The Mighty Fall: USA and LSU Prevail

These colors don't run, but they sure do stretch.

The Capital of Manlove relocated momentarily from Hell’s Kitchen, Montrose and the Pipez/Blackstone apartment to Nebraska and South Africa yesterday.  Large, sweaty and dirty men on the baseball diamond and soccer pitch threw themselves at, on, in each other in celebratory whimsy.  That’s just the kind of thing that happens in sports, especially when you take down the #1 ranked team.

Scientific research shows that if you put up a picture of a sexy lady you are guaranteed 3.7X the page views of a regular post.  I figure, I may as well put up two times the sexiness.  Why?  Because I’m a marketing genius.  Plus, I just spent the first paragraph talking about manlove.  Consider the above picture a gift from me to you.  Put that in your pocket.  Keep it forever.

Back to the jubilation…

Last one doesn't doesn't get any gumbo.

Even though LSU was slightly favored going into the final of the College World Series the University of Texas was still the #1 ranked team before the Regionals started.  I only write that as a justification for the headline of this post.  Yes, it was implied at the beginning that UT was/is “mighty” and as a Cougar I should probably apologize for that… But, thems iz the factz.

The third and final game of the College World Series proved to be somewhat anti-climactic after the first game went to extra innings and the second game proved redeeming for the Longhorns.  Unfortunately, last night’s game was the result of the disintegration of fundamentals in the 6th inning.  Five unearned runs coming from two hit batters, a throwing error and a pass ball dug a hole that UT could never overcome.

The win marked head coach Paul Manieri’s first CWS crown (NOOB!1!!) and the sixth for Louisiana State University.

Yippee Skippee!

The United States Men’s National Team pulled off the impossible upset yesterday.  The collective jaw of the world dropped for a brief moment when the team emblazoned in Stars and Stripes knocked off the number one ranked squad from the Iberian Peninsula.  Nobody, including myself, thought that the final scoreboard would show 2-0 in favor of the US.  Well, at least the players from both sides were ready for the result:

There have been a lot of pregame comments from both teams leading up to this game. Spain, befitting its status as overwhelming favorite, has been brash, arrogant and some would even say downright overconfident.

“The U.S. has very good players,” midfielder Riera said.

If that statement wasn’t enough to fan the flames, midfield general Xavi certainly pulled no punches in providing more bulletin-board material.

“I think their [the U.S.] football has evolved. In the friendly, they did some things that complicated us. They’ve improved their level, especially offensively, they have some great players and it won’t be an easy game,” Xavi said.

It’s simply a shame that the U.S. team gets no respect from the Spaniards.

“You have to respect the United States,” midfielder Pablo Hernandez said.

On the other hand, the U.S. team, as befitting its status as David in a David versus Goliath scenario, has been modest, humble and eager to remain low-key.

“Maybe it’s their time to lose,” Davies said.

“I think we can match them physically, do some things with the ball in attack,” said midfielder Sacha Kljestan from his vantage point on the U.S. bench.

- U.S. vs. Spain – Play by Play

Goals by Jozi Altidore and Clint Dempsey propelled the US to the win, but it was the stellar play of the back line and goalkeeper Tim Howard that deserve the gold stars on their chore chart today.  As I read the gamecast yesterday at work I kept reading “Onyewu” over and over again as he cleared crosses, defended the streaking (not naked) forwards of España and all around disrupted the usually stellar offense of Spain.  Oguchi Onyewu, you receive the FaF MVP.

Though, I do have to say this, can we stop calling this the “Miracle on Grass?”  It’s completely disrespectful to the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team.  There were no socio-political ramifications of this match.  There’s no Cold War with Spain.  There’s not even a mildly cool, bit nippy war.  There could have been a “slanty eyes war” but nothing ever came of it.

- Septimus Rex

[Photos from NYTimes, Goal.com, Down With Goldy, Chrissi Coile]

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