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.

Saturday Introductions

Hi, I'm Fiji, and I just prevailed in one of the all-time Rugby Union Classics over Wales. Probably the greatest achievement in Fijian sports, I dare say, reaching the RWC quarterfinals. Why is this good for the Bokke?
From a South African viewpoint it was the perfect result, for while the Fijians play some quite spectacular rugby at times, the Springboks are not physically inferior to the Fijians, which was the Welsh Achilles heel in this match. For a start, their pack should be no match for the Boks in the set-scrums.

After making the quarterfinals for the first time in their history, Fiji will probably also feel now that they have played their final, and they did have to dig deep to prevail in the Nantes thriller. It is hard to see them get up like that again for a quarterfinal just a week later, and they lost flyhalf Nicky Little, an influential player on the day, to an injury which looks serious enough to rule him out of the remainder of the tournament.


Hi, I'm Yossi Benayoun, and I rescued my Liverpool teammates for the second match in a row. I can't say enough about how much I love the addition of Yossi to the squad and would like nothing more than to see him get more regular starts on the wing, opposite Jermaine Pennant. Even if it was Wigan, an away league win is always an accomplishment.


Hi, I'm the NHL, and I have unceremoniously returned! I feel a bit ashamed of myself, quite honestly, because I love the NHL and, yet, (along with the rest of the nation) completely missed that the season began today. Maybe it's because the season opened in London with your Los Angeles Kings spanking defending champion Anaheim 4-1! Skreee! Welcome to the fold, goalie prodigy Jonathan Bernier. I still don't expect much from the Kings, this season, but this is a promising start and I'm excited to catch a few games at Staples Center. Go hockey!


Hi, I'm the Pac 10, and I'm AWESOME! The Cal-Oregon game lived up to the hype and more. What an electric second half. The Ducks really had every chance to win this game, aided in part by the highly dubious "missed field goal" by Cal in the third quarter (A kick the went over the top of the post -- which meant it was good. But just ask Oklahoma about that officiating in Eugene, OR.), but that bumbingly muffed kick return, a couple of 4th quarter picks by Dixon, and one of the most gutting fumbles in recent memory opened the door for Cal. Desean Jackson picked on heck of a time to have a breakout game. Sadly for Dennis Dixon, his Heisman candicacy took a severe hit. Cal had better hope Longshore's ankle problem isn't too serious, but the Bears are every bit a top-4 team. USC is still the class of this conference, but they'll have to deal with both the Bears and Ducks. Phew... I'd love it if Arizona could pick up a win tonight against Washington State.


Hi, I'm the Big 12, and I'm officially irrelevant. It takes a pretender to blow a 17-point lead to Colorado. I present to you: Oklahoma. And Texas was finally exposed for the overrated frauds that they are. Terribly overhyped by the national press thanks solely to their name, Kansas State smacked the hell out of them, Vince Young on the sideline and all. The Horns are K-State's new bitch. Don't worry about watching next weekend's Red River Shootout. It doesn't matter. Don't set the alarm, sleep in, catch the final score in the following morning's paper.


Hi, I'm South Florida, and you may as well give me the Big East title right the hell now. Beating West Virginia and seeing Rutgers proudly display their "pretender" logo by flopping against Maryland, there's no way the Bulls can blow this? Is there?


Hi, I'm Wisconsin, and I'm inspiring nobody. Even with the tight win over an unbeaten Michigan State, Wisconsin isn't looking too impressive. Isn't it funny to think that the only team that looks to have a shot at rattling Ohio State's tree in the Big Ten, this year, is a janky Michigan team? But wait... Here come the Ilini!


Hi, I'm the National League East, and I'm ridiculous! Pretty insane that the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins are going to decide this division and a bit of a shame that the Mets and Phillies weren't scheduled to play each other during the final weekend of the season. Even though the Mets have imploded over the last two weeks of the season, Philadelphia fans must have that awful feeling in the pits of their stomachs -- a feeling they're all too familiar with. 162 games and it comes down to the final day? Yeesh.