by Ethan Johnson
July 10, 2006

Once again, I managed to go .500 for the round, and not in the best way. Germany did indeed take 3rd place over sloppy and disorganized Portugal, and France managed to blow it big time against Italy. Whoever missed the crucial penalty kick on the French side should be thanking his lucky stars that Zidane decided to head-butt an Italian player out of the blue and get himself banned - including from the medal ceremony. Classy, dude.

by Ethan Johnson
July 7, 2006

Here it is, the final weekend of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Sadly, it's an all-EU weekend, which is kind of like an all-California Super Bowl, especially if you don't particularly care about California teams. However, real NFL fans watch the Super Bowl anyway, and I suspect that fan interest will be high in the World Cup Final regardless of who is playing. Here are my ill-informed predictions:

by Ethan Johnson
July 3, 2006

2 out of 4 ain't bad, if you're a batter. Sadly, this is soccer (football, futbol), and we're in for an all-EU semifinal. I'm still wearing my pro-Brazil shirt that I got on clearance, but now I'm just sticking out like even more of a poser than when I bought it. Here are my uninformed guesses at who will advance to which part of the bracket over the next 2 days:

by Ethan Johnson
June 29, 2006

Note: The following predictions are provided for entertainment purposes only. I am not responsible for any lost bets, and am entitled to half of the proceeds from all winning bets. Actually I'll reserve the right of first refusal as a hedge against any weird wagers. Glad that's settled. On to the uninformed prognosticating!

by Ethan Johnson
June 28, 2006

I have a book by Joe Bob Briggs that explains (among other things) how men decide which team to root for in a given sporting event, especially one where he otherwise lacks any "skin in the game". The key, he says, is to spot an injustice. Your mission as a spectator, from that moment on, is to see that this injustice is avenged.

As the 2006 World Cup roars into the quarterfinals, if you don't have any skin in the game, or heck, interest in soccer (football, futbol), it's not too late to cheer someone on. Your mission, if you decide to accept, is to root for France.

by Ethan Johnson
June 27, 2006

I probably shouldn't have committed to doing this particular recap. So I'll keep it uncharacteristically short and sweet. Brazil is on their way to the Quarterfinals, and Ronaldinho still has yet to score a goal in this tournament. I knew it the day I bought my Brazil #10 t-shirt. Ghana was plain doomed, however Brazil was trying to be all "1985 Chicago Bears" about it and score on them 5,097 times, and 5,094 of those scoring attempts failed. Better luck against France! And get the ball to #10 already! <EM>

by Ethan Johnson
June 25, 2006

Like I said, we have now come to the time in the World Cup where's it's all about heart. Heart heart heart. Mexico showed heart, but went home anyway. But they did take Argentina into the first "extended time" of World Cup 2006.

by Ethan Johnson
June 22, 2006

Tonight I am writing this while wearing my brand new, bought on clearance Brazil World Cup t-shirt. Sweet! So there should be no bones about where I stand regarding the outcome of one match today. The rest? Eh, pretty much as predicted, with one notable exception. We go live to the videotape!