The first 10 days

The First 10

The first 10 days of the World Cup is in the books. First impressions are that some teams are not as good as their resumes and reputations might suggest. Germany put on a great display in their first game, but looked more like what the pundits expected in the second game, crashing to earth against Serbia.

Spain looked lethargic in their first game and lost embarrassingly to Switzerland. Titleholders Italy had a 1-1 draw against New Zealand and by all rights should have lost that game. France and England are in internal disarray and playing well below expectations. The African teams have been generally disappointing while the South American teams have been playing some of the best football of the tournament so far.

So who’s looking like they can make a run at the trophy? Right now, I think the teams that look like legit contenders after two games are as follows, in no particular order:

Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Holland, and Chile. All of these teams are playing solid, sometimes flashy football and they all look like real contenders to win in the coming weeks.

I’m still not impressed with Portugal (R) Yes they dismissed North Korea; but let’s see how they do against Brazil (playing without their number 10 Kaka) before considering them real contenders.

My pre-tournament favorites, Spain, lost their first game to a plucky Swiss team, and won against Honduras, but I didn’t like what I saw in either game. Spain looked tentative in the box during both games, and Torres is clearly not 100 percent as of yet. If they don’t step up their game quickly, they could be sent packing early.

Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Brazil… the South American teams are playing great right now. The Dutch, my favorite tease, are again looking like world beaters early on, but haven’t we seen this before? (Euro 2008, World Cup 2006, Euro 2004…) I’ll believe it if they make the semis.

A month ago I commented about and questioned the selection process of the French and Italian teams. The Italian team without Buffon is in trouble, and I don’t see them going too far. I had also previously said of the English team and their squabbles that it could have an adverse on their performance. The French, however, take the cake.

The actions of Anelka, Evra and their teammates were nothing short of disgraceful, but in reality, Domenich should have never been allowed to coach this team when everyone knew he was not going to be retained after the tournament.

It reminds me somewhat of former University of Michigan coach Bill Frieder’s situation. To those that don’t know the story, Frieder coached Michigan's basketball team throughout the season 1988-1989. Frieder however accepted a job to coach Arizona State prior to the 1989 NCAA tournament, which Michigan had qualified for. Though he intended to coach Michigan through the end of the tournament, athletic director Bo Schembechler ordered Frieder to leave immediately and hired Steve Fisher as interim coach, declaring that “a Michigan man will coach Michigan, not an Arizona State man.” Once Frieder had announced his employment at another school, Schembechler no longer considered him a “Michigan man.” Fisher led the Michigan team behind Glen Rice and Rumeal Robinson to the NCAA title.

The French team was fractious before the tourney started and the coach’s selections seemed political. The coach is a lame duck and everyone knows it. They would have been better served having an assistant coach the team during the tourney and let Domenich step aside. They look nothing like the team that so magnificently destroyed Brazil in the 1998 finals or even the team that went toe to toe with Italy for the title four years ago.

Looking ahead, the final first round games should provide some notable drama, with some teams clawing their way out of self-made trenches.

Will Germany and Italy exit in the first round? Will England? Are Spain and Holland really contenders this time or are they following the usual script of their national teams-flashy units that wilt under the pressure of the biggest global stage?

Is Uruguay more than Diego Forlan, and if not, how far can he carry them? How good is Mexico? Chile? South Korea?

Of the three, Chile has been most impressive so far, but I see Mexico as a team that can pull off a big win.

And what on earth happened to the African teams? Playing on their home continent they should have a distinct advantage, but that hasn’t been the case. Very disappointing.

The tournament has been uneven so far, the early games were tentative and some teams didn’t appear to be really ready to compete to their standards (yes, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, that means you) but going into the knockout phase, the real class will emerge and the picture will be more focused. There is a potential second round match-up between Spain and Portugal that could be tremendous. Lets stay tuned and keep the ear plugs ready for the vuvuzuelas!

No joy in Mudville

Today is the anniversary of the first publication of the famous ode to baseball, “Casey at the bat.” I must admit, I knew nothing about the poem until I was in my late teens/early 20’s at one of my favorite NYC watering holes, a bar downtown called Mudville. Being the friendly loquacious person that I am, I started talking to the bartenders, and I asked the origin of the bar’s name. I was then told the story of the poem, and promptly thereafter set out to research it.
If you’re a fan of baseball and never heard of or read ‘Casey’ or even if you are not a baseball fan but enjoy well written poetry, you will enjoy the poem.

It takes me back to my teenage years when my friends and I would ride bikes or walk to Shea Stadium to watch the Mets team in the days of Gooden, Strawberry, Jeffries, Hojo, El Sid and Ron Darling. Life was so amazingly simpler then.

Armando Galaragga pitched the game of his life last night. In over 100 years, 100+ games each year, only 20 perfect games have been pitched. Ever. That’s an average of 1 every 5 + years. One every 700+ games. Galaragga would have been number 21, but an umpire blew the call.
This is an example of why baseball has been maligned in the past and will continue to be.

Baseball commissioner Selig and the baseball hierarchy caters to a cross-section of fans who consider themselves ‘purists’ who want to keep the game rooted in the past and disdain technological changes. The reason I bring this up is simple; the umpire’s blown call should have been subject to replay and should have been overturned. To not have the option of using available technology to reverse a clearly wrong call in 2010 is absurd.

The fact that the umpire is the only person not able to view a replay of the play in a stadium full of people is ludicrous.

And while we’re on the subject, my opinion is that Bud Selig is an incompetent commissioner of the sport and should have been replaced a long time ago.

I don’t think people should be threatening the umpire’s family as reports suggest, and it is hard to blame the guy; he made a bad call. He manned up and apologized, but replay would have helped him get it right. There is no joy in Mudville tonight.

Baseball, which only recently approved replay on home run calls-albeit in limited circumstances, needs to finally step up and address this issue. The next time something like this happens, it may not be a decision affecting one player or a mediocre team like the Tigers; it might be a wrong call in the playoffs that decides a champion.

Mr. Selig do something right and do it quickly for once in your career.

The hoopla around the blown call overshadowed two things; one was the great catch to start off the ninth inning by former Yankee prospect Austin Jackson. Jackson (right) went to the Tigers in the Curtis Granderson trade, and while I have always liked Granderson’s game, I think Jackson is going to be a future star. The way he has started this season seems to bear that out.

The other thing that happened last night was the retirement announcement of Ken Griffey Jr. For those who didn’t see him in the prime of his career, Junior was, for the entire decade of the 1990’s, and even into the 2000’s, one of the best players in baseball. Griffey, A-Rod, Bonds. Those were the only contenders.

Griffey was definitely the best defensive centerfielder I have ever seen, with the perfect left handed baseball swing. The only I was unhappy about with him was his dislike of the Yankees, specifically Steinbrenner. His all out playing style, 600+ home runs, and the fact that he is one of the only upper echelon players of the last 15 plus years not tainted by the steroids scandal makes him an automatic Hall of Famer. He will be missed.

Has anyone else noticed that pitchers are suddenly dominant again? Are we finally in the post-steroids age of baseball?

I’m out; still hungry like this Yankees fan.