Bedlam on Baltic Avenue

BoBA's picks for ISML2009 Aquamarine Match Day 1

ARENA 01: Furude Hanyū [Shana]

ARENA 02: [Misaka Mikoto] Misaka Shiori

ARENA 03: [Katsura Hinagiku] Kurata Sayuri

ARENA 04: [Kawasumi Mai] Nagato Yuki

ARENA 05: Maria [Sakagami Tomoyo]

ARENA 06: Asahina Mikuru [Furude Rika]

ARENA 07: Kamio Misuzu [Kirisame Marisa]

ARENA 08: Hinamori Amu [Sanzen'in Nagi]

ARENA 09: [Index Prohibitorum] Katagiri Yūhi

ARENA 10: [Tsukimiya Ayu] Suigintou

ARENA 11: Saber [Holo]

ARENA 12: [C.C.] Minase Nayuki

ARENA 13: [Ryūgū Rena] Evangeline McDowell

ARENA 14: Sunohara Mei [Suzumiya Haruhi]

ARENA 15: Ryōgi Shiki [Kasuga “Ōsaka” Ayumu]

ARENA 16: Alice Carroll [Shinku]

ARENA 17: Shameimaru Aya [Hiiragi Tsukasa]

ARENA 18: [Kinomoto Sakura] Mizunashi Akari

ARENA 19: [Hiiragi Kagami] Louise Vallière

ARENA 20: [Yagami Hayate] Vita

ARENA 21: [Furukawa Nagisa] Sawatari Makoto

ARENA 22: Chiba Kirino [Fate Testarossa]

ARENA 23: Anya Alstreim [Kawazoe Tamaki]

ARENA 24: Chii [Hakurei Reimu]

ARENA 25: Konjiki no Yami [Izumi Konata]

ARENA 26: Remilia Scarlet [Takamachi Nanoha]

ARENA 27: Suiseiseki [Kushieda Minori]

ARENA 28: [Nagi] Kawashima Ami

ARENA 29: Kōzuki Kallen [Illyasviel von Einzbern]

ARENA 30: Tōsaka Rin [Aisaka Taiga]

ARENA 31: [Fujibayashi Kyō] Ibuki Fūko

ARENA 32: [Ichinose Kotomi] Patchouli Knowledge

Jai Ho, Melbourne

There is a famous British film out in theaters called "Slumdog Millionaire." Many of you probably are familiar with this movie.

If not, I'll provide it to you in a nutshell: it is the heartening tale of Jamal Malik, a man from Mumbai who, out of the depths of poverty, is able to use his experience from meeting the faces of adversity to win the game show of his life.

This year, "Slumdog Millionaire" scored a coup at the Kodak Theatre on Feb. 22, winning eight Academy Awards. One of those is for Best Original Song.

That song is "Jai Ho," penned by A.R. Rahman and Gulzan. "Jai Ho," in Hindi, means "Be Victorious."

On Feb. 28, at the Telstra Dome, the Melbourne Victory, the dominant force throughout the pre-season and regular season, had the persevering spirit typical of Malik.

Ernie Merrick's club overcame injuries, a red card, and solid defending from a spirited Adelaide United side to win 1-0 in the 2008-09 Hyundai A-League Grand Final.

Tom Pondeljak, acquired from the Central Coast Mariners, was the hero for the Victory. His goal in the 59th minute, a low shot from 20 yards out, eluded Eugene Galekovic (once the backup keeper to Michael Theoklitos, and who frustrated the Melbourne counterattacking scheme for the bulk of the match) and found the net.

For his effort, Pondeljak would receive the Joe Marston Medal, becoming the second Victory player (the first being Archie Thompson) to win it.

With the win, the Victory not only become the first team to win two A-League Championships, but also the first team to win the Australian Treble: the Preseason Cup, the Premiership Plate, and the Championship Ring, all in the same year.

The 1-0 scoreline, on paper, may look like a merciful change from the 6-0 onslaught two years ago.

But on the pitch, the emotions, the fouls and the officiating were anything BUT merciful.

Match official Matthew Breeze, who works as a local police officer, cuffed Cristiano of Adelaide in the 10th minute for an elbow which saw blood pour from Rodrigo Vargas's head.

Adelaide manager Aurelio Vidmar, in his striped red, white and black tie, could only watch helplessly as he walked to the showers. Robbie Slater of Fox Sports deemed the match "ruined" soon after.

Vargas had to spend the rest of the second half wearing a large bandage around his head before being treated to in the locker room at halftime.

In the 65th minute, the playing field became level when Victory's Danny Allsopp was entangled in a melee with a number of Adelaide players, and subsequently given his marching orders by Breeze.

And yellow cards were dished out left and right. Adelaide had four, while Melbourne had two.

Even the most unusual of substitutions came to fruition. Evan Berger, who substituted for Nick Ward in the 56th minute, was substituted by Jose Luis Lopez in the 89th minute for an ambitious airborne attempt to gain possession.

No doubt that one of the future stars for the Big V will look back at this game as a learning experience.

Theoklitos, who has been linked to see action in Europe later this year, was able to garner a couple of key saves: a free kick from Scott Jamieson from distance, and a close tap from United marquis player Paul Agostino.

As for Adelaide, the pain and frustration of being unable to win any piece of silverware continues to linger.

For the thousands who donned red and yellow from the land of the pie floater, the familiar sight of being on the short end of the stick beckoned.

But for the majority of the 53,273 at the Telstra Dome who witnessed the historic moment, the strains of that Best Original Song could not have been more true.

Jai Ho, Melbourne. Jai Ho.

For your Victory, once again, are the kings of Australian football.

On the road toward the A-League Grand Final

In a few hours, the Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United Football Clubs will converge at the Telstra Dome for the 2009 Hyundai A-League Grand Final. In these types of one-off matches, it's all or nothing. Here, I will post a few srticles on the match.

Applied science

Michael Lynch
February 27, 2009

Ernie Merrick has copped his fair share of flak for his lack of joy when his team scores a goal or does something good.
Photo: Getty Images
IT'S all about logic, not emotion. Ernie Merrick — the closest thing in Australian soccer coaching ranks to a computer geek — likes to take the passion out of the game whenever he can.

He once remarked: "I hate it when people say they are passionate about the game. They think it gives them the excuse to say anything they like and just criticise and attack people."

Give him the choice of function, process and cool detachment over spontaneity and spur-of-the-moment inspiration and he invariably will opt for the former.

It's all about controlling things as much as possible. If a team can stamp its system, style and structure on a match, not panic and believe in its processes and tactical stratagems, it will win, more often than not.

Merrick has copped his fair share of flak for his lack of joy when his team scores a goal or does something good.

After Melbourne's 6-0 grand final win over Adelaide two years ago he barely raised a smile, evoking comments that compared his capacity for emotional engagement with an Easter Island statue. The truth is that he is a person who finds it easiest to operate in an environment where he takes emotion out of the equation.

That doesn't mean he avoids players with flair, after all, he has employed the A-League's most dangerous player, Archie Thompson, for four years and signed Carlos Hernandez, the charismatic Costa Rican, two years ago.

Both players have been crucial during Melbourne's run to the premiership plate and Hernandez in particular was outstanding in the 4-0 humiliation of Adelaide two weeks ago in the major semi-final.

He has also put his trust for all of his A-League coaching career in the most passionate player to have donned a Victory shirt in captain Kevin Muscat. It is almost as though the coach singles out for critical roles players who are the antithesis of his own character.

His assistant coach, Aaron Healey, yesterday revealed that so well thought out is the Merrick regime that sessions and training plans are worked out up to a year in advance.

"We're getting into the sports science here," Healey said. "It's just basically planning throughout the year. We know weeks, months — even 12 months — in advance what our training schedule is going to be, what we're doing, where we're headed, so it's just basically a good solid plan where you'd like to go throughout the season.

"You're always going to have individual differences within that, but you've got to structure a plan in place and you work to that."

Merrick came to coach Victory after more than a decade at the Victoria Institute of Sport. There he mixed with leading coaches from other disciplines and absorbed plenty of lessons.

Healey, who was at the Victorian Institute of Sport with Merrick, shares the coach's philosophy and belief in a collaborative approach and calm detachment.

"Sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning, everyone has an input," Healey said. "So it's been a group effort all the way through, not only the 16 players in the squad, but it's important to acknowledge the six players who miss out as well.

"Everyone has had an input to where we are at the moment and everyone has played a major part in getting us here. It's a collaboration."

Anita Pedrana, the club's sports scientist, is another who spent five years working with Merrick at the VIS.

"Ernie trusts us and gives us the flexibility to be able to assess all the players individually, pull them out when they need a rest and make recommendations individually," Pedrana said yesterday.

"Collectively we sit down at the start of the season. Each of us in our three areas — myself, Adam Basil, strength and conditioning, and Dan Jones, our physio — put together a program that we think will suit the way we will play throughout the year and have them (the players) tailored so we peak at the right time. We present that and discuss it with the coaches, they have their feedback and we work it out.

"Ernie is a fantastic coach to have because he lets us do our job and appreciates how important our input is.

"It's very much a consensual approach. He doesn't tell us what to do, we don't tell him what to do."

Merrick has kept a low profile in the lead-up to Saturday's grand final at the Telstra Dome, speaking to television and radio this week but refusing to be interviewed for this article.

Merrick did, however, offer a window to his approach on the ABC program Stateline in an interview to be screened this evening in which he outlined how he approaches his role.

"I think the days of stick your hands up in the air and rah rah rah and that short term inspirational stuff is long gone.

"Because of the consistency of having been there for four years now and having the freedom to get on with my job I think that consistency has been a great benefit for us.

"We're not chopping and changing staff or profiles of players we have or the way we develop players. The players know what is expected of them and it's developed really well over a period of time."

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/02/26/1235237834125.html

How Melbourne Victory can be denied

Michael Lynch
February 28, 2009

Game on: Adelaide has nothing to lose against the Victory.
Photo: Digitally altered: Phil Smith

MELBOURNE Victory has the evil eye on Adelaide United.
The fans know it and the media never stops mentioning it. It would hardly be surprising if even the players and coaches of both teams didn't believe it, such is the recent run of success that Victory has enjoyed over the Reds.

Five times these teams have met this season and five times Melbourne has come out on top, most recently by a 6-0 aggregate in the two legged major semi-final.

But soccer, as we are so often reminded from luminaries such as Alex Ferguson down to the bloke directing traffic at the local club's car park, can be a funny game.

A grand final is a one-off fixture where history can count for nothing. It's 90 minutes (plus extra-time and penalties if necessary) and when referee Matthew Breeze blows his whistle to start proceedings at Telstra Dome tonight, both sides begin on level terms and the soccer gods of fate and chance may yet decide to have their sport.

Victory goes into the match as overwhelming favourite - Sportsbet Australia has Victory at $1.75 to lift the championship trophy after 90 minutes while Adelaide is at $4.35 - but the gap between the two teams may not be as large as those prices suggest.

Melbourne can be beaten - it actually lost seven of the 21 games it played during the regular season. The Newcastle Jets, coached by last year's coach-of-the-season Gary Van Egmond, and Perth Glory, headed by David Mitchell, each beat Victory twice this season, with Perth twice scoring three goals against it and Newcastle bagging four in one of its wins.

Gold Coast United comes into the league next year and its outspoken boss Miron Bleiberg has already been doing his homework on to how to take apart Ernie Merrick's side in the 2009-10 campaign.

The trio explain how Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar can tackle Melbourne's psychological dominance, shuffle the players at his disposal and refine his tactics to pull off an unexpected triumph this evening.

PERSONNEL:
MIRON BLEIBERG: I will give Adelaide a 45-55 chance in this match.

I think the best way to win is to stick to the same line-up and system that they played against the Roar (when they won last week's preliminary final 1-0).

When they lost 4-0 against Melbourne they played Cassio, Alemao, and Lucas Pantelis in the midfield. None of them are renowned for their defensive work.

They allowed Carlos Hernandez and his mates to terrorise the midfield. Fabian Barbiero is a much better athlete than Hernandez and with him and Jonas Salley in there they will fill the space in the midfield defensively much better.

GARY VAN EGMOND: I don't think either side will change much although I would utilise Travis Dodd more centrally and use his pace to run off and move Kevin Muscat around. When Muscat has to concentrate more on defensive work it prevents him stepping into midfield and stops him organising and marshalling the back half, which he does very well and is very important for Melbourne.

DAVID MITCHELL: I would think Adelaide would not change that much. They got the result last week and played better with a different line-up.

PSYCHOLOGICALLY:
MITCHELL: From a mentality point of view everyone thinks Melbourne is going to win, so that's a big tick in Adelaide's box.

The fact that everything looks to be in Melbourne's favour - that they have beaten them regularly, that they are playing at home in front of a big crowd, that they have had a week off - it all takes the pressure off Adelaide.

There are no expectations. I would be telling the players that the past does not dictate the future. What happened has happened. This game will be totally different. There's a different referee, different circumstances, there could be three or four players who are different this time.

History and patterns are not always predictive and this is a different game. I would remind the players of their previous achievements. Their wins, the successful record of this club, their performances in the Asian Champions League.

I would tell them that at the end of the day it's the two best teams who are in the final and they are there because they are the most consistent.

VAN EGMOND: It's a difficult one. The most important thing is for the Adelaide team to know what it means for them individually. It's something the Adelaide side needs to share with each other.

For us last year Jado (Jets skipper Jade North, who led Newcastle to grand final victory after it had lost the major semi-final to Central Coast Mariners) got all the boys together before we played the Mariners in the final and asked them what it meant to them.

It got quite emotional and it achieved a hell of a lot. As outspoken as Viddy was the week before (when he blasted his team after the horrific loss to Melbourne) it was probably the best thing he did.

Losing in the major semi-final helped us. We would never have beaten the Mariners in the grand final if we had gone straight through.

After that loss we needed a few home truths to be spoken about. I think it was a positive for Adelaide to have a cleansing process and now there's no reason why they can't win.

BLEIBERG: You tell them that every one expects you to lose. But you tell your players that they are much better players than the last time they played Melbourne and lost 4-0, and that this is a different team.

You tell them that they must go out and enjoy the match, the occasion, the game, and do their work as professionals.

You tell them you trust them to do it. You tell them that every statistic or record is there to be broken and today is your day.

You remind them that Melbourne is not invincible, you show them that Melbourne lost seven games during the regular season, two more than you, and that they conceded a lot more goals than you did.

TACTICS
VAN EGMOND: Essentially Melbourne play counter-attacking football. They don't really press and Archie (Thompson) is not usually one to track back and pick up runners. He cheats a bit, so does Carlos Hernandez.

You have to try and move Hernandez about and keep changing the point of the attack. Your two defensive midfielders and two centre-backs have to be comfortable on the ball and play to switch it to the full-backs to drag them around.

Melbourne are the most narrow team in the league. They play a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2 and they switch around. If they play a back three, I like to play three up front against them and drag them around.

It's also imperative to keep the ball. Hernandez won't try to chase. (Billy) Celeski is nice on the ball, but it would be smart to try and run him around defensively, to not let him play with any comfort.

We would stay compact and not chase lost causes.

Parking the bus (stacking the defence) is the last thing you would want to do. You don't want to drop off too much and give them easy possession because they will play around you if you give them too much time.

It's really important to keep the ball, to stretch their midfielders and disrupt the triangle at the heart of their defence — Muskat, (Rody) Vargas and Celeski. You have to go wide because a lot of their good play comes through the middle. When they have it you try to make them play down one side.

Archie and (Danny) Allsopp will go wide to try and draw your centre-backs, so you have to be wary of that.

Melbourne will hurt you if you can't keep possession and frustrate them, and if you don't close it down, frustrate them and keep possession, they will get a chance to play.

Adelaide needs to slow everything down, take the crowd out of things. Walk to free kicks, walk to corners, take the pace and heat out of the game.

Adelaide has another big advantage on set pieces. There's a lot more height in the Adelaide side, they have two big central defenders and other tall players. They do have every chance of causing an upset because it's a one-off game.

MITCHELL: I don't think Melbourne will change much about the way they play. They play a little bit narrow, they play a lot of long balls.

Their two strikers are often a handful and they defend with numbers and rely on getting quick service to the two strikers and for them to cause havoc with the midfielders getting up and forward to support them. Adelaide may defend a bit deeper and not let Melbourne in behind them and then hit Melbourne on the break. If Adelaide open up too much Melbourne might get a lot of room to play in.

I think you can attack Melbourne out in wide areas and have success there. We (Perth Glory) also attacked them from set pieces and scored off a couple. Adelaide have got some big lads who can create a lot of trouble from free kicks and corners.

BLEIBERG: It worked much better for them last week because they brought in Jonas Salley and Barbiero and had energy in the midfield, and it's important to try and get on top there. Paul Reid is important for Adelaide to control the midfield. If they can cut the supply line, prevent Melbourne playing through to their strikers through the middle, then they have a chance. Even Napoleon could not conquer Russia when his supply line was cut.

Also they have a chance if they break at speed. The Victory defence is not the most mobile or fastest in the league. We saw how Michael Zullo and Tahj Minniecon caused them so many problems when Queensland Roar came down and won 2-0 here earlier in the season. If Melbourne are shut down in the midfield and have to resort to the long ball, that will be music to the ears of Robert Cornthwaite and Sasa Ognenovski.

If Adelaide score first Vidmar should have a player like Angelo Costanzo on the bench because they would need to close the game down by taking off a striker or attacking midfielder and bringing him in and using him to bolster the defence. If they are in front they will have to retain possession and try to frustrate Melbourne, and there's no better player in defence for doing that than Costanzo.

If they go 1-0 down in the first half, try to keep the score at that until half-time. In the second half they will have to change things up by adding another striker. If it's scoreless at half-time and Melbourne score in the second period, then you change things immediately, move Lucas Pantelis and Dodd out to the wings and (Paul) Agostino and Cristiano up front, because it is a grand final, there is no other game, and you have to try and get something out of it. I would probably go three at the back in this situation, take Daniel Mullen off.

The more it gets closer to extra-time or into extra-time, if there is no score or it is level, it all depends on the confidence of the coach and how he feels the game is going. If Vidmar is feeling he is getting the upper hand, then he may try to win the game. If not, then he may want to try and shut the match down and play for penalties. At least that gives them a 50-50 chance, which is better than how I think they are starting at 45-55.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/02/27/1235237923507.html

Brother of the Bride

A little aside: Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars including Best Picture, as expected, Heath Ledger won best supporting actor and the Lakers escaped Minnesota.

I never wanted to be a celebrity. I want to live a life of being well-known without being the toast of the tabloids. But as I woke up on the 22nd of February 2009, I was a bit scared that there would be some type of scene from The Graduate where the lovable loser steals the bride away while locking out the rest of the crowd with a cross, or a scene where the altar blows up as the bride and groom escape, from Mula Sa Puso (From The Heart).

Thankfully, my worst fears were not realized on Sunday. Before the wedding, I went on a pre-wedding lunch from MCDonald's. I had a Angus Third-Pounder Deluxe, some fries, a few nuggets and a Filet-O-Fish. Yes, I was THAT hungry.

I took a drive across Terminal Island and around the Palos Verdes Peninsula with my parents, and we went to this place called Wayfarers Chapel. It's a nondenominational place with views of the ocean, the cliffs of the peninsula, Catalina Island, and a grotto full of trees.

In my barong tagalog, I took plenty of photos with my cell phone. My older sister, in her simple bridal outfit, my new older brother, and the bridal party (including my good friends Linda and Chanda, supervisors at my job with Maritz Research).

There was a feel of Kenny G's "Silhouette," and I thought, "I feel out of place. They are playing some porn groove jazz, and I am in a Ramones mood. They're thinking 'Silhouette' and I am more like 'Blitzkrieg Bop' and 'Cretin Hop'! Yikes!"

When priest at the chapel made it official, I pumped my fists in celebration and let out a whoop and a holler. Now, even though this was a church, I felt that I had to get that out.

After the ceremony, we went to the Reef restaurant for some dancing. My sister and brother did their best to impersonate Dancing with the Stars. They needed a bit more practice, but the effort was there. Afterwards, I made my speech, wishing the two of them all the best on their journey, even asking the crowd if they are picking Slumdog Millionaire to win Best Picture.

I visualized the entire speech and the reaction. It was as expected. A loud "Kampai!" resonated from the crowd. The rest of the night saw my sister and brother get cash pinned to them, some cake and prime rib, and a few glasses of wine and a flute of champagne on the side.

That was the most alcohol I drank ever in one day. My sister had her first sip of sake. She felt a bit tipsy, and that was expected. I like my onee-chan when she is drunk. She looks cute when she is sloshed beyond inhibition. It's true.

The rest of the night was consigned to dancing, drinking, break dancing, more drinking, running around tables, watching the little boogers get down, some air guitar, electric and cha-cha slides, still more drinking and more photos. Near the end, I asked Mike (the name of the DJ) if I can look at who won Best Picture. It was Slumdog, and I let out a huge barbaric yawp after finding out.

And that was pretty much it. The next day, both my sister and brother went off to the Bahamas for some honeymoon kinkyness.

As for me, I prepared for my Accounting exam.

The dilemma of the garage door

We own a garage door called a LiftMaster. This replaced the old door that was there when the previous family was there. I believe this door was installed about a decade ago. So we've had this for a while. It has withstood the neighborhood tagging and has protected our Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord that we own, a few household tools, a Piugnose guitar on the rafters, a Hop-on-Pop doll, and other random trinkets. A few days ago, like many things, the garage door needed a serious checkup. The LiftMaster looked as if to say, "I need a checkup, members of the family!"

I had just got out from a shift ay my new job at Maritz Research. As I was getting ready to go to bed after a long day at Keller and the office (and watching Hawaii beat Fresno State in basketball), I heard some activity outside.

So I went down to the garage, thinking that someone broke in to steal property from our house. Turns out it was just Mom and Dad, heading back from rehearsal for my older sister's wedding. And Dad was trying to figure out why the garage door wouldn't open.

Now, I will be honest here: I haven't the slightest clue, aside from the "wear-and-tear" theory, about why garage doors fail to open when they normally should when you press a button. So I checked Yellow Book for companies that repaired LiftMasters. Later that night, I would advise Mom to look into calling the companies that fix these types of doors.

Meanwhile, me and Dad spent about a few hours observing the inner mechanics of the the LiftMaster. Now, one of the finniest things about the door is when it when the cable (I am assuming it's a bacle issue...later on, it would be confirmed is not working, it tends to elicit a loud "THUD!". For some odd reason, I got a laugh from it-a really huge laugh-as me and Dad tested the switch. We got it open once by lifting the hinges, but that's about it. To further complicate already depressing matters...would you believe it...the LiftMaster light went out.

"Maraming problema dito say bahay," said Dad. "There are many problems in this house."
"It's the Bedlam house," I said. "A cycle within a cycle. A brilliant idea. And this moment is brought to you by the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue. Visit the BEdlam online at bedlamba.blogspot.com Bedlam on Baltic Avenue. There's always something going on down there. So, and progress?"

He was still looking at the cable through a flashlight.

We spend a few minutes more, trying in vain to fix the door. I knew that the door was going tot hud again. When it did, I broke down in laughter.

Exasperated from failing to get the job done (hey, you can't fix EVERYTHING, okay Dad? Let it go.), he closed to door on me, as if straight out of a cheesy scene where door is slammed shut.

"Do you want me to lock the door, Dad?" I asked as I got out.
"Yeah," he said.
"Hey, we tried our best. And come on, I couldn't help it. The sound was too funny."
"Thats not funny I'm trying to fix the door, and all you can do is laugh!"
"We tried, okay? Let it go."
"You're crazy. A crazy guy." I'm crazy and funny. He's just funny and stubborn. That's where I got my angry genes from: my Dad.
"That's why I take my medication, Dad. That's why I take my medication."

Res assured, LiftMaster, we will get a Doctor to repair that cable. But it was painfully cleae that the garage door would be out of commission for a while.

A new anime plot waiting to happen?

A little aside: I had a dream last night that I was at a Mis Universe Pageant live, when something happened backstage, and all the entries, scantily clad for maximum nosebleedage, went off and chased the person destroying the backstage, screaming like little girls and going gaga with hearts in their eyes.

I was seeing this, and thought, "Huh?"

...damn BK Burger Shots ad.

===

Here's something fun: a refined son of a dictator is given control of a country locked away from the outside world on his deathbed. It turns out that after he dies, he decides to turn open North Korea to the outside world, and suddenly...all hell breaks loose, and you can determine where the hell this goes from this point forward.

Another harem clone? Slapstick a la Negima, dripping with International Saimoe League-quality candidates? Who knows. The bottom line is that Kim Jong Il is going to be dead in the near future, and if his youngest son gets the keys to North Korea...I think we're going to hopefully have some fun.

Nipaa.

---

Kim Jong-il anoints son Kim Jong-un North Korea leader

Richard Lloyd Parry | February 20, 2009
Article from: Times Online

IT IS one of the most powerful and dangerous jobs in the world and, for decades, foreign politicians, academics and spies have speculated over who will one day succeed to it.

It brings absolute power over 24 million people, the command of a fanatical, nuclear-equipped army of a million men, and a brutal state security apparatus.

KNOW YOUR KIMS
* Kim Il Sung, anti-Japanese guerrilla commander during the Second World War and founding “Great Leader” of North Korea. Died in 1994 at the age of 82

* Kim Jong Il, 67, "Dear Leader”, who was introduced as successor in the 1970s

* Kim Jong Nam, 37 or 38. Mickey Mouse-loving first son. He has been spotted in Macao and Paris, sometimes in company of young and glamorous blondes

* Kim Jong Chul, 28, middle son, affectionately treated by his father, but regarded as too soft-hearted and effeminate

* Kim Jong Un, 25, youngest son, and soon to be anointed heir to North Korea

Today the man who is likely to inherit it emerged from the shadows – a little-known 25-year-old with a private education in Switzerland and fondness for sushi, German cars and baseball.

Reports from North and South Korea appear to confirm what until now has been only rumour – that Kim Jong Un, the third and youngest son of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, is being lined up to inherit his father’s title.

It would be the second hereditary succession in the last remaining totalitarian communist dictatorship – and set the scene for a period of extreme instability in one of the world’s most unpredictable countries.

Today one of his closest and most hardline generals promised the army’s loyalty to the “bloodline” of the senior Mr Kim, a virtual guarantee that one of his children will succeed to the leadership. Meanwhile, the South Korean Yonhap news agency quoted sources in China saying that Jong Un, the youngest of his three sons, will stand in a carefully rigged “election” to the country’s tame parliament – the precursor to his public emergence as his father’s successor.

“We will firmly carry on the bloodline of Mangyongdae and Mt Paektu with our guns, faithfully upholding the leadership of our supreme commander,” Pak Jae Kyong, a senior general of the North Korean defence ministry, was quoted in the state media as having told a rally to celebrate the recent birthday of Kim Jong Il.

Mt Paektu is the scared Korean mountain where Kim Jong Il, according to the cult of personality that surrounds him, was born 67 years ago. Mangyongdae was the family home of his late father, the founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung.

Yonhap quoted sources in Beijing saying that Jong Un had registered as a candidate in elections on March 8 for North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly. “Kim Jong Un will be formally nominated as successor after the elections,” one source told the news agency. “He is expected to take on key party and military posts in April.”

Foreign concern about the North Korean succession has been intense since last summer, when Kim Jong Il disappeared from public view for three months after apparently suffering a stroke.

During his convalescence, his 62-year-old brother-in-law, Chang Sung Taek, is said to have taken over his responsibilities. It is still possible that Jong Un may eventually serve as no more than a figurehead while real power lies with older and more experienced leaders.

Jong Un was born in 1983 and, as the youngest of three known sons of Kim Jong Il, he might have been expected to remain subordinate to his older brothers, in keeping with Confucian tradition.

His half-brother, Jong Nam, is 37 or 38, the son of his father’s first wife, a famous North Korean film star, who died in exile in 2002 after separating from Mr Kim. In 2001 he suffered humiliation when he was detained for travelling in Japan on a trip to visit Tokyo Disneyland with his family. He is occasionally spotted in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macao.

Jong Un and his 28-year-old brother, Jong Chul, were born to Koh Young Hee, a Japanese-Korean dancer. Before her death in 2004, state media had referred to her as “respected mother”, suggesting that one of her boys was being groomed for the leadership.

All the sons were educated in an exclusive private boarding school in Switzerland. According to Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese who worked as personal sushi chef to Kim Jong Il and knew both the young “princes” well, it was obvious from his childhood that Jong Un would eventually take over from his father. “The older brother, Jong Chul, had the warm heart of a girl,” he told The Times last night. “The younger prince, Jong Un was a boy of inner strength.”

As teenagers, the boys played basketball and, even after casual games among friends, Jong Un would coach his team mates and analyse the successes and failures of their matches. “The first time I met him he was seven years old, and he looked at me as if I was an evil Japanese who had done terrible things to Koreans in the war,” said Mr Fujimoto. “I was impressed that even as a young boy he tried to analyse people he met.”

As a boy, Jong Un drove a Mercedes Benz with specially adapted pedals and seat around the grounds of Kim Jong Il’s home. He liked Chinese food and sushi, especially squid and the finest cuts of tuna. He used to smoke Mr Fujimoto’s menthol cigarettes

“If power is to be handed over then Jong Un is the best for it,” Mr Fujimoto said. “He has superb physical gifts, is a big drinker and never admits defeat.”

---

Shut up, Alex. Just shut up already.

All these mea culpas ad nauseum are making me sick ad nauseum. Christ.

Alex Rodriguez: 'I made a stupid mistake'
By Ronald Blum The Associated Press
Posted: 02/17/2009 12:41:45 PM PST

TAMPA, Fla. - Alex Rodriguez offered new details Tuesday about his performance-enhancing drug use, saying his cousin injected him with an over-the-counter substance to gain an energy boost.

The New York Yankees star said using the banned drug that he said he obtained from the Dominican Republic was a "stupid mistake."

"I knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs," said Rodriguez, who was joined at the head table with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi.

The three-time AL MVP and baseball's highest-paid player met the media 10 days after Sports Illustrated reported that he tested positive in 2003.

Rodriguez started his news conference by reading from a prepared statement. At the end, he paused for 37 seconds - a dramatic break in which he looked side to side, blinked several times and took a sip of water - then finally turned to his teammates and said "thank you."

Sitting in the front row were Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada. Jeter, with his arms crossed, and the other three stared right back at Rodriguez as he apologized directly to them.

In an interview with ESPN last week, Rodriguez admitted to using banned drugs from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. He insisted then and again Tuesday that he has not used banned drugs since.

"I'm here to take my medicine," Rodriguez said. "One thing I will say after today I hope to focus on baseball. We have a
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very special team here."

Asked whether his stats during those years should count, he said it wasn't for him to decide.

The 33-year-old Rodriguez has hit 553 home runs and is expected by many to break Barry Bonds' record of 762.

The drug-related apology has become a near-annual February rite for the Yankees.

Jason Giambi gave an ambiguous one at Yankee Stadium on the eve of spring training in 2005.

Pettitte gave an emotional and lengthy one when he arrived at spring training last year.

That confessional lasted 55 minutes. Rodriguez's on Tuesday was far shorter, lasting about 32 minutes before it was cut off.

For years, Rodriguez denied using performance-enhancing drugs. But SI reported he was on a list of 104 players who tested positive during baseball's 2003 survey. SI identified the drugs causing the positive test as Primobolan and testosterone.

The survey was to remain anonymous, but federal agents seized the records and samples from baseball's contractors in April 2004 during raids in connection with the BALCO probe in San Francisco. Although the agents originally had search warrants for the records of 10 players, they discovered the broader records and came back with additional search warrants.

The list of players is under seal, but those seizures remain in dispute. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals currently considering the government's appeal to overturn lower-court decisions in favor of the union.

I demand to suspend the rule to enforce a gag order on A-Roid. All those in favor say Ai!
"Ai!"
All those say No.
"..."
The Ais have it.

zOMG Bedlam in my Backyard!

From the Press-Telegram...

Nude man dies after Tasering in Lakewood
By Kelly Puente, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/15/2009 10:17:06 PM PST

LAKEWOOD - A man running naked through a Lakewood neighborhood died after sheriff's deputies shocked him with a Taser gun, authorities said Sunday.

Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Art Spencer said Lakewood deputies responded to a disturbance call in the 5700 block of Silva Street at 10:15 p.m. Saturday.

Spencer said deputies found a "very large" man running naked in the street and acting irrationally. Deputies tried to calm the man but he remained belligerent, Spencer said.

When he advanced at deputies in a threatening manner, Spencer said deputies used pepper spray and at least one Taser gun to subdue him.

Shortly after the man was handcuffed, deputies realized he was not breathing and began to administer CPR, Spencer said. The man, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at a hospital.

No deputies were injured, Spencer said, adding that the incident is under investigation. Deputies have not said how many Taser guns were used. No further information on the incident was available Sunday.

Residents in the suburban neighborhood said the evening quiet was suddenly broken Saturday night when a nude man began wandering down the street, banging on doors and cars.

Neighbors Norma Ramirez and Nancy Wright were in their homes when they heard police sirens and a helicopter.

Wright said she opened her door to a flood of more than two dozen sheriff's deputies on her street. Neighbors
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gathered outside while authorities set up yellow crime scene tape in front of three houses, Wright said.

"(Deputies) told us to go back inside our homes, but we just kind of stepped back a little," Wright said.

The women said they heard from other neighbors that a man had been wandering down the street and darted through a gate into someone's backyard after police arrived.

Ramirez said she heard a deputy shout, "Get me another Taser!" followed by another deputy shouting, "We need CPR!"

Paramedics arrived shortly after, she said.

Wright and Ramirez said they did not know if the man was a neighbor, or someone who had wandered into the area.

"It's scary," Wright said. "You don't see things like this in our neighborhood."

====

Well now you do, you Lakewood NIMBYnos!

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.

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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.

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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...

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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.

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