Month: June 2024

  • ODDS and ENDS: HEATWAVE!, England, and Pools

    (Tried to give you consolation…)

    It’s hot in New York. That evil Heat Dome, which normally sits over Texas and the Southwest this time of year, has parked itself on the Northeast. High heat and humidity, and everything in the City feels like it’s melting. In all honesty, this weather is about two weeks early, but what is missing is the rain that should follow every five to seven days. The dome is stopping any Canadian cold fronts from coming in, which makes the heat feel unending. I have been trying to run away from Texas summers for the past twenty years, but they keep finding me. I thought we’d have to make to New England to escape this, but now, we may have to head farther north. Like the Pole…

    So, England is playing inconsistently at the Euro Cup and the British press and fans are losing their minds! Are the expectations too high? Oh, you bet’cha! Is England still in a strong position to break out of the Group Stage? Of course they are. It’s not that bad. But I will say, the England team doesn’t look very unified out there, in the sense that they don’t look like they are executing a game plan. There is still time to correct this, so don’t give up the ship yet… But this might be Southgate’s last tournament if England doesn’t do something spectacular.

    I’d like to swim in a pool right now. That’s it.

  • Euro Cup 2024 – Day 5 to Day 7 – A Casual Fan’s Impressions

    I did the deed, and gave in and paid for FS1 on Wednesday. I’m not proud of it. I feel like I was pushed into a corner for FOX Corp. Yet it is bringing me joy being able to watch everything. SO what I have learned is that I am a very weak man who easily gives in to his passions.

    Day 5

    Turkey v Georgia

    I only got to see the highlights of this on YouTube. Turkey looks like a good team…

    Portugal v Czechia

    Let’s see if Ronaldo can win himself a Euro Cup. I don’t see why Portugal won’t make it out of the Group Stage, so I am looking forward to this being the main story for the rest of the tournament; Will Ronaldo win the Cup?

    Day 6

    Croatia v Albania

    Now this was the type of match I expect out of the Euro Cup. This was fun, dramatic, played well, with no one giving up. I didn’t think much of Albania, but they sure are determined to make the most of their tournament.

    Germany v Hungary

    Germany wants to win, and expects nothing less. If they don’t win the Cup, no matter how well they do, it will be viewed as a failure. Oh, and Hungary was there, too.

    Scotland v Switzerland

    Dear lord, this one was fun to watch. Scotland just won’t give up, and they held on for dear life. It seemed like Switzerland had their number, but time and time again, the Swiss couldn’t stay onside, and had goals disallowed. Great match!

    Day 7

    Slovenia v Serbia

    Underway currently, and tied at 0-0.

    Denmark v England

    Looking forward to this one. I hope England’s defense is better today.

    Spain v Italy

    Sadly, I think I will miss this one, as I have errands to run with my kid this afternoon. It should be an epic match. But I can also see Spain kicking the crap outta Italy.

    (There might be updates… We’ll see…)

  • It’s a Blondie Day

  • Today’s Sketchbook Drawing 6/18/24

    I was thinking about my time out at Bodega Bay, CA this afternoon.

    Pencil, Crayon, Marker on Paper

  • UPDATED: Euro Cup 2024 – Day 1 to Day 4 – A Casual Fan’s Impressions

    We are now pretty much through the first round of Group Stage matches, and the Euro Cup is playing out pretty much the way I thought it would go. No huge surprises, or stunning upsets, but it is still early. As such, in my very casual fan way, here are my impressions of what has gone on:

    Day 1:

    Germany v Scotland

    There were two surprises in this match. First was the Red Card, which was deserved, but shocking that in the first game of the whole tournament a red card was handed out. The second surprise was the own goal by Germany, as it looked like they were about to complete a rout of Scotland with a clean sheet, but oops! In the end, Germany played like the home team, expecting to win the Cup.

    Day 2:

    Hungary v Switzerland

    Sorry everybody, I had errands that I had to run, so I missed it. I had a feeling Switzerland would win though.

    Spain v Croatia

    So, Spain has a chip on its shoulder and went out there to make a statement with their win. The story everyone wants to talk about is Spain’s 17-year-old starter Lamine Yamal, who got an assist in the match, and though he looks like a baby out there, he certainly knows how to play like a pro. What I saw was a squad that, like Germany, is expecting to win the Cup.

    Italy v Albania

    I was excited to see this Italian team, as they did win the last Euro Cup, for on the whole, it’s a completely different team. I think I read that only seven players remain from the 2021 team. I wasn’t very impressed with them, even though they did win. Now, either Italy isn’t as good as people say, or Albania is better than what most think.

    Day 3:

    Poland v Netherlands

    Thanks for nothing FS1! Sure, I would love to watch Euro 2024, but I don’t have FS1 so that didn’t happen. But, I was expecting the Dutch to win.

    Slovenia v Denmark

    Again, FS1 sucks. But, I was excited that Christian Eriksen got Denmark’s first goal of the tournament. (Eriksen was a Tottenham player, so I have a soft spot for the guy, and also, he had a cardiac arrest during the Euro Cup in 2021, which was shocking and scary as shit to watch happen live. Eriksen’s a fighter – recovered, returned to professional football, and earned a spot-on Denmark’s 2024 team.) But Slovenia tied the match. I would love to tell you more… but I don’t get FS1…

    Serbia v England

    This was the match I was looking forward to. I’m pulling for England, which might also mean that my support has doomed this team. I believe in the hype, and if you do that, then you left that match feeling a tad let down by the Three Lions. Sure, they won, but it wasn’t a rock-solid performance. Defense was shaky, and it looked like England had a hard time getting the ball to Harry Kane. Thankfully, Bellingham is there.

    Day 4:

    Romania v Ukraine

    Don’t know… As the match was on some channel that I don’t get… Romania won.

    Belgium v Slovakia

    Also, on a channel I don’t get. But was surprised that Belgium was shut out.

    Austria v France

    Looking forward to this. France has a good shot at taking the Cup, as they are always competitive. It’s starts in a few minutes, so I might update in a bit.

    UPDATE:

    Austria and France was the Euro Cup match I had been waiting for. That was fun and dramatic, heartbreaking for the Austria own goal, and then there was Mbappe getting a broken nose. If I was Austria, I would feel pretty good about myself, or as good as I could feel by losing to France because of an own goal. Austria played well against one of the best teams in the world, and they had several chances to score. As for France, I am sure they are holding their breath to find out had bad Mbappe’s nose is. I’m sure he’ll be back for the knockout stage, but then that means France needs to get to the knockout stage without him. Either way, Group D will be very exciting to follow.