Tag: #England

  • England v Germany; Final Thoughts

    I would like to claim that I called the match. That might not be accurate, but I don’t care. Sterling scored again, and Harry Kane found the back of the nest as well. 2-0 was a pretty solid win for England over a German team that had two very good chances to at least tie the match.

    I have my money on Sweden beating Ukraine later today, which, no offense to anyone, does give England a pretty good chance to make it to the final. Okay, I’m calling an England v Belgium final. There you have it.

    Anyway, that was fun, and that’s what watching football over the summer should be like.

  • England v Germany and Euro 2020/21 In General

    Today at noon, in Wembley Stadium, England will play Germany in the knockout round of Euro 2020/21. I’m pretty excited about this. I will also be pretty excited if Harry Kane shows up in a dramatic way today. I don’t need him to score all the goals. He can assist Sterling all day, and I’ll be happy with that result.

    I’m almost on the level of excitement as if I were watching the World Cup. I don’t know a whole lot about the teams, outside of England, but I’m enjoying the drama of the matches. Switzerland defeating France was exciting. The same thing with Belgium knocking out Portugal. There’s even part of me that hopes Italy does well, but I know that’s a long shot.

    I’m a little surprised at how much I have gotten into international football. I’ve started reading up on Premier League trade rumors, keeping an eye on qualifying matches for the World Cup, and in a weird way, I’m really looking forward to season two of Ted Lasso. (It’s all connected.) Either way, I’m enjoying myself, and that all that matters.

  • ODDS and ENDS – England v Germany, REI Again, and SCHOOLS OUT!

    “Odds and Ends” is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    So, England made it out of the Group Stage at EURO 2020/21, and is in the Knockout Round. It’s not a clean path. First, they have to play Germany, who isn’t playing like Germany of old, but at the same time, Germany is never easy. If England gets past that, my guess is that they will have to play Sweden, which I think they should win. After that, all bets are off. In the semi-finals, England will play either the Dutch or the Czech Republic. Sadly, I don’t see Wales or Denmark beating the Dutch or the Czechs. Am I getting ahead of myself? Oh, yes! But, as of this moment, EURO 2020/21 is the only sport that seems interesting to me. (And I am fully aware that Cubs threw a combined no-hitter against the Dodgers last night.)

    Last week, I talked about going to REI to exchange my boots for a half size larger, and I was curious if their 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed return policy was real. It’s real. They exchanged my boots, no questions asked. And in my excitement, I bought a day pack. Now, the kid-o is saying that her boots are too small as well. So, Saturday, we are headed back to REI for another exchange. And I might pick up a small first-aid kit for the day pack. (Yes, I keep buying hiking stuff.)

    And today was the last day of school! I never want to do a remote school year again! I know I am not alone on that, but man, never again. SO starts the adventure of a real Summer Vacation, of Day Camps, road trips, museum runs, and sleeping in. All Hail Summer!

  • ODDS and ENDS – England v Scotland, REI, and Father’s Day

    I have no one to talk to about this, which makes me think I am the only American watching EURO 2021. I know that’s not true as the matches are on ESPN, but still… No one to talk to about it. Today, England is playing against Scotland which has all kinds of implications for this group. If England wins, they pretty much are guaranteed to move on to the knockout round. While Scotland, at the bottom of the group, has to win to stay alive. Then there is all of that history between the two nations, and I am sure that some idiot out there has all of his BRAVEHEART memes rip roaring to go.

    On Saturday, I will head to REI to see if their 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed Policy is for real when it comes to hiking boots worn once. I am fully aware that I was upsold on some boots over Memorial Day, but they are just a half size too small. I can feel my toes rubbing against the top of the boots. I know it’s not an end of the world problem, but I think if I were to hike longer than an hour, then I would have a real issue. Anyway, to find this out, I had to ware them, so, let’s see what they do. Balls in your court REI!

    Speaking of which, at least REI that is, I’m also going to pick up a day-backpack while I’m at the store tomorrow. Yup I’m buying more gear as a Father’s Day gift to myself. As with my wife’s birthday, in which I played no part in planning, so that she could have exactly what she wanted, I have also been granted this gift. So, I’m getting a daypack, and on Sunday, the whole family is going out for a hike in the woods. If you would have asked me a year ago what I wanted to do on Father’s Day, I would have told you sleep, and sleep late. Now, I want to get up early and sweat in the woods. It’s been a strange year.