Wednesday, June 23, 2010

WHAT IN THE WIDE WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS IS GOING ON HERE? Between Landon Donovan and the three other World Cup matches and the Isner-Mahut zombie tennis match (HT: Watts), I'd say that the ESPN 60 for 60 doc "June 23, 2010" is shaping up quite nicely.

And we're not done: Strasburg (home) v. Kansas City tonight right now. Oh, and how about a Canadian earthquake, by which I do not mean late professional wrestler John Tenta.

33 comments:

  1. isaac_spaceman4:28 PM

    Needs a beloved double murderer becoming a suicidal fugitive from justice.

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  2. Raf Noboa y Rivera4:28 PM

    Just simply unreal. What a great sports day. And Isner-Mahut isn't over; it's been called for darkness for the second straight day, even though Isner disagreed.

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  3. I was wondering if Emmitt Smith could kill someone today. 

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  4. Joseph J. Finn4:35 PM

    Lawrence Taylor was indicted on a rape charge, so I think we have our celebrity sports scandal covered. 

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  5. Jenn.4:35 PM

    So, WTH is up with the World Cup refs?  Have the non-USA games been as rife with errors as the last two USA matches?

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  6. Anonymous4:35 PM

    Perfect World Cup so far. France is gone. USA wins group and gets Ghana, who are ranked lower than any of the three teams they've faced so far. After Ghana(FIFA ranking #32), they would get the winner of Uruguay(#16) v. S.Korea(#47). BTW, USA is #14.

    The USA suddenly have an easy bracket to the semis. Meanwhile, we definitely have England v. Germany in one round of 16 game, and will likely have Brazil v.Spain in another. So two of them will be gone before the quarter-finals.

    --bd

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  7. Anonymous4:40 PM

    Yes. Serbia lost a late chance for a tying penalty kick when the ref missed an Aussie hand ball in the box.

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  8. StvMg4:43 PM

    They'll head into Thursday with the fifth set of that match already being longer than any full-length match in the history of the sport. Unbelievable. And did I hear right? I believe Mahut has had one break-point opportunity the entire freaking match.

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  9. Ramar4:48 PM

    Actually, it's Strasburg vs. Kansas City this afternoon.  Game started at 4:35.

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  10. Anonymous4:53 PM

    Now if we can just get Paraguay to beat Italy....

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  11. Maggie4:57 PM

    I wonder how he'll pitch - it's a digustingly hot DC day.

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  12. Jenn.5:11 PM

    But there was no slow-speed chase featuring a White Bronco, so....

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  13. KarenNM5:21 PM

    It's like the first day of the NCAA basketball tourney in my office - everyone's tv or computer has been tuned to some sort of sporting event all day, and you can judge how things are going by the yells (or groans) from around the building.  If it was at all possible I would leave my office now to get to Seattle for the Cubs-Mariners game, but I'll have to settle for tv tonight.  Off to MLB audio for the Nats game!

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  14. Watts5:21 PM

    There's a ballroom dance joke in here somewhere, though...

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  15. I felt the earthquake in Brooklyn!!

    Man, that game was great.  And I think the tennis match is still going on....

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  16. Jenn.5:56 PM

    Now, all we need is for Lady Gaga to attend some sporting event, and the day will be complete. 

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  17. bill.6:53 PM

    Untl Donovan's goal, all the shanked shots and missed goals by USA were reminding me of my favorite sports quote, by Gary Gaetti: "It's hard to throw the ball wth both hands around your neck." (1984 Minnesota Twins, 1/2 game back, they lost the last 6 games. Gaetti said this after his throwing error contributed to the Twins blowing a 10-0 lead in one of the games).

    When Australia went up 2-0 in about the 80th minute, they were within grasp of actually finishing 2nd in their group. Only needed a combined 2 more goals between them and Germany. That would have been the freakiest moment of the World Cup.

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  18. Anonymous7:17 PM

    Kwame Kilpatrick was indicted on 19 counts by a federal grand jury. Or as we call it in Detroit, Wednesday.

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  19. Travis7:23 PM

    Agree that the US is getting the short end, but that wasn't a hand ball against Australia. It came off the Serbian header from behind the Australian player and onto his outstretched arm. Definitely not intentional.

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  20. KarenNM7:37 PM

    In case you haven't seen it yet, the Guardian's Wimbledon live blog is a priceless documentation of the zombie tennis madness.  Start at 3:45 p.m. and work forward. 

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jun/23/wimbledon-2010-tennis-live

    It's hard to pick a favorite passage - I'm laughing out loud reading this at my desk...

    6pm: The score stands at 34-34. In order to stay upright and keep their strength, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut have now started eating members of the audience. They trudge back to the baseline, gnawing on thigh-bones and sucking intestines. They have decided that they will stay on Court 18 until every spectator is eaten. Only then, they say, will they consider ending their contest.

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  21. Carmichael Harold7:46 PM

    I'm so happy you mentioned that, as it was keeping me laughing all afternoon.  My favorite passage was probably this one:

    <span>
    <p>8.40pm: It's 56 games all and darkness is falling. This, needless to say, is not a good development, because everybody knows that zombies like the dark. So far in this match they've been comparatively puny and manageable, only eating a few of the spectators in between bashing their serves.
    </p><p>But come night-fall the world is their oyster. They will play on, play on, right through until dawn. Perhaps they will even leave the court during the change-overs to munch on other people. Has Roger Federer left the grounds? Perhaps they will munch on him, hounding him down as he runs for his car, disembowelling him in the parking lot and leaving Wimbledon without its reigning champion. Maybe they will even eat the trophy too.
    </p><p>Growing darker, darker all the while.
    </p></span>

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  22. girard319:28 PM

    Yeah, and Algeria was supposed to be a push over...U don't think those rankings mean crap right now...

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  23. MidwestAndrew9:34 PM

    As one of the few Royals fans who frequent this site, I have to add: We were the first team to beat Strasburg. We learned that Brian Bannister in the day (his stats are documented better in day games than night games) > Stephen Strasburg. This was the Royals' first shutout of the year. It was actually an interesting game that I watched from start to end... 1-0, Royals.

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  24. Jenn.9:46 PM

    How did I make it through today without knowing that this live blog existed?  I am so sad for my former, unknowing self. 

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  25. Maggie10:01 PM

    Guardian's minute-by-minute blogs of the World Cup have been very entertaining, too.  I've also been enjoying their daily podcast.

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  26. The Pathetic Earthling11:36 PM

    Given discussions in the Boardroom and elsewhere, Adam, I was thinking that very same thing.  LT's indictment isn't quite the same as OJ, and LT's fall is a bit more slow motion, but it's been quite a day.

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  27. KarenNM, you have made my week posting this. A hearty thanks from John Isner's hometown of Greensboro, NC.

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  28. And LT was never that well-liked or charismatic.  I was trying to explain it to Jen during the ESPN documentary last week -- it would be like Charles Barkley killing someone. 

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  29. Good Lord.  Isner is scheduled to play a doubles match later today. 

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  30. Anonymous1:40 PM

    Oops. Slovakia. No matter. It happened.

    -bd

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