Spain 0 U.S.A. 2: "Oh, this'll end well!"

Such was my Facebook posting just minutes prior to the start of the Confederations Cup semi-final between Spain and the United States, but it was more than compulsion that had me tuning into the match. After all, what could most reasonable spectators expect with the Spaniards, ranked number one in the world in the FIFA rankings, shooting for their 36th straight unbeaten match in international competitions versus a scrappy American team that barely managed to make it this far?


What resulted, of course, is the stuff of legends, a true high point in the development of U.S. soccer on the national stage. Surely, the 3-0 win over Egypt to advance from the group stage was a bit of a nice salve after the disappointing results against Italy and Brazil, but they were now facing Spain.


The first half was certainly an energetic affair with good movement from both teams, but it was the U.S who struck first when Jozy Altidore blithely tossed aside a Spanish defender to score the first goal of the game, a strong shot that deflected off of the hands of Spanish goalie Iker Casillas midway through the half.



Clint Dempsey was able to deliver the knockout goal late in the second half, off of a Landon Donovan shot/cross that took a fortunate bounce off of a Spanish defender. Dempsey was quickly able to thread the ball between another reacting defender and Casillas for the goal, the finishing touch on the goal was something that Spain lacked throughout the match. Spain certainly had their prime chances that came along with the lion's share of possession, but the stout U.S. defense and goalie Tim Howard were able to respond without a lot of fuss and bother.



Admittedly, the first 20 minutes of the second half were the most nerve-wracking for me, with Spain putting on a determined effort to break down the defense, but it was certainly a joy to watch every ball coming forward being knocked back to frustrate the Spanish side, and when Dempsey scored the second goal in the 73rd minute, the feeling that there was no way Spain could score two goals in the remaining time was quite palpable.




We'll see Sunday how the U.S. team responds when they face Brazil again for the championship, hopefully the thrills from Wednesday won't overshadow the obstacle that faces them.




SOCCERNET REPORT ,
LIVE BBC COMMENTARY AS IT HAPPENED.

Different Strokes For Different Folks: Portland Swing Club Opens Today

Yes, depending on how one view's the world, today's opening of an adult swingers club in downtown Portland, with involvement from porn star Ron Jeremy is either another sign that this country is indeed riding the hot rails to hell, or is a sign of enlightenment between consenting adults. I'd imagine the maybe the divergent views between the two sides could be illustrated with a couple of images; the first view represented by the infamous Royal Trux album cover, and the latter with the beautiful image of sexual union on the Sensuous Path To Bliss.












Club Sesso

With Apologies To Jack Buck: "I Don't Believe What I Just Saw!"

YANKEES 9 METS 8: THAT REALLY, REALLY SUCKED!

"Say hi to your mom!"

Normally I'm not particularly fond of commercials, but this current promo for SNY with Keith Hernandez still makes me laugh with every viewing.

Couple Of Winners: Cathal Coughlan Covers The Go-Betweens

I was listening to Microdisney's fabulous The Clock Comes Down The Stairs just a bit ago and decided to cast an eye upon YouTube to see what kind of footage of the band kind souls around the world had cared to share with the rest of the world; fortune was certainly looking upon me when I stumbled upon this clip only very recently added, a clip of singer Cathal Coughlan performing Dusty In Here, a reflective tune originally performed by the Go-Betweens. Needless to say, Cathal sounds great and does the song justice. Thanks to the original uploader mosstinpowers.... and massive thanks to Cathal for his performance.............and R.I.P. Grant....:(

Seattle Mariners (Marineros) 2 Minnesota Twins (Gemelos) 1

AP photo by Elaine Thompson


A good pitching duel between Seattle's Jarrod Washburn and Minnesota's Nick Blackburn was ended by eighth-inning heroics from Ken Griffey, Jr., who hit a two-out double that drove in Ichiro from first base, giving the Mariners the come from behind win over the Minnesota Twins on Salute to Latin American Beisbol day at Safeco Field.



Even though Washburn was not credited with the win, he made the play of the game by quickly following up his third-inning bases loaded wild pitch by quickly blocking the plate on the Twins' Delmon Young. Washburn got a break as the ball, which had quickly skipped past catcher Guillermo Quiroz but bounced back to him off the backstop. Quiroz reacted with a timely throw for the third out of the inning.



Mariner pitchers also benefited from allowing the top three of the Twins lineup to go 0 for 12, with lead-off hitter Denard Span going 0 for 5 and three strikeouts. Very hard to create offensive runs when the top of the order can't get on base.



Kudos to the Mariners, who really began to show signs of life offensively in the fifth inning. Blackburn had been even more effective than Washburn through the first four innings, and was on the edge of getting out of the fifth when the Mariners rallied for their first two-out run. Franklin Gutierrez beat out an infield single and then Ichiro doubled him home to tie the score after Minnesota had scored in the fourth on a Micheal Redmond double.



Micheal Cuddyer made an outstanding defensive play for the Twins in the sixth inning, with a running back-handed stab of a Adrian Beltre line drive.



It was an excellent day for baseball, overcast but not chilly, many thanks to the Army family from Fort Lewis for the free ticket along the right field line. I made it up to them by buying them a couple of overpriced food items from the vendors, I thank them again for their kindness.


In the WTF department, kudos I suppose to the gentleman who won 336 (!) Moon Pies from Am/Pm. Sorry to say that I didn't catch how they managed to arrive at such a number.






ESPN RECAP , SEATTLE TIMES RECAP, STAR TRIBUNE RECAP


Bailadores de Bronce performing




Justin Morneau's backside





No thanks, we're all stuffed and bloated from the garlic fries!

Pound That Budweiser

Here's to you Joe Schultz!

Worth The Wait

My Fatburger at the Federal Way, WA store.......a totally satisfactory way to end the day in Seattle. Maybe a bit pricy (7.99 plus tax for a meal).......but it was perfectly cooked to order with a nice complement of condiments. The relish is what made the burger for me.

Apparently No Man or AstroMan? Fans At ODOT: Little Debbie Snack Cakes In Accident Hauled To The Landfill

A date at the bottom of an Oregon landfill is the end result for a truckload of Little Debbie snack cakes. An accident on Highway 217 Monday evening resulted in the truck and the trailer ending up on its side. Rather than salvaging what they could for food banks around the state, the products have been unceremoniously dumped at the dump. Given the long shelf life of the sweet treats, I'm sure they would've been in decent shape the next time that Man or Astro-Man? hit the road again.



KATU NEWS STORY




A lovely live video of the band, complete with theremin on fire, in Seattle in 2000 (thanks brianjbean!),