March 9, 2008 - March 15, 2008

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Miserable performance by U.S. Olympic squad

Filed under: Soccer

The U.S. men's Olympic qualifying campaign got off to a dismal start last night in Tampa. The Americans could only manage a 1-1 tie against a lowly Cuban side. The yanks dominated the opening quarter of an hour, culminating in a 13th minute goal by Freddy Adu--easily the best player on the pitch.

But then the game seemed to run completely off the rails for the U.S. squad. The midfield collapsed, Jozy Altidore got beaten to a pulp, and the Cubans netted the inevitable equalizer just before halftime.

The second half was painful to watch. The Americans dominated possession, but seemed to lack any clue how to unlock the bunkered defense. Robbie Findley blew a wide-open breakaway with a brutal attempt at finishing. The Cubans meanwhile spent most of the half lying on the grass writhing in faux agony.

Let's hope tomorrow's performance against Panama is a little more impressive.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 12, 2008 2:54 PM | Comments (2)

 

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that Spring

Filed under: MLB

Well, no hints nor flavor on the Bonds front as of yet (from any club -- Japan included), although our boys have begun to find an early collective rhythm through a dozen spring training games. Our record stands at both an A.L., and Grapefruit League-best 8-4 (from a % standpoint), and key pieces of the proverbial puzzle have shown early signs of success.

Delmon Young has surely been the Spring standout, and has been seemingly seeing hardballs the size of Grapefruits, as evidenced by his leviathan .474 average, and 12 total bases. Somebody called Randy Ruiz should also be noted for an impressive showing, with a .450 average and 17 total bases -- although he's a "Non-Roster Invitee," dons #73 and has yet to play an MLB game.

In addition, from a player standpoint, Francisco Liriano now seems to be finding something of an introductory groove back into the live pitching cycle, and Twins Country was able to collectively exhale when "The Franchise" tossed a solid 1 2/3 against the Red Sox on March 7 and didn't walk off the mound screaming "OH MY SWEET LORD MY ARM HAS NEVER BEEN THIS SHADE OF LAVENDER AND I CAN'T FEEL MY THUMBS!!!"

But what does all this mean? Well, the spring season is no doubt important for answering individual personnel questions, evaluating position battles, and gauging the respective health statuses of those harboring injury or returning from off-season injury. From a pure record standpoint, though, a stroll along the base paths of Springs Yore tells us that a club's record in spring means as much as a Sidney Ponson work visa. From 2003-'07, here are the respective percentages of teams who accrued Top 10 MLB Spring Training records who then ultimately went on to make the playoffs in said year:

2003: 30%
2004: 50%
2005: 20%
2006: 20%
2007: 30%

Furthermore, it should be noted that the past five World Series champions have amassed a combined record of 76-71 in the Spring, with two of these clubs posting below .500 records (Florida in 2003; Chi Sox in 2005) in the season before the season. In addition, these same 5 years have seen only a single instance in which a Top 10 spring team made it to the series (with Boston and St. Louis both noted in 2004). Lastly in this regard, it's perhaps notable that lowly Cincinnati has proven a perennial Grapefruit League powerhouse, with not just a winning record going into today's posting, but with winning spring records for four years running. The Reds have found the post-season just once since 1990. Perhaps new skip Dusty Baker can turn it around for them. But DON'T go to their website: It will hurt your eyes. I'm not kidding.

With Opening Day about three weeks away for our favorite club, let's focus on those position battles (especially in center field, where candidates Carlos Gomez, Denard Span, and Jason Pridie all still have a plethora of "proving" to do), and not get too caught up in the outcome of ballgames. The lure of the grapefruit, what with it's wealth of Vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene, should be approached with measured consumption. One or two taste good and are no doubt good for you. More than that and you're risking an acidic gut and the emergence of canker sores.

Posted by Judd Spicer at March 11, 2008 1:18 PM | Comments (13)

 

U.S. Olympic qualifiers kick off tomorrow

Filed under: Soccer

The U.S. will face Cuba tomorrow at 7 p.m. CST in Tampa. Panama and Honduras are also in the group. All games will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel. The U-23 squad will be fighting for two CONCACAF births in Beijing. The U.S. and Mexico are prohibitive favorites, but four years ago the Americans failed to qualify. Playing on their home soil, it would be humiliating if they again fail to make the cut.

The U.S. squad should be dynamic and dangerous. Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu will likely pace the attack, with Maurice Edu wearing the captain's armband and patrolling the midfield. Chris Seitz will almost certainly get the call in net. Other intriguing players to keep an eye on are Michael Orozco, a defender who plays with San Luis in the Mexican top flight, and Charlie Davies, a forward who suits up for Hammarby in Sweden.

Folks will be gathering in the Twin Cities at the Sweetwater to watch tomorrow's match. Join us.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 10, 2008 10:55 PM | Comments (0)

 

Can't Stop What's Comin'

After their biggest win of the season, at home against Ohio State last Saturday, the Gophers had to know their only hope of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament was to win their final two regular season games--on the road against Indiana and Illinois. They managed neither. As in most of the games they have played against good teams this year, against Indiana the Gophers looked good enough to win for much of the game before one of their patented scoring droughts hit with about eight minutes to go. What had been a tight game turned into a 14 point loss. At Illinois--the 10th place team in the conference who had already embarrassed Minnesota at Williams Arena--they reprised another oldie-but-goodie: not rebounding in any circumstance, for any reason.

So: the Gophs last hope is an improbable, stirring Big Ten tournament victory, the kind of thing that almost never happens. They first play Northwestern on Thursday in a game that they really should win (but, I mean, you never know). Then comes the hard part. If they do dispatch the Wildcats, they would earn the privilege of facing Indiana again, then probably Purdue, and then probably Wisconsin. That's three teams that the Gophers have yet to beat in five chances. In other words, it's a rough road. I'll let you know how it turns out, though.

Posted by Benjamin Polk at March 9, 2008 11:18 PM | Comments (2)

 

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