lucky if he isn't caught for littering and endangering other people. And I mean VERY lucky.
By this time, I have already purchased two other programs: the official Rose Parade program, and a special program combining the game and parade, courtesy of the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group. Total in programs: About $19.

11:00 p.m. I now make my move behind the blue honor line. '09 has arrive in the Rockies. God save us all, for we are next.

January 1, 2009

12:00 a.m. 1/1/09. The new year enters Los Angeles. Alaska in one hour. Hawaii in two, American Samoa in three. Everyon on the boulevard is screaming, banging pots and pans, and I am shaking my tin of almonds, dancing like a bloody lunatic, even collapsing on the concrete skyward, pointing to the heavens.

The Rose Parade starts in eight hours.

12:25 a.m. People are sleeping, and so am I. Now I direct my thoughts to the Parade.

1:30 a.m. A riot on Colorado Blvd. ensues, presumably between men and men from Pennsylvania and Southern California. First major arrests of the New Year.

1:45 a.m. A couple more transients preach blasphemous jibjab about the USA that would normally have them sent to the gallows in other, more oppresive lands like puppets on a string.

Up and down, fans express support for their teams. A Penn State supporter laid the boring claim that USC's teams are named after a famous brand condom bearing their name. Boring.

Will and his friends are always fun to hear. The live comedy skit job, the discussions about a former member of their posse, a longtime friend, "burning" (hustling) their alienated friends for $150.00 and Kong talking about getting all his ladies banged silly-only to be denied the opportunity when he came back from his errand-is something I will remember for the rest of my life, along with the Parade. The Colorado Boulevard Young Comedians Club. Keeping it real, honest, and fun. And there is the obvious disclaimer: if you are under 18, you are free to ignore the comedy near where I was spending the first night of the new year.

5:15 a.m. A local streetside entertainer sings his tribute to the new year on his makeshift portable keyboard. Two hours and 45 minutes to the Parade. We're flyin'. Every part of the work has entered 2009. And my back is hurting from lying on the concrete.

5:30 a.m. Parade of the Tow Trucks. While unofficially not a part of the Parade, those trucks are needed in removing cars that are on, or near, the parade route. I took my hat off to them.

6:41 a.m. The sun rises for the first time in the new year. The hawkers got to work. Mexican and US flags (in anticipation of the marching band from Puebla). Champurrado. More programs and cotton candy, as well as hot wings. Scarves, beanies, beads all around.

The Blaxicans - that's the name of their group. They are still at it, and even I joke with them.

6:45 a.m. 75 minutes until the Parade starts. I do a little jogging up and down Colorado to loosen the legs. In a mockery of drug addicts, I take 50 huffs of the fresh San Gabriel valley air.

8:00 a.m. The Parade starts. I start by taking shots of the skywriters, followed by some of the police motorbikes, a few snaps of a B-2 Spirit bomber at 9:00, myself with the expression, "Oh shit! The Parade's gonna start!!!", and then the floats, horses and bands.

As the Trojan Marching Band plays, I take photos, and flash the Victory sign. I was really fired up when they played "Tribute to Troy & Fight On!".

In the end, I used up all my remaining shots on my film, and on my cell phone.

10:30 a.m. I shook hands with the Riverside City College marching band staff and some of the L.A. County Sheriff's deputies and thanked them as the parade concluded. Behind them were some more tow trucks and even some protesters holding signs about predictable Christian fluff. It looked like a peaCE march in the background. I had to get the hell outta there in a hurry. Packing my bags, I left.

10:35 a.m. Took a special bus to Union Station, since the Gold Line was jammed.

10:48 a.m. Took the Red Line to 7th & Metro/Julian Dixon Station.

11:03 a.m. Arrived at 7th & Metro and got on board the Blue Line heading south to Long Beach, with a minute to spare.

11:30 a.m. Got off at Willow Station. Hydrated at McDonald's and walked to the bus stop on Atlantic to take care of some Credit Union business via route 61.

11:50 a.m. Took Route 62 from Atlantic & San Antonio Drive to 5th Street and Long Beach Boulevard.

12:00 p.m. Took Route 1 to Delta and 21st (still having road work done)

12:30 p.m. Arrived home. Mission accomplished.

A new meaning to Boxing Day...

I was on my way from doing a shopping run for a new disc burner and a new set of blank DVDs, and I got this news.

It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Boxing Day." This guy is gonna be in a box in a few days. As in a casket. The fact that this guy is also from my home town makes it all the more bitter.

===

Jockey dies of injuries after thrown from horse
36-year-old Long Beach man was riding Harems Dynasty she dropped him after race.

BY LARRY BORTSTEIN
Special to The Orange County Register


LOS ALAMITOS – Quarter-horse jockey Sam Thompson, 36, died early Thursday morning at Los Alamitos Medical Center of injuries he suffered Dec. 20 when thrown from a horse after a race at Los Alamitos.

Thompson, a resident of Long Beach, had been on life support since being admitted to the hospital.

Los Alamitos spokesman Orlando Gutierrez said Thompson's family chose to have Thompson taken off life support. He is survived by his father, Samuel Harold; mother, Gloria; brother, Eric; sister, Kim; and longtime girlfriend, Kristen Watanabe.

Thompson recently had returned to competition after missing most of 2008 because of a broken foot. He had 100 mounts this year, winning with 12.

He was injured when Harems Dynasty, a 2-year-old filly trained by Cody Joiner, who was making the first start of her career, dropped him past the wire after finishing seventh in the eighth race Dec. 20.

Thompson won 600 races at Los Alamitos. His two biggest victories came in the Los Alamitos Million Futurity, with This Snow Is Royal in 1997 and Corona Kool in 1999. Both were 2-year-olds trained by Donna McArthur.

Gutierrez said Los Alamitos Race Course, which concluded its 2008 schedule Dec. 21, will have a memorial service for Thompson when the 2009 season begins on Jan. 2.

===

Wonder what the son of Sam thinks about it all. Actually, forget about it, he was 36 and they didn't have kids. Double shame.

The Carson Civil War of 2008 - Battle 5: Grant's Union Uprising

The Carson Civil War of 2008
Battle 5
Grant's Union Uprising

vs.
Grant Union (Sacramento) vs. Long Beach Polytechnic
25 20

The last of three games I watched last night, this was a night where all those close contests Poly had came back to haunt them, and it finally caught up to them. In this case, four out of five for the South isn't bad, it's terrible, even though they won the civil war, the Poly Jackrabbits are going to be ripped apart, and deservedly so.

If you don't have a strong offense to go with a strong defense, you're not gonna win. And such was the case with Raul Lara's team.

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Sacramento Bee.

Outcome: Decisive Southern California victory (4 games to 1)

Grant topples Poly, wins state title

By Quwan Spears
qspears@sacbee.com

Published: Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008 | Page 1C

CARSON – If there was anyone out there who wondered if the Grant High School football team could play on the big stage, who questioned the Pacers' selection to the game or doubted their ability to compete with the state's top ranked team, the answer was revealed Saturday night.

Heavy underdogs entering the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division State Football Championship Bowl Game, the Pacers upset Long Beach Poly, ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and second nationally by ESPN Rise, 25-20 at the Home Depot Center.

Darvin McCauley scored the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard reception from Grant quarterback Kipeli Koniseti with 1:11 to play.

McCauley and Koniseti's effort not only followed a 55-yard scoring run by the Jackrabbits' Melvin Richardson with 9:39 to play, but also capped a hard-fought game that was full of emotion, crushing hits and a back-and-forth final period.

The Pacers, ranked fifth in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and 37th nationally by ESPN Rise, made history, becoming the first team from Sacramento to win a state championship in football before a statewide television audience and an estimated 10,000 fans.

"We told everybody from the get-go that we were going to get a state championship," Pacers senior linebacker Jeremiah Toma said. "We did it because we believed."

They will also remember "the Drive," an eight-play, 65-yard journey that began with 4:19 left and took Grant off Obscure Street and onto Championship Lane. McCauley, who had eight catches for an eye-popping 135 yards and two touchdowns, helped lead the way.

"I had their defensive backs beat all game," he said. "I told coach, just throw me the ball and I'm going to get it for him, and I did."

Grant largely controlled the Sac-Joaquin Section over the last 20 years with a section-leading 18 consecutive playoff berths, 15 league titles and six section titles.

It continued its dominance early thanks to a stingy defense that slowed the Jackrabbits' heralded running attack and the performance of Koniseti, the Pacers' stellar quarterback who plays with a linebacker's mentality.

Koniseti, who completed 13 of 26 passes for 236 yards, constantly showed his emotion throughout the game, especially on big plays in which he was involved.

Before an enthusiastic Grant crowd, which was on its feet shouting a choir-like "Pacers … Pacers … Pacers … " chant on seemingly every play, Koniseti threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to McCauley in the first quarter and scored from a yard out on in the second, giving the Pacers (14-0) a surprising 13-0 lead.

It further proved the Pacers had no intention of wilting under the pressure of the Poly mystique and the watchful eye of Poly alumnus and rap superstar Snoop Dogg, who attended the game wearing the Jackrabbits green and gold.

Poly, which has also produced the likes of actress Cameron Diaz, legendary tennis player Billie Jean King, baseball player Tony Gwynn, and NFL football players Willie McGinest and Gene Washington, entered the game with more tradition and a more decorated résumé. It has 18 Southern Section championships and the claim of having sent more players to the NFL (59) than any other program in the country.

The Pacers, however, didn't care. If pressure and Poly's prominence resembled a Mike Tyson uppercut, the Pacers endured the blow, and landed a few punches of their own.

Resembling the blue-collar mentality of Del Paso Heights, Grant displayed the prolific offense that helped it cruise to its sixth Sac-Joaquin Section championship and a three-game stretch during the regular season in which it outscored its opponents 205-0.

The Pacers racked up 369 yards of offense to Poly's 243. They had 15 first downs and the Jackrabbits' eight. More importantly, the Pacers limited the Jackrabbits' running game to 79 yards.

Poly (14-1) trailed only 13-7 at halftime, though, and Iuta Tepa and the passing tandem of Morgan Fennell and Jordan Johnson were key reasons. Pacers running back Devontae Booker fumbled at the Poly 30, and Tepa recovered and returned it to his own 40. Two plays later, Fennell hooked up with Johnson on a 65-yard score, cutting the Pacers lead to 13-7 with 4:52 left in the second quarter.

Later, the Jackrabbits' Juwuan Brown blocked a Grant punt, and Tyller Robinson picked it up, returned it nine yards for the score and gave the Poly its first lead at 14-13 with 3:16 to play in the third quarter.

The Pacers bounced back.

"We stood up to a very good football team," said Grant coach Mike Alberghini, who strives on the "We versus the world" slogan.

"This was a total team effort, and tonight was our night."

INCHES SHORT

Grant scores in final 90 seconds to upset Poly for the state title

Article Launched: 12/21/2008 12:08:18 AM PST

CARSON - To some, Sacramento Grant High received an early Christmas present when it was picked to play Poly in the CIF Open Division state championship game late Saturday night at Home Depot Center.

Many thought Concord De La Salle, which lost to Corona Centennial in the Division I game Friday, should have been tabbed to play the Jackrabbits.

But the Pacers unwrapped that gift in grand style when Darvin McCauley caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kipeli Koniseti with 1:11 to play in the game to lift Grant to a 25-20 victory over the Jackrabbits before 14,122.

The Jackrabbits had taken a 20-19 lead with 9:39 to play on a 55-yard touchdown run by Melvin Richardson. But it did not stand up against a Pacers team that never seemed like it was intimidated by a Poly team that was supposed to win.

After the Pacers (14-0) took the lead for good, Poly started at its 31. Morgan Fennell threw a 19-yard completion to Stanjarivus McKay - a defensive back who had come in to play receiver - for a first down at midfield.

But Fennell then threw three incompletions - one of which was dropped - before connecting with Kaelin Clay on fourth down. Clay's catch ended up less than a foot short of the first down and the Pacers took over with 36.5 seconds to play.

After the Pacers ran out the clock, the players and coaches from their sideline stormed the field. Some of the Grant players had taken a knee, as if overcome by emotion.

Poly players walked ejectedly onto the field for the traditional shaking of hands.

The Jackrabbits (14-1) trailed, 13-0, early in the second quarter.

They had come back from three 10-point deficits in the Southern Section playoffs, but this time it was not to be.

"I gotta give it up to Northern California," said Poly linebacker George Daily-Lyles, who scored a touchdown off a blocked punt that gave the Jackrabbits a 14-13 lead late in the third quarter. "We thought we had them physically and mentally, but they came to play."

Whereas it has been Poly opponents who haven't been able to keep up at the end of games, Jackrabbits coach Raul Lara suggested it was his team that lost steam.

"I think the defense got worn out," Lara said. "We really didn't move the ball and give them time to rest. We were three and out too much."

Poly took its first lead of the game with 3:16 left in the third quarter. Jaymee Matheny was back to punt for the Pacers from his 17.

The Jackrabbits rushed several players with Juwuan Brown blocking the punt. Daily-Lyles picked up the ball about the 8 and ran it in.

Undaunted, Grant regained the lead when it marched downfield and scored on a 6-yard run by Devontae Butler with 10:36 left in the game.

But on first-and-10 from its 45 on its next possession, Poly saw Richardson break a couple of tackles on his way to what seemed at the time would be the winning touchdown. The 55-yard touchdown run gave the Jackrabbits a 20-19 lead.

The Pacers got on the board first when Koniseti found Darvin McCauley open down the right side for a 53-yard yard touchdown pass at the 6:59 mark of the first quarter.

The 1-play drive came after an 18-yard punt by sophomore Alan Roniss. He was playing for senior David Skara, who suffered a broken ankle in the CIF-SS Pac-5 Division semifinals against Lakewood.

Meanwhile, Poly couldn't do a thing in the first quarter, gaining just 19 yards on 12 plays.

Then things got worse for the Jackrabbits early in the second quarter. On fourth-and-16 from the Jackrabbits' 40, Koniseti dropped back to pass. Howard Warren was open down the left side behind Middleton and Koniseti hit him for a 39-yard gain to the Poly 1-yard line.

Koniseti ran the ball in on the next play for a 13-0 lead 10:44 before halftime.

Koniseti also is the placekicker for Grant - although the Pacers did not have a field goal all season - and after an illegal procedure call moved the ball 5 yards back, Koniseti missed the extra point wide left.

Again, Grant did not have to go far. It started that drive on the Poly 34. Only a sack of Koniseti by Iuta Tepa put the Pacers back on the 40.

Grant appeared on its way to increasing its lead a few minutes later. On a first down at the Jackrabbits' 44, he took off on a keeper. Eighteen yards later, Tepa ripped the ball out of his arms.

Tepa began his return and then he fumbled the ball, but teammate Juwuan Brown recovered and Poly had avoided what could have been an even bigger deficit.

That changed the momentum big-time because after Fennel threw two incompletions, he connected with Kaelin Clay in stride for a 65-yard touchdown to pull the Jackrabbits within 13-7 with 4:52 left before halftime.

The Jackrabbits looked like they might be able to take a lead into the locker room after Koniseti fumbled again after a hit by Matauaina Iosia; the ball flew into the air and Corey Waller recovered for Poly.

On third-and-20, Jordan Johnson made a leaping grab of a Fennel pass for a 22-yard gain and a first down at the Grant 21. But the Jackrabbits went in reverse from there, thanks in part to an offensive pass interference call on Clay in the end zone.

Poly missed a chance to get on the board on its first possession when, on third-and-7 from its 35, Fennel threw just a bit wide to Cory Westbrook at about the 50. Westbrook got a finger on it, but that's about it. Had he caught it, he had clear sailing to the end zone.

The Jackrabbits had just 101 yards of total offense in the first half, compared to 209 for the Pacers. Only six of Poly's yards came on the ground. Richardson carried the ball six times for 12 yards, five of the carries coming in the first quarter.