Stanford stunning USC, the state of Liverpool, and the RWC

No fancy titles for you. I'm tired, bitches. But I wanted to spout off about these three things.

I was at the Coliseum to witness Stanford, 40-point underdog, stun USC
As much credit as Stanford deserves, they had no business winning that football game. And as much heat as John David Booty (cracked middle finger on his throwing hand and all) is getting for his second half, I think the defense is just as much to blame (if not more so). Throughout the entire second half, Stanford was able to convert 3rd and 4th downs (4th and 20, anyone??!?!?!?!!?) at will. You won't win when your D plays like that, no matter who you play.

I was actually really surprised and somewhat disgusted at how quickly all the "die-hard" fans in the stands, decked out in their obnoxious Trojan garb, threw this team under the bus well before the game was over. And then afterward, all I could hear was, "We suck," "We're going to lose all the rest of our games," "I hate Booty," "Pete Carroll should've gone to San Diego when he had the chance." These people are idiots. USC has a great chance, provided the Pac 10 keeps up the high level of play and Cal and Oregon keep on track, to get into the national title game if they win out. But, I guess that's spoiled bandwagoning for you. Pretty dispicable, in my opinion. And here's another reason why college football needs a playoff: my friend at the game remarked, "Well, at least they can still get the Rose Bowl." To which I replied, "Meaningless."


Liverpool's sloppy draw versus Spurs marks the quarter-way mark in the Premiership

"Sloppy and disjointed. Where's Gerrard?" This is all that was running through my head while watching Liverpool steal a draw at home against Tottenham. Several times, I wanted to vomit. Not from anxiety, mind you, but out of disgust. Still can't understand how, in the first half, we didn't score on that 3-on-1 break when Voronin opted to pass instead of shoot. Should've been 2-0 or 3-0 at halftime. El Nino bails us out and we're terribly lucky for it.

I miss Agger. This is the note the team ends on before the next international break. So, some thoughts on the season thus far...

Certainly, there are plenty of positives to draw from after the first quarter of league play. We're right in the thick of the title race and we haven't lost games that, in the past, we certainly would have (Villa, Spurs to name a couple).

On the flip side, I'm a firm believer that (no matter what sport) a team is only as good as it's last five games. The break comes at a very opportune time, but I'm a bit sad to say that I'm not sure it will bring about any changes in Rafa's team selection. There are players ON FORM who need to be starting as many matches as possible. Some people are quick to condemn anyone who criticizes Rafa's rotation policy, sometimes even going so far as to say it's a myth. But the fact is that this team, based on what we've seen during the last five or six games, doesn't have any cohesion. The players don't recognize each other on the pitch. But here's the thing (before anyone jumps down my throat for even suggesting that there's a connection between the side's disjointed play and the shifting lineups): rotation, aside from providing some rest, is theoretically meant to spark competition amongst players. Yet for most every match this season, we've seen the same select few players consistently rising to the occassion. I wonder, then, why it is that Torres, Masch, Benayoun, and even Pennant, have not been elevated to automatic first team choice as is the case with Gerrard, Carra, and Finnan? Hell, even Arbeloa -- the team's most consistent player this season -- is sometimes less preferred to Riise who hasn't impressed at all, this season.

But it could all be psychological and, in fact, I would go so far as to say that the cause for our recent struggles is the Derby County match. Let's be honest, our competition up through that point, barring Chelsea, was not of a very high quality. And so we fattened up our egos before the real tests reared their head.

All this said, I believe there are two firm quick fixes: the returns of 1) Agger and 2) Alonso. If I had to make a wishlist for the rest of the season, the first wish would be that these two returned to the lineup ASAP.

Secondly, I wouldn't worry about not having a "true" left winger and just play Benayoun in that role with some regularity. He's shown that he can perform on that end of the pitch and, frankly, he and Pennant should be first choice wingers every match. Riise has brought little to the fray, as mentioned, Babel seems to provide more spark off the bench, and Aurelio... Don't even get me started on him. I just know that someone is going to ask, "What about Harry Kewell?" Well, forget him. He hasn't been with this team for 18 months. Time to move on.

Third, and this is related to my first wish, Stevie G returns to form. Having Agger in the back instead of statuesque Sami offers a little more leeway (sp?) to the midfield, allowing Alonso/Masch to take more chances opening up the game, as well as allowing them room to settle things down.

Fourth, Masch will always be preferred to Momo and Torres will always be preferred to Crouch.

Fifth, we buy a center back during the next transfer window. We've got cover at every position except for this one and it's killing us. Granted, we've only lost once this season, but my god have we looked anywhere between subpar and bad since thrashing Derby.

My goodness, this post certainly got bigger than I had originally intended. But I guess once you start ranting, it's hard to stop. I would like to note that while my thoughts might come across with a sense of bitterness, I'm firmly behind the club and all the lads on board this ship. If I seem frustrated, it's because I'm subconsciously mirroring the team's form. We've got the talent! Now, we just have to trust ourselves (Rafa? Are you listening?) and solidify the chemistry of the team.

YNWA


Springboks are "prohibitive favorites," which means, "I'm scared"
The only time I've ever rested easy about my favorite team being the goliath in a tournament were the '00-'01 and '01-'02 Lakers. Suffice it to say, I'm not put in this position often, and South Africa being the last of the Tri-Nation teams standing in the Rugby World Cup is no different.

I have to say, I'm a bit miffed that there isn't more of an uproar about New Zealand getting the shaft on that go-ahead try by the French -- what with that blatant forward-pass and all. As much as I'd like to consider the Boks to be favorites at this stage, you cannot deny the French at home. South Africa may be the better side, but I think they have a tougher semi against the Argies than the Frogs do against England, and you have to factor in the home field advantage.

Hopefully, for my sake, there are less surprises in the semifinal round. Although if England wanted a rematch with the Boks so badly that they upset France, I'd be happy about that.

Barely even a slap on the wrist

If I'm Bill Beli-cheat, I'd consider myself very lucky, this morning. Let off the hook with merely a fine and the loss of one late first-round draft pick? I'm sorry, but for this offense, the given punishment doesn't even rate a slap on the wrist. More like a raised eye-brow and a shrug of the shoulders. Really? No suspension at all? I'm sure Tim Donaghy wishes he was an NFL official instead.

Few cheats are bigger than Beli-cheat (who claims to have misinterpreted the most black and white rule in the book), but O.J. is one of them. "No, listen, Officer, I swear I only needed that sports memorabilia so that I could lure the 'real killer' to a big autograph signing. It's my plan for justice, see?"

The loss of Greg Oden for the season doesn't just affect Portland (though they never had a prayer of going to the playoffs, this season, anyway), it affects the entire league. Profoundly. Personally, I've already lost steam with the Kevin Durant train and, frankly, half the fun of watching Durant, this coming season, was going to be comparing his progress to Oden's. The NBA just lost a major star and for a league that just endured it's lowest rated Finals since they ceased airing on tape delay, this is devastating. The weapons for sparking fan interest continue to diminish.

I'm not saying that playing in Nebraska isn't tough, but I don't think USC will have a problem covering the 10-point spread. I'm thinking 30-13 in favor of the Trojans. Arizona, on the other hand, is playing at home against a lousy New Mexico team and they will have trouble covering the spread. Willie Tuitama, you fill my heart with worry and doubt. Hanging 45 on NAU doesn't prove anything. Arizona 20 New Mexico 14.

If Michigan wins, this Saturday, it'll be business as usual. If Notre Dame wins this Saturday, Lloyd Carr will be executed on the field. Most likely by "Crazy Eyes" Mike Hart. I see the Wolverines at least surviving this one, though. As bad as their D is, Notre Dame's offense may be worse. Michigan 25 Notre Dame 17.

For so early in the season, there seem to be a ton of "locks" this Sunday. Cincy, Indy, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Seattle, Jacksonville, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, and Chicago are all sure bets to win. All will cover, too, except for the Jaguars who still have an awful lot of explaining to do, after last week, and have an unreasonably big line of -11 (as of, right now).

Having dodged the bullet of any real repercussions from video-tape gate, the New England Tim Donaghys knock off a Chargers team that's flying across the country after getting physically beat-up by the Bears. It'll be close, but that Donaghy offense looks too impressive. Also, it's Norv Turner playing in a big game. 'Nuff said. Donaghys 27 Chargers 23.

Today, the Springboks will avenge their disaster against England in 2003 by mashing them in their Group A contest at the Rugby World Cup. The victory will all but guarantee the Boks a top seed in the quarterfinal round when, praise be, Schalk Burger will be back from his unjust suspension. South Africa are looking a good bet for at least the semis at this year's RWC.

2-0

Few things in sports make me as happy as that scoreline. That scoreline when it is applied to this rivalry. Yeah, that's right. I absolutely delight over US victories against Mexico. More and more, Mexico is becoming my Duke basketball of the soccer world.

A lot to catch up on, here. There's the mixed bag of what I feel is ultimately good goodness in the US-led takeover of Liverpool. Everyone is always fearful of change, but if the mighty Reds were to be taken over by a foreign interest that assures it will keep the club competitive and genuine, I'd much rather it be at the hands of Tom Hicks and George Gillet than the dubious DIC and whatever dirty money they scrounged up.

Every time there's a new paragraph, there's a new thing to mention. You know they aren't playing soccer in Italy, at the moment, because of hooliganism? This is unreal! For all the right reasons, too!

Not soccer, hockey. Consider me pretty bummed about the LA Kings (getting worse by the second) dumping Sean Avery to the New York Rangers for a bag of day-old donuts. Avery's all heart and one of the fiercest competitors in the league. Even at 5'10". He'll be missed. Like winning.

B-ball. John Amaechi is gay. Not a big deal. Really, it's not. Sad, really, that a personal confession from a forgetten never-was basketball player can grab headlines. LeBron James -- young LeBron James (the guy's what? 13?) -- thinks Amaechi keeping his sexuality a secret all this time raises character and trust issues. Let's hope that everyone realizes just how young LeBron is. The guy has no perspective. Just like a freshman film student thinks he can make a war film, LeBron thinks he knows what it is to have complete trust, loyalty, and openness from all of his teammates. Meanwhile, he's raking in millions and mailing it in nightly as the Cavs continue to look unapologetically average.

The Celtics have lost 16 in a row. WTF?!? Is this a one-way ticket to Greg Oden or what?

College ball, you are my love. Only six weeks until the madness and, only now, people are finally taking notice of USC. I went to the new Galen Center (very nice facility, yet not typical of most arenas -- essentially a sleak basketball gym dropped inside a conference hall) on Saturday to catch the Trojans' sweep of Oregon. Tonight, they were one Lodrick Stewart technical away from hanging on L on UCLA. I don't think I can be any clearer here, I love the look of this Trojan basketball team and I think that they have real potential to make some serious noise come tournament time. If not for UCLA, I swear it, USC would be the best team in a loaded, loaded Pac 10.