Take a Breath – It's the Breakers!

Yes- the Breakers are in town and settling in for a spring and summer of great WPS soccer.  Here’s an article about the players settling in … from the Boston Herald.  It seems like a great arrangement – although also testimony to the economic realities of women’s professional sports.  (Imagine AI with a host family in Detroit … not.)

You’ll have a chance to see the Breakers against the Bay Area’s team – FC Gold Pride – this coming Sunday on Fox Soccer Channel!  Here’s an interview with Breakers’ goalie (and Dartmouth alum) Kristin Luckinbill – looking ahead, and back, at her professional soccer career.

We’ll be juggling b-ball and soccer Sunday evening … but hopefully won’t miss anything.

Oh – and as a lovely “V” of geese fly past my window and the sun comes up … HAPPY APRIL!

Posted in Soccer, etc. | 2 Comments

Huskies and Sooners Move On

UConn rolls on, as does Oklahoma – but not before getting a good game (and a small scare) from Purdue,

In bracketland, Jeff continues to hold his lead on the women’s side … and unless something odd happens to UConn, it’s hard to see this changing a whole lot.

Here’s where we are, as the women now head to Sunday’s match-up in St. Louis (where we will be represented by truth and Beeg – otherwise known as bigflanman and bentwisle).

Onward!

Score Bonus Group Rank Tournament Rank
528 23 1 11
478 18 2 117
470 20 3 163
467 17 4 182
451 11 5 336
451 6 6 336
450 5 7 357
443 8 8 453
437 7 9 571
436 16 10 594
424 14 11 841
424 9 12 841
400 0 13 1,400
391 1 14 1,680
386 11 15 1,824
384 14 16 1,881
380 10 17 1,991
376 1 18 2,110
370 25 19 2,251
367 7 20 2,325
337 2 21 2,999
307 7 22 3,440
301 11 23 3,514

Oh, and HollyCornblog – I gotta think that, at least for this year, Football is probably your game! 😉

Posted in Soccer, etc. | 2 Comments

Louisville-Wow!

The sun is back, and it’s shining especially brightly on the Louisville Cardinals – heading to their first Final Four after shocking Maryland last night with a decisive win.  Angel McCoughtry, Deseree Byrd, and Concord’s own Becky Bonner will all be in St. Louis this weekend … and we wish them all the best of luck (even though I haven’t yet found anyone in our pool who’s got them going beyond the final four).  I know I’ll be rooting for ’em!

Meanwhile, Jayne Appel’s 46 points were nearly enough to single-handedly win the game, as she led Stanford over Iowa State and into the Final Four.  Tonight the rest of the field will be decided.

Here’s where we stand this morning – with kudos to Jeff, ML (er Don), Cynthia, Murray, Gary, and Pippa who picked Louisville!  (Oh, and sorry Beeg!)

Score Bonus Group Rank Tournament Rank
448 23 1 17
427 17 2 51
398 18 3 167
390 20 4 241
384 14 5 308
371 11 6 537
371 6 7 537
370 5 8 566
363 8 9 706
357 7 10 875
356 16 11 905
344 9 12 1,244
344 14 13 1,244
340 10 14 1,372
336 1 15 1,493
330 25 16 1,674
320 0 17 1,994
311 1 18 2,328
306 11 19 2,512
301 11 20 2,664
297 2 21 2,783
287 7 22 3,043
267 7 23 3,453
Posted in Soccer, etc. | 2 Comments

Newt, Edna, and Another WPS Quickie

Here are some Andy Mead photos from Game #1!

Also, I read on Beulah’s site that she is planning a match report – maybe even by tomorrow!

In a bizarre GOP twist, Newt Gingrich has converted to Catholicism and had his slate wiped clean.  Read about it in Pm’s House Blend – another addition to our links in the sidebar.

Here in Canterbury it’s still raw, grey, and definitely March!  It’s the kind of day when this cranky poem by Ms. Edna St. Vincent Millay has particular resonance!  (Thanks for sending it along, ChristopherCornblog!  Clearly, she was not doing well in her brackets)

Spring

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of little leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know.
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify?
Not only under ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

Ah, Edna – as usual, you’ve nailed it!

Posted in Civic Life, Random Thoughts, Soccer, etc. | Leave a comment

Monday's Standings, Sol Win, and Damn It's Raw!

Sorry to be late with the standings this morning. I hit a wall on the sports-front yesterday, after the 4th or 5th game … and woke up in an existential funk. What, after all, does this all mean? I mean, really? Maybe it was the Rutgers loss … or seeing UNC continue to dominate (knowing that Villanova has to play them next).

Or maybe it’s just that the weather has hit a truly March-like groove the past several days – cold, raw, grey.

Or maybe it’s that Obama is so0n going to be out of the country and I already miss him!

Whatever it is … the WPS opening game took place with a win by the Sol (who looked dominant – especially in the first half) … and below are the standings in our pool, as the men have their final four all set … and the women are at the Elite Eight.

Onward!

MEN Score Bonus Group Rank Tournament Rank
JordanCornblog 512 42 1 539
Morgan Dewdney 459 9 2 3,988
jclough325 442 12 3 6,869
Patti 442 37 4 6,869
Rachel 435 5 5 8,285
Mad Dog 425 10 6 10,555
Murray Dewdney 421 21 7 11,529
Left Coast Jazz 407 12 8 15,279
Tyler Dewdney 397 12 9 18,022
bentwisle 383 13 10 21,815
plrock 383 8 11 21,815
Holly 376 6 12 23,745
Cynthia 373 8 13 24,494
Dewd 370 10 14 25,205
teapock 352 17 15 28,955
Mike 350 0 16 29,298
dsabler 345 20 17 30,136
nyeanh 337 7 18 31,335
ddymski 334 4 19 31,788
mldymski 325 5 20 32,901
bigflanman 323 13 21 33,124
brigitte19 306 31 22 34,611
WOMEN Score Bonus Group Rank Tournament Rank
Cynthia 348 18 1 72
jclough325 346 21 2 81
JordanCornblog 338 18 3 138
ddymski 330 25 4 240
mldymski 325 15 5 342
brigitte19 324 14 6 355
Left Coast Jazz 314 14 7 661
bentwisle 311 11 8 772
Rachel 311 6 9 772
Mad Dog 303 8 10 1,107
pippa 302 12 11 1,162
Holly 301 11 12 1,216
Tyler Dewdney 300 0 13 1,274
boltgirl9 297 7 14 1,469
plrock 291 1 15 1,798
Patti 287 7 16 2,017
Mike 286 11 17 2,073
nyeanh 284 9 18 2,201
bigflanman 280 10 19 2,402
Morgan Dewdney 277 2 20 2,529
Dewd 276 1 21 2,586
Murray Dewdney 268 3 22 2,892
dsabler 247 7 23 3,467
Posted in Random Thoughts, Soccer, etc. | Leave a comment

WPS, B-ball – It's All Happening Now

Good publicity for WPS as we count down the hours to the first match.  FIFA has highlighted the start of WPS play.  And Time magazine has an article about WPS getting off the ground – and the challenges and pitfalls the new league faces.  I like Lil�s quote:

�It�s not going to make or break you, and it�s probably cheaper than going to have coffee with someone,� she says. �Be a critic after you�ve come to see a game, don�t make a judgment beforehand. If you attend a game, you�ll see people working their asses off.�

Too, there�s a nice photo gallery on the FIFA site – featuring some of the WPS players �

The women�s bracket is (finally) updated on the NY Times site � in time to add UConn�s victory earlier today.  Arizona and Texas A&M are in the second half as I post this.  (And Louisville was losing to Michigan State last time I checked.)

Here�s how we stand right now on the Women�s side:

Name Score Bonus Group Rank Tournament Rank
328 18 1 50
326 21 2 58
318 18 3 110
305 15 4 318
304 14 5 329
302 12 6 394
301 11 7 424
294 14 8 658
291 11 9 779
291 6 10 779
286 21 11 1,014
283 8 12 1,153
280 10 13 1,326
280 0 14 1,326
277 7 15 1,541
271 1 16 1,884
267 7 17 2,126
266 11 18 2,191
264 9 19 2,319
257 2 20 2,669
256 1 21 2,722
248 3 22 3,035
247 7 23 3,062
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WPS, WPS!

Set your DVR’s to tape Rutgers-Purdue and watch the Sol and the Freedom Live today starting at 5:30PM ET on Fox Soccer Net.

Yup – it’s finally here – opening day of the WPS.

My prediction?  The Freedom win, based on their longevity as a team trumping the magic of Marta.

Here are Flynnie’s predictions for the season – from her blog From the Sideline.

Interesting piece … I agree with her on one item only – the placing of FC Gold Pride.  Here’s how I think they’ll line up (of course with the Breakers in first place):

Boston Breakers
Sky Blue FC
St. Louis Athletica
Los Angeles Sol
Washington Freedom
Chicago Red Stars
FC Gold Pride

My reasoning?  (Practically none … going with my gut … and blind Breakers’ loyalty.)

Oh. and the Tweeters have been announced for today’s match-up.  They are:

Los Angeles Sol midfielder, Aly Wagner (@alywagner)
Washington Freedom goalkeeper, Kati Jo Spisak (@kjspisak)
Guess Aly won’t be playing …
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'Nuff Said

That Villanova-Pitt game was remarkable.

Last time Villanova made it to the Final Four they won the whole thing.

How’s that toe?  Sounds like it’s doing just fine … and yet, Oklahoma ain’t Gonzaga.

Too bad, Mo – looks like this is going to come down to the wire, eh?

Name Score Bonus Group Rank Tournament Rank
472 42 1 367
419 9 2 3,974
402 12 3 7,425
402 37 4 7,425
395 5 5 9,130
385 10 6 11,884
383 13 7 12,455
383 8 8 12,455
381 21 9 13,057
376 6 10 14,622
373 8 11 15,620
367 12 12 17,611
357 12 13 20,812
352 17 14 22,321
337 7 15 26,738
334 4 16 27,521
330 10 17 28,458
325 5 18 29,531
323 13 19 29,959
310 0 20 32,155
305 20 21 32,874
266 31 22 36,054

The bracket on the Women’s side hasn’t been updated yet … come on, Times!

😉

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Must Read WPS Preview

Goal.com has posted a nice WPS season preview by Kathryn Knapp.

On the Breakers … “Boston will undoubtedly put a quality product on the field. If anyone knows how to succeed in women’s soccer, it’s DiCicco. Expect them to have a competitive campaign and be a tough team to get past.”

Hmmmm … but she doesn’t indicate that teams WON’T get past ’em.

We shall see who’s left standing in August.

Meanwhile, from Soccer America – here are some nice rivalry back stories for tomorrow’s opener between the LA Sol and the Washington Freedom.

Brazilian Marta won’t be the only star on display when the Los Angeles Sol hosts the Washington Freedom Sunday in the Women’s Professional Soccer opening game (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, live, 6 pm ET). Both teams are loaded with international and collegiate stars who were once teammates but will be on the opposing side of the field Sunday at the Home Depot Center.

And from The Sports Capital – here’s a profile of the Breakers’ Nancy Augustyniak Goffi – a product of NJ.  Who knew?  (Maybe Bruce will come to a Breakers game???)

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A Lament and a Question …

Alice and Paula – these were too good to leave buried in the comments …

My bracket hath crumbled.
The light at the end of the tunnel has dimmed
to pitch black.
Woe. Oh, Woe!
Humbled, distraught,
I bow to Mo.

A gracious response, indeed.

JordanCornblog will try to replicate this, as time goes on, should it prove necessary (which it most definitely will not!)

😉

and from Paula …

My bracket of mediocrity…
ahead of half…
half ahead of me…
but what’s the use??
gone is Syracuse..

Yet I have 4 of final 8..
How will I do?
Will have to wait..

Your are so right, Paula … all I can say is …

Indeed … we will all have to wait,
to see the standings percolate.
Yes, Mo’s on top right now, ’tis true
but his money’s on Carolina Blue
Whose run would indeed be a feat
Since they are hanging by a toe
That’s all that stands between defeat
And our current #1, the mighty Mo!

Posted in Soccer, etc. | 1 Comment