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What I keep in my pockets and England finally scores for itself
June 15, 2006There is my wallet and car keys. My cracked-face cell phone and a couple pens (just like a good journalist always should have).
If I’m lucky, I’ll have some cash and a stick of gum or two, and you never know what kind of lent is building on down there.
These are the things I keep in my pockets. Ecuador’s Ivan Kaviedes apparently keeps a bright yellow mask tucked away in his shorts.
There is my wallet and car keys. My cracked-face cell phone and a couple pens (just like a good journalist always should have).
If I’m lucky, I’ll have some cash and a stick of gum or two, and you never know what kind of lent is building on down there.
These are the things I keep in my pockets. Ecuador’s Ivan Kaviedes apparently keeps a bright yellow mask tucked away in his shorts.
When the forward scored a late goal in Ecuador’s dominant 3-0 victory over Costa Rica, he whipped out a strange-looking yellow mask, put in on his face and began to celebrate.
And people think I’m weird.
Two questions: Why?
And doesn’t the mask get kinda smelly and sweaty after you’ve run around the whole game? Oh well, to each his own, I guess.
It’s actually a prominent celebration tactic employed by athletes in the other football. Terrell Owens once whipped out a Sharpie, and Bengals receiver Chad Johnson has been known to keep props hidden around the stadium for TD celebrations.
What really makes you wonder is what kind of stuff athletes plan out that we never know about because they don’t score.
England can score on its own, too
The Brits needed almost two full games to score a goal on its own - its 1-0 victory earlier in the week was a result of Paraguay’s own goal.
It looked like Trinidad and Tobago would notch its second 0-0 tie of the tournament for much of the afternoon, but Peter Crouch, aka England’s undeniably-lanky/clumsy Shawn Bradley, headed home a goal in the 83rd minute and Steven Gerrard (isn’t he the back-up Jaguars quarterback) tacked on another late one for a 2-0 win.
England didn’t look too impressive for the second game in a row. They could find an early exit, especially if Germany meets up with them in the second round.
Sweden, which also couldn’t score if you gave them directions to the nearest German brothel, finally found a way to salvage their frustrating World Cup.
After having a goal cleared off the line and some other point-blank shots missed, Fredrik Ljungberg headed a goal home in the 88th minute versus Paraguay, knocking them out, 1-0.
Stat of the day: There was a four-game stretch spanning Wednesday and today where a goal was scored after the 90th minute. Tunisia tied Saudi Arabia and Germany won with late goals yesterday. Today, Ecuador and England both extended leads after 90 minutes had been played.
In fact, 18 of the 46 goals in this World Cup have come after the 75th minute.
Looking ahead: Argentina looks to improve to 2-0 in the early game against Serbia-Montenegro, followed by more Group C action with Netherlands-Ivory Coast. That’s the one worth watching - I’m going to call an upset and give the victory to the Coast.
Mexico-Angola finishes the afternoon. A win and Mexico should be in.
My quest: I missed most of England-T&T, but my little bro Adam was clutch and taped it for me and I caught both late goals. I will watch it later tonight, and was able to catch the other two games. A little bit of a letdown after yesterday’s unbelievable action, but quality nonetheless.
On a further note, does it get any better for American sports fans this weekend. You have, in order of my importance, 1) NBA Finals (I’m a Mavericks fan in a soccer body); 2) World Cup; 3) U.S. Open; 4) Stanley Cup Finals (what a heck of a overtime game last night); 5) College Baseball World Series and 6) Major League Baseball.
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