Hotdog & Friends

My heart goes out to Romania striker Adrian Mutu. With the hopes of his country riding on the result, Romania’s leader stepped up to the penalty spot against Italy. A goal would all but send Romania through to the knockout stage, to the surprise of all the pundits. But it was not to be.

You have to have huge balls to take that penalty and he never hesitated. He picked his spot and drove the ball. But Gianluigi Buffon, acknowledged by many as the best goalkeeper in the world, outfoxed him. Noticeably distraught, Mutu had to be taken off the field.

His chance for redemption came today: a win against a second-choice Netherlands squad would have. Again, it was not to be. Despite Mutu’s energy and creativity, the Romanians failed to threaten the Dutch goal and meekly exited the tournament. And Mutu, who but for a couple centimeters would have been a national hero, must always remember what could have been.

I missed a penalty once, in the finals of a tournament. It’s a horrible feeling. You want the world to swallow you up. I hope Mutu’s able to shrug it off and move on.

Foudy’s hotness and Smyth’s notness

As the tournament rolls on, my crush on Julie Foudy deepens.

I love it when you talk soccer to me.

It’s still uncommon to have a woman commenting on men’s sports, but Foudy’s been spot-on for the past 11 days. Foudy’s sexiest attribute, by far, is her analysis.

Conversely, a bubbling rage towards Tommy Smyth festers deep within my soul. The man whose voice Manny Faces aptly described as “a leprechaun farting into an accordion,” Smyth’s verbal incompetence is slowly driving me crazy and I’d like to outline two items illustrating this:

1. The Interrupter - It would be one thing if he had a relevant point, but Smyth’s constant interruptions of Foudy have become so constant, it’s a wonder Foudy hasn’t slapped him. Perhaps he’s too excited for his own good, but he needs to start giving the lady some respect and let her speak.
2. Carlos “the Rock” Puyol - Driving back from Canada, I listened to the ESPN telecast on the radio (that’s what they broadcast on Sirius radio - a television feed). When Carlos Puyol left the game, he referred to Puyol as a “rock” approximately seven times. How can Spain recover from this terrible loss, he said. Really? Really Tommy Smyth? Have we been watching the same tournament? Spain’s centre-halfs have been split more times than a pair of aces at a blackjack table. I won’t dispute that Puyol’s had a great career, but he hasn’t shown anything this time around. (This is also why Spain destined for an early exit from the group stage.)

College basketball analyst Billy Packer currently holds the title of Filler King, but Smyth’s inane droning has pushed him into a solid second place. I’ll feel terrible if he turns out to be blind, but his utter inability to comment intelligently on a replay is as astonishing as it is infuriating.

ESPN apparently has invested a good amount of resources in making Tommy Smyth (”with a yyyyyy”) their prime soccer correspondent. Therefore, they’re pushing him down our throats as one-half of their No. 1 commentating team (with Derek Rae). However, I don’t think I’m alone when I that the Scotsman Andy Gray, who currently splits duty with Smyth, should move into the #1 spot. What a superb commentator Gray is - fantastic voice, great feel for the game, insightful commentary, and the ability to shut up when necessary. Adrian Healey and Andy Gray (who voiced the first soccer video game I ever got, World Cup 98 on PlayStation) comprise a first-rate pair of soccer minds.

That’s all for now - stay tuned for tomorrow when I will update the Fantasy League and also hold myself accountable for my predictions at the beginning of the tournament.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 5:32 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.