Category: Sports

  • Women’s World Cup: Day 1

    It’s been a long time coming, but here we are; The First Day of the Women’s World Cup 2023. I have been looking forward to this, and I am flying solo for the time being, on the Group Stage of the Tournament anyway, as my daughter is off at camp. She’ll be back for the Knock Out stage, and I am looking forward to watching matches with her, but I just need to be patient for that.

    In the meantime, there’s a lot of football to be played!

    And the Tournament has started off with some excitement! New Zealand defeated Norway in an upset. This gave New Zealand their first ever win in the Cup, which is cool and fun. They still have a tough road ahead of them, but hey, enjoy the moment.

    As for the other match of the day, Australia defeated Ireland, which wasn’t a big surprise. Australia is ranked #10 in the world, and they are playing at home for the Tournament, so I’m keeping an eye on them.

    Clearly, I am here supporting Team USA, as they go for their third Cup in a row. Odds are pretty good that they will do it, but I will add that this Cup is the most competitive that I have even seen. England is looking especially good, but I wouldn’t count out Germany or Sweden to have a strong run. Canada is my dark horse pick, and my gut tells me that Japan might surprise people.

    Not that I know anything about football, because if you have read this blog and my football related posts, I’m wrong a good amount of time. Not that it stops me from make more predictions, nor from having a crap ton of fun watching matches!

  • ODDS and ENDS: Women’s World Cup, Sleepovers, and Running of the Interns

    (All this, in ONE place!)

    Another huge, international football tournament is about to begin in 19 days, when the Women’s World Cup gets underway! I’m excited about this, including the fact that USA has another powerhouse of a team, with a very good chance to, again, win the cup. And I say chance because as each tournament has come up, the international competition has gotten better and better. Even though Team USA is ranked number one in the world, Germany and Sweden are coming up fast. In the end, nothing is guaranteed, which only makes the whole tournament more competitive. I have a good feeling that I will be posting about it; either here or on Twitter.

    I am very happy that my kid can now do sleepovers at her friend’s homes. This was one of the last weird Covid issues, but now that we are all vaccinated, sleepovers are on! And my kid is behaving just like I used to – by trying to staying up all night! It’s a terrible idea, but man I use to love doing it. Outlasting my friends, watching all night movies, snacking, and then earning the reward of watching the sun come up and the day starting. Now that I am a parent, it drives me nuts that she won’t go to bed. All of her friends go to bed, but not my kid. She’s too much like her dad.

    As this is the final day of the Supreme Court’s term, we are currently waiting on the final rulings. Thus, we will be getting another “Running of the Interns.”

  • ODDS and ENDS: Bad Movie Bible, Stuck in the Rain, and Father’s Day Gifts

    (If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the shower…)

    For those who know me, and for the other four people who read this, you know that I love the show Mystery Science Theater 3000, and bad movies in general. As soon as I got a Blockbuster card as a teenager, I was renting only the best of the really awful movies, usually to watch with friends on Friday or Saturday nights in junior and high school. (I was a popular cool kid, if you couldn’t tell.) That was a happy time in my life, and when I have a rough day, an episode of MST3k, or an awful movie hidden deep in Amazon Prime Video (they really do have the schlocky-ist of movies) will quickly get me back on track to a better mood. About a month ago, The Great God Algorithm of YouTube decreed that I needed to start watching the videos of The Bad Movie Bible, which is created and hosted by Rob Hill. (I thank Thee, Great God of the Algorithm, for this gift!) Hill is a hilarious encyclopedia of awful movies, and with his dead pan delivery and spot on editing of clips, he has created some of the best and funniest videos detailing specific genres of bad movies. My favorite series he has are the “Borrowing Blockbuster” videos that go into detail on all the knock off movies that came out to cash in on the success of huge hit movies – like Star Wars, Jaws, Die Hard, etc.… I respect Hill’s commitment to movies that most people write off, and at the same time I am amazed at his stamina to handle what must feel like an unending onslaught of awfulness.

    Today, I did the Alt Side Parking dance of moving the car. No big deal, went as normal as all the other days that I do it. But as I walked home, it started to rain. I didn’t know it was supposed to rain early today; I was told this afternoon. And as such, I had no raincoat or umbrella. I was a guy caught out in the rain, a few blocks from home. So, I walked in the rain and got soaked. It occurred to me that I haven’t been caught in the rain in a long time, like ten years maybe. Once I accepted that I was going to get soaked, it was a rather enjoyable experience.

    My wife and kid got me a Tottenham Hotspur t-shirt, and supporter’s pin for Father’s Day. That made me very happy.

  • Personal Review: Ted Lasso Season 3 and The Whole Thing

    (SPOILERS! You shouldn’t have to ask…)

    I finished it. Over the weekend, I finally got around to watching the final episode of the 3rd season of Ted Lasso. I had a complicated relationship with the 3rd season. I was watching in three-episode chunks over a two-week period, and then I would get off the wagon for a week or two, only then return. In fact, I waited two and a half weeks before I was able to see the last episode. And that, in a nutshell, gives you an idea of my dedication to this final season; It was on and off.

    Sadly, the third season of Ted Lasso was uneven, made all the worse by my deep desire for the final twelve episodes to be amazing. That was my fault, and my mistake. I didn’t let the show just be what it is, but went in with expectations that were pretty hard to live up to. That affected my experience, and when an episode wasn’t “perfect”, it made me hesitate to come back to the show. Perhaps I need to watch the third season again – just marathon through it, and not think too hard. Maybe.

    As of now, I have to say that the third season of Ted Lasso was the “Return of the Jedi” of the group. It wasn’t as good as “Star Wars” (Season One) or “Empire” (Season Two) but if you compare it to other shows, it was a pretty good season.

    There were things that I did like; the episode in Amsterdam was great, Colin’s story was a nice addition, Trent being added full time to the cast was another nice touch, and I will say that each of the endings that the characters were given felt satisfying and true to who they were, and who they became. The show was about being positive, and it ended that way.

    But, there were also some glaring issues – Keeley was totally wasted which was a real shame as she was such an important part of the show. She was left floundering with a storyline that never meshed with the rest of the show. Also, Nate’s redemption arch seemed rushed. We all knew he was coming back into the fold, but it just felt a little off. And then there was that Zava thing, which felt half baked, and was only there to get the team to a competitive place for the season end. For a show that was about slow burn realizations, trusting the process, and putting in the work, it didn’t feel like the team earned their place in the League – it was just handed to them.

    With the series now over, and it is over, I have to say that they, the whole Ted Lasso team, did a very good job. It was a show in the mold of a work place comedy which never lost sight of a very simple message – be kind. It arrived at a perfect time – in the middle of Covid and they final year of Trump’s administration. Because of those factors, I think we collectively wanted to believe that being around good people was worth it. It was the type of show that was needed at a specific moment, and it delivered. This is a show that I know I will re-watch, whenever I need to laugh, or just remember that people can change for the better.

  • The End of Tottenham’s Season

    Well, at least Tottenham Hotspur went out on a winning note for their last match on Sunday. It was against Leeds, who were facing relegation. It was a lopsided affair, especially with Harry Kane scoring in the first 90 seconds. There was a little life in Leeds when they got their first goal, but Tottenham responded quickly, and that was that.

    The best part of the match, was when Lucas Moura subbed in for the final time as a Spur. For those who don’t know, and my guess is that will be most of you, Lucas earned a place in Tottenham Legend. Back in 2019 Tottenham was playing Ajax in the semi-finals of the Champions League. In the second match of the round, Spurs were down 2-0, and 3-0 on aggerate, when Luca scored a hat-trick, the third goal coming in the 96th minute, which sent Tottenham to their first ever Champions League Final. Thus, on Sunday, Lucas came in a final time, as the club announced that they would not be renewing his contract. But as fate would have it, Lucas got the ball, and tore through Leeds’ defense, and he scored one final goal for Tottenham.

    And that ended the 2022/23 campaign. Tottenham landed 8th on the table, and just one spot on the outside from playing European tournament football next season. They went through three managers, a bunch of injuries, lots of road losses, and the more I think about it, it seemed like just about all of their matches started by giving up a goal. I know I’m not the only fan that ended up feeling frustrated for most of the season. It was like the team could never get going. Which I know is an odd thing to say when they had the second-best goal scorer in the League with Harry Kane. Still…

    I have no idea what to expect next year. Every time I try to make some prediction about this team, I am always wrong. I have learned to keep my mouth shut, read the sports news, and see what happens.

    Who am I kidding! I’m going to keep writing about this stuff until I finally form a cohesive original thought of my own when it comes to Tottenham and the Premier League.

    If anyone wants to buy me a new Tottenham Hotspur scarf, I’m all for that. Just let me know.