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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A Little Shake-Up
I had planned on posting new graphs with the title, "The Growing Deficit"...but then Okham actually scored some points today as his beloved Azzurri came through for him! Could this be the beginning of a comeback?
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67 comments:
Thanks for the new graph and thread - now I can leave comments without wearing out my scroll button!
I have been usurped! Nice going guys, I hope I haven't flatlined. I'm still winning in my other pool (against an all-male group) though.
Spain and Sweden tomorrow...
Yeah, it was definitely getting cumbersome to have to scroll so far down!
Spain and Sweden for me too. Let's see if Okham's little spot of luck holds out. :-)
Hmmm.... I am going to go with Russia, first off because I need to make up for the current deficit, secondly because I am not impressed with Sweden so far (plus Ibrahimovic is not at his best)... So, I am going with Russia.
Now, for the second game... Spain is already qualified and guaranteed first spot; Greece are already out, but they are not going to want to go home as the defending champions without a single point... I am wanting to say Greece but... a draw is probably good enough. A draw it is, then.
This soccer shit is still going on?
Why, yes, PhysioProf, it's "soccer shit" all over the place, like there's no tomorrow ! Care to join in the fun ?
Ooh, I bet PhysioProf is really good at trash talk.
DrMrA had father's day on Saturday instead of Sunday so he could watch that soccer shit (His home country got eliminated... boo hoo).
CAE--Perhaps the trick to winning one of these sports pools is to play against men??? :-)
PP--That's "football shit" to you!
DrDrA--Ah, well. There's always the World Cup in two years....
Care to join in the fun?
Nah. I don't have the patience for a sport where a game lasting 90 fucking minutes has about one minute of actual action, and the rest is like watching a fucking fungo session.
Nah. I don't have the patience for a sport where a game lasting 90 fucking minutes has about one minute of actual action, and the rest is like watching a fucking fungo session.
What's wrong with fungo sessions anyway ?
PP, just because you Yankees don't appreciate the subtlety of the world's most popular sport, doesn't make all those millions (billions?) of fans wrong! ;)
Also, my cousin once made me go to a baseball game - Blue Jays vs Yankees on the 4th of July, in Toronto - and I missed the only score of the game when I went to buy beer. She also tried to make me watch basketball, but I just don't get the concept of a sport where the goals are so frequent that no-one really celebrates them. I want to jump to my feet with the other 50,000 people in the stadium, cheer and holler and hug my friends when my team scores. (see also: rugby, ice hockey).
As a neutral I also find a great shot and an amazing save to be more exciting than an actual goal, but maybe that's just me.
gaah! Bloody Russians.
Oh FFS. I think Okham may be making up more ground today!
eh... don't worry... it's all greek to me...
Well, no change in relative points after all that...
I was already beginning to celebrate my 4 points when at the 88' Spain scored... I think we should have a different ranking based on scores at the 88'...
I've gone for Portugal tomorrow, rather reluctantly given England's recent history with them. Bastards. (I hope a certain person does not read this comment).
I've gone for Portugal tomorrow, rather reluctantly given England's recent history with them. Bastards. (I hope a certain person does not read this comment).
Nah... I am going with Germany -- they totally want a rematch with the Azzurri...
CAE--I feel exactly the same way about baseball...boooriing! But March Hare claims I just don't appreciate the strategy involved in baseball.
Basketball is different, though. I agree that each individual score doesn't make much difference early in the game, but you can get down to the last 30 seconds and still not be certain as to who would win. Makes for a really exciting finish if the game is close.
You should try American football, which I have come to love! Takes a while to learn all the rules, and one does have to understand a fair number of the rules to enjoy the game, but it's a great game.
Oops...I forgot to add that I have Portugal for today. But unfortunately I won't be around much. I have an 8-hour long experiment which will require constant manipulation, so I'll be away from my desk and unable to even follow the game! :-(
I've tried watching American Football - or rather its Canadian equivalent, which is slightly different. It's OK, but as someone who grew up watching rugby I find it too stop-and-start. In rugby the same players are on the field at all times - no stopping the game to bring on a specialist goal kicker or whatever. Also, in the Union version I prefer (rugby league is different), there's no artificial hand-over of the ball after 3 downs (4 downs in the Canadian version). In rugby, if you lose the ball, you lose the ball. And if you keep on moving it and getting it back, there's no need to hand it back to the other team after a certain number of moves. So it just flows better.
I'm sure I'd like American Football if I'd grown up watching it, but I can't help but compare it to rugby, which is my favourite sport. I may care more about football, but I think rugby's the better game.
I told you they were bastards
Okham got 5 points for that result - WTF??!!
OK, in the next 3 games I have Turkey, Netherlands and Spain.
Looks like our streak of good fortune has run out, CAE. I hadn't realized the games are now worth 5 points. Not that that would've ncecssarily made any difference in my pick....
I've got Croatia, Netherlands, and Spain. Man, an incorrect pick is really going to start hurting now.
Back to work...I hate this fucking experiment!
How can a team take that many shots and not score a single goal?!?!
... and suffer an equalizer right after finally scoring one, with less than a minute to go...
Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!! sniff, sniff...sob
Looks like CAE's taken the lead again. Okham, I'm predicting you will like the look of the next graph!
Yeah, I bet he will!
Do I detect some anxiety in your words, ladies... is anything troubling you ? I wonder what that could be... Oh, well, let's go check the pool standing... last time I looked I was, like, a million points behind...
Anxious? Us??? Naaawww. We can keep winning, no problem! A girls' victory is in the bag.
[Psst...Cae, got any ideas? Okham's gaining on us....]
I'm not worried, in fact I am looking forwards, to more victories, rather than backwards, over my shoulder at Okham, who's... DEAR GOD HE'S GAINING ON US!!!!
Wow... what a massive performance by the russian squad... who, which football genius could have possibly predicted such a stunning upset ? Oh, wait... look, I did!.
What is that sound that I hear ? KAH-CHEEN !!! I guess that is five more points for Okham... this is getting interesting, isn't it ?
I'm not going to reply to Okham's comment because I'm too busy sitting in a corner sulking.
Oh, come on now, MH, you can't be sitting there all day... you've got stuff to do, graphs to update...
Russia deserved it - what a great performance! The Dutch were totally outclassed.
I only have one more word to say today...
ESPANA!
I only have one more word to say today...
ESPANA!
What can I say ? When it comes to the Azzurri I simply have to wear my heart upon my sleeve and go with them, regardless of how badly odds seem to be stacked against them...
I would totally do the same if England were playing. In fact I've had England to win in every pool I've ever been in, which is the very definition of the triumph of hope over experience.
This is the first pool I've ever done well in.
/******************************I wonder if the two are linked???!!!
Guess which part of the sentence above was typed by my cat?
Oh, well... could have gone both ways... congratulations to Spain.
No games today or tomorrow... it's all very strange.
I can't decide who to pick for the first game. My head says Germany, my heart says Turkey. I'll probably change my pick a couple of times before the actual game, but right now it's Turkey. There's just something about them!
There's just something about them!
Yes, mostly a part of their body (let's say where the sun does not shine) which in vulgar italian is associated with an unusual streak of highly improbable, extremely lucky events...
I say Russia and Germany.
Okham, I am absolutely stunned and astonished that you would sully this blog with such crass and vulgar imagery! :-)
Germany and Spain for me.
Okham, I am absolutely stunned and astonished that you would sully this blog with such crass and vulgar imagery! :-)
And here I was, thinking I was being poetic...
Perhaps if it were in iambic pentameter?
Please don't encourage him. I don't want to read iambic pentameter about Turkish naughty bits.
OK, I know it's dumb and they've been riding their luck and they only have 13 fit / eligible players, but I'm sticking with Turkey. At least I'll be able to pinpoint the exact moment when I lost the pool!
Oh, and Spain tomorrow.
Hopefully I'll get to see the second half today...
OMG I am laughing so hard right now!!! 1-0 to Turkey, w00t! I am joining 2 German friends in the pub for the second half, I hope they don't have heart attacks before I get there.
From the BBC, before the goal: "Perhaps Germany have seen from previous games how dangerous it is to score first against Turkey. This is a brilliant ploy of reverse psychology".
Well, that sucks. I'm down 8 points, and the only weekday half-game I got to see throughout the whole championship had all those transmission problems!
CAE, don't talk to me about "sucks"... apparently my internet connection in TN did not work as I had thought, and therefore my pick for todays' game (Germany) was not recorded...
Yeah, OK, that sucks more than choosing the wrong team.
I was in meetings all day yesterday and missed all the excitement! Hmm...if Okham had just made the wrong pick, I'd be celebrating right about now. But I actually feel a little guilty for winning because of a computer glitch.
New graphs coming up after today's game!
But I actually feel a little guilty for winning because of a computer glitch.
Nah... no computer glitch, just my own anal-retentiveness. Go ahead and celebrate, you mean one... :-)
Well apparently I am still capable of making the occasional good decision.
I say Spain to win the whole thing, Turkey to take 3rd place
Well, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed by the russians tonight... maybe they had run out of energy, in the second half they were almost not there.
But I think I am going with Germany for historical reasons, plus I have to try for double or nuttin'...
Is there a final for third and fourth place too ? If so, I am going with Russia there too.
Actually I just checked the BBC and there is no 3rd place game. Maybe they only do it in the world cup? England haven't played in a 3rd place game in either competition since, um, Italy 96 I think, so it's not something I pay much attention to.
I'm going with Spain too! Didn't get to see either of the two most recent games. :-( Hopefully I'll have time on Sunday.
Shall I just wait till after the final game to post graphs?
Shall I just wait till after the final game to post graphs?
I am afraid it won't make much difference to me... LOL... oh, well, better luck next time...
Ooh if you're going for Spain maybe I should pick Germany, otherwise there's no way for me to win! I'll decide soon...
OK I'm going with Germany, even though I think Spain will win, just so I have a shot at winning the pool!
winning the pool!
Wining, winning, winning... is that all that matters ?
CAE, may the best woman win! :-) And Okham, do I detect a whiff of...sour grapes in your comment??? LOL!
Okham, do I detect a whiff of...sour grapes in your comment??
Who, me ? No, no sour grapes at all, goddamnit ! In fact, I join you in saying "May the best meanie, er, woman win".
Rosetti must be a big Julio Iglesias fan... this was a handball by the spaniard...
Ah well, it was not to be, for me or for Germany!
Nicely done MadHatter, and thanks again for the graphs and for hosting the trash talk!
Congratulations to Mad Hatter for her excellent picks and thank you to the both of you for the game. It was fun. You have given me flashbacks to my childhood (I stand corrected -- childhood has not ended yet for me).
So, who's up for a Serie A or Premier League pool ? ;-)
Thanks, guys--I had fun too! Final graph is up. :-)
Ah well, it was not to be, for me or for Germany!
Nicely done MadHatter, and thanks again for the graphs and for hosting the trash talk!
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