new spain kits

Speaking of threestripes...

Spain unveiled their new home kits recently, shown below:



I am really not sure how I feel about it... I mean the stripe seems kind of cool, but it ends awkwardly at the bottom of the shirt. I think keeping the shirt that proved lucky enough for Euro 2008 would have been a good idea, but then again this is soccer and kits must be refreshed to make the bacon.

Also of note is the Cats vibe that the adidas promoters created for the event:

Prrrrr.

monday mtp minute

Saturdays of hard drinking never lend themselves to a prompt Sunday MTP report... that won't change anytime soon.

Monday MTP Minute:

- Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ed Rendell and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. I will never get tired of hearing Ahnold say "California"... what a great governor! Anyway, the Govs and the Mayor were on to showcase their support for increased investment in infrastructure across the nation. While the investment is clearly needed, is this the time to be making such huge outlays on so many projects? I say yes. I agree with the Governors and the Mayor on this one. The government needs to make this investment now while the public is in the mood to accept such spending. In all honestly, though, if government hadn't been so shortsighted when we had record SURPLUSES, this wouln't have been such an issue right now, when we have pretty much NO money. Yeah, so much for those fantastic Bush tax cuts.

- Roundtable of Tom Brokaw and Erin Burnett: Nothing terribly insightful here, so no characters wasted on it.

David Gregory Match Rating: 7.0 - Question for Schwarzenegger regarding Special Olympics was old before it was asked, could have really done without it.

umm... wednesday mtp minute

Yeah, yeah, its Wednesday, but somehow the business of Sunday is still at hand.

Without further ado, the mtp minute:

- Dr. Christina Romer: I think that the Obama Administration needed to pick a more deft politician to explain their economic position, if nothing else someone more pleasant to look at. At most times, it seemed like Romer knew what she was talking about regarding the economy - she is a DOCTOR of the DOLLARS after all. David Gregory managed to get the better of her at times, though, especially when he called out the president on remarking that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Just in case you don't remember, Senator McCain was lambasted for the same comment made back in September, albeit that comment was unfortunately (for McCain) made on the day that Lehman Brothers collapsed. Dr. Romer really didn't have the best political answer to this question when Mr. Gregory prodded her, and for that I wish the Obama team had someone more deft at the rhetorical arts up at the plate for them.

- Roundtable of David Frum, Katty Kay, Steve Liesman, and Tavis Smiley: Jesus Christ, what the hell was Tavis Smiley talking about? Every time he tried to lead the conversation, he ended up bringing about an off-topic tangent that really had more to do with a political agenda (why poor people aren't being helped in the economic stimulus plans, which is not true) and less to do with the discussion at hand (the fact that CNBC was asleep at the wheel regarding the financial crisis). Was he on drugs or something? Terrible.

David Gregory Match Rating: 8.5, for deftly eschewing the nonsensical comments of Smiley and zapping Romer on the spot.

what an embarrassment

Well, some postgame thoughts from the Real Madrid - Liverpool clash:

1. So much for the "Greatest Team of the XX Century." Yes, they certainly played like a team that peaked 9 or so years ago. Jesus fucking Christ, this was a terrible performance from my beloved Blancos. More nuanced analysis of the shitty play to come.

2. Iker Casillas is arguably the greatest keeper on the planet today. Saying that after a keeper is scored on 4 times in a game may seem surprising, but in reality without him Madrid would have been down 7 or so goals. He played out of his skin for the whole game, even when the result was far out of hand (just look at the Torres attempt just before he came off).

3. Juande Ramos is not the coach of the future for Madrid. This team has looked like absolute crap in two straight big games and I place the blame squarely on the coach. He simply has not gotten them up and ready for the big game. Yes, he has turned their form around in La Liga, but this team, with all of its talent and skill, should win those games on autopilot (or at least with a modicum of decent coaching). I will say it right here that I hope Real can win all of the games they can against La Liga competition beore tehy have to face off with Barcelona towards the end of the season, because they are sure to lose that game. In the best case scenario for Madrid, Liverpool fail to win the Champions League (I would bet on them) and the Premier League (I would not bet on them) and Rafa gets the sack. The new regime of Florentino Perez (I pray) would be smart enough to nab him up immediately.

3a. Rafa Benitez is one of the best Champions League managers of recent times. If Madrid were to get him, they could do to lose out on La Liga for a couple of years while their play in the Champions League would surely improve.

4. Is the Spanish game falling off compared to the English one? The English-speaking commentators on ESPN sure seemed to think so and I would be hard pressed to disagree. Madrid looked as if they were utterly baffled by the quick, physical play of Liverpool. While Madrid's game might suit them well in Spain, it looked absolutely awful against stiff English competition. Then again, with better coaching and preparation, Madrid might have had a better day of it.

5. Heinze needs to be shipped off to MLS immediately... what the fuck is this guy doing on my team? Although the handball in the penalty area was obviously a blown call, he was still not very inspiring or convincing in the back.


Well, that's all I can bear to speak on right now. I have to wash this disgusting feeling off of my person. Blegh.

cl preview edition, 2nd leg

Its the second week of March, we have all turned off the heat (except for Jesse, perhaps?) and are ready to tune in to the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Last time around, I think I was decent with my predicting. Now I know there is a big difference between a 1-1 draw and a 2-2 draw when the away goals rule is in effect, but still there is only so much clarity I can get from my crystal ball - unlike Mike's new TV, which when coupled with Ashaad's HDMI cable provides stunning clarity... we should expect nothing less from Champions League sponsor Sony!


Second Leg:
10 March
1) Juventus - Chelsea
"Fantastic Donkey" Didier Drogba picked himself off the ground and scored a early game matchwinner at home in the first leg to provide the Pensioners a slim lead going into this tie. I see Juve playing Chelsea tough again, even gaining an early goal, just to see the effort go to rot with a daggerific Chelsea goal in the later stages of the game.
Juventus 1 - Chelsea 1 (Chelsea advance on aggregate 2-1)


2) Panathinaikos - Villarreal
The return leg of the Gyro Express versus the Yellow Submarine just reminds us all that somehow, one of these lackluster clubs is going through to the next round while either Manchester United or Inter will not. Ain't that a b? Anyway, I see the home cooking sinking the Yellow Submarine after giving up that costly goal at home in Spain.
Panathinaikos 1 - 0 Villarreal (Panathinaikos advance on aggregate 2-1)

3) Liverpool - Real Madrid
Oh boy... how quickly can the tables turn on your squad of choice. Heading into the first leg, Madrid were coming off a solid 2-0 victory against baby Barca squad RCD Espanyol while Liverpool were coming off of a backbreaking, nay, season-dooming draw to Man City. While Liverpool aren't exactly resurgent, Madrid seem like they have completely forgotten how to play the game. Coming off of a lucky draw to cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid, Real don't seem like they are in a mood to advance. Expect attacking play to earn them a goal, but it won't be enough to see them through when the Kop urges on their squad to an advancing goal. Rafa to celebrate at local pastry shop after the game.
Liverpool 1 - 1 Real Madrid (Liverpool advance on aggregate 2-1)

4) Bayern Munich - Sporting Lisbon
Why should I bother? When you let the Germans have a romp in your backyard like they did two weeks ago, what chance do you have to advance, Sporting? None is the answer. I see you saving some modicum of face by scoring a goal, but that might be it. My initial hopes for Landycakes getting some CL time may have to wait for some future matchup with an even bigger lead going into the second leg, should that ever occur.
Bayern 3 - 1 Sporting (Bayern advance on aggregate 8-1)


11 March
1) Man U - Inter
I'm not going to lie, Man U didn't do themselves many favors by not scoring away in the first leg. Not that these team seems very stoppable right now, I just think it leaves too much room for a Special One coup through a shocking goal or goals. Van Der Saar needs to make sure he has his head on straight going into this tie, for Inter are no Newcastle and could certainly punish any foolish mistakes the Dutchman could make. Maybe its the puppet admirer in me, but I think Jose will pull out all the stops to zap his gum chewing rival.
Man U 1 - 1 Inter (Inter advance on away goals 1-1)

2) Roma - Arsenal
I think the Voyeur should feel safe in his team advancing through to the next round. They've got their home goal in the bank and will be looking to score another for insurance, which I am sure they will be able to do. Roma will not go down without a fight, though, and I see them pulling one back to great futility late in the game.
Roma 1 - 1 Arsenal (Arsenal advance on aggregate 2-1)

3) Barcelona - Lyon
Well-a, this second leg is going to be a lot spicier than my earlier prediction would have let on. Barca was 'avin a bit of a laffa for the past couple of weeks, but they seemed to have had a return to form after their clash with Athletic Bilbao baggins this weekend. Lyon suffered a recent domestic defeat, but I think they will be inspired by the possibility that this tie presents. In the end, though, the stage and players for Barca will be too much and I see them advancing through (especially when Barca realizes that goals only count when they go into the net, not hit the woodwork).
Barca 2 - 1 Lyon (Barca advance on aggregate 3-2)

4) Porto - Atletico Madrid
While I thought the contest was going to be evenly matched last leg, I didn't see as many goals being scored as there were. After seeing Atletico take on my boys this weekend, they seem like they have got their footballing act together... minus the whole finishing thing. By rights, the result in the derbi madrileño should have favored Atletico by at least 3 goals, but they were lacking the cutting edge in a big way. I see them digging out of their away-goals hole to come out on top in this match:
Porto 1 - Atletico 2 (Atletico advance on aggregate 4-3)

sunday mtp minute

Sometimes, when Daylight Saving Time zaps an hour out of your day, you get to MTP a little late.

But, that's another entry. Onward to the wrapup:

- Sens. Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham butted heads over the issue of the century, the crumbling state of the economy. A lot of the conversation centered around the usual arguments that are circulating around the Beltway regarding the economy: stimulus, tanking markets, omnibus, and earmarks. The discussion of the last point was actually the most compelling one, where both senators essentially supported the practice of earmarking. Mr. Gregory did a great job of pressing the issue on both of the senators, although I think he understood that they were not the worst offenders by far. Senator Schumer did make me feel a little better about how earmarks are now more transparent than ever before: they can be tracked online and each one is tagged to whomever added it in to the bill.

- Roundtable: considering all of the personalities present, I think it was very mild - especially compared to the yakking of last week. I found former speaker Gingrich's take on the administration to be Limbaugh-esque... "Bush-Obama spending bill" and "trial lawyers and judges rewriting mortgages" were especially rich (Rush?). I don't feel like ranting now, but he was just being an Rump Party ass (par for the course). Mort Zuckerman's "popularity, but not credibility" was an especially piercing line.

David Gregory Match Rating: 8.5 - a great showing with the roundtable and the senators, I really think he is growing into his role on the show.

lecture us, please

A response to this article, of today's edition of TheDailyBeast.com:

As I read this article today, I grew increasingly frustrated with the narrative that the Republicans are peddling these days. I have heard it all over, from the news channels to the radio, and then this article, that somehow this new administration is trying to implement "socialistic" agendas and is trying to punish the "payers of taxes and creators of wealth." It really doesn't make any sense to me and I think its a completely disingenuous representation of the responsible leadership that this country chose overwhelmingly in November.

It would seem that the web the Republicans are weaving these days relies heavily on the belief that the government is the least reliable means to solve any problem, and that the market and individuals will undoubtedly make the decisions that will bring about the correct, market driven solutions. While I think that is true most of the time, this crisis has highlighted that the market can't be relied on exclusively. "No, no no!" the Rushites protest, "the government caused all of these problems through regulation and forcing banks to give out bad loans to people who couldn't afford them!" Right. As the frosty credit markets can show us, not even the federal government can tell the banks who to lend to, even when the money they are supposed to be lending came from the government itself - for the express purpose of lending, no less!

Government isn't the problem, and it isn't the solution. Government is merely a means to an otherwise impossible to coordinate end. And thats where my criticism of this article comes into play. President Obama, as the leader of the executive branch of the government, is in a position to wake the nation up from the haze it has been under for quite some time now (I am not going to lay all of the blame on the Bush administration, we have been asleep at the wheel far longer than that) and he is rightfully doing so. The era of irresponisbility that has gotten us to this point must end and end quickly. We need someone like him to not tell us, in effect, that we are Americans and that nothing we do is bad or wrong (as his predecessor seemed all too happy to do ), but rather that we are Americans and that carries a special burden of sacrifice coupled with unbridled opportunity.

We did not abandon our belief that despite our imperfections, America is the solution—not the problem—to every challenge facing the people in this country and, in many cases, the world... And we believe that our president’s job is to cheer [America] on not talk her down.

It is precisely this type of thinking that has landed us here. We now have a president that lays bold challenges before us, not challenges to go out and spend, but rather go out and serve: to engage in our communities rather than sink away into our overpriced homes. "America" is not a solution or a problem. It is a nation... a nation capable of erring, yet also capable of unequaled opporunity and freedom. Its a great nation, but not an infallable one. I think those who would accuse President Obama of "remaking the nation in his own image" are forgetting this fact. Through more just tax policies, proper oversight and accountability for government, and needed investments in the future, President Obama is trying to seek out "a more perfect Union" so that future generations may reap the benefits of liberty and prosperity that recent ones have abused and taken for granted.