U.S. Soccer

So the U.S. Men's Soccer Team just completed a nice, somewhat surprising run through the Confederations Cup. For those that do not know the Confederations Cup consists of 8 teams, the winner from each of the 6 continents (No Antarctica champion), the defending World Cup Champion from 2006 and the host nation for the 2010 World Cup. Through most of the first two games the U.S. played in the group stages, they played poorly against Italy and Brazil. The Brazil game was quite embarrassing as they lost 3-0 and showed no heart whatsoever. Demarcus Beasley had a key turnover that led to a Brazilian goal on a fast break streaking across the pitch. That was the proverbial "nail in the coffin" for him on this national team, at best I think he can be a sub but he is not a starter. He had a lot of negative energy that I think brought down everyone else around him. The tides began to turn for this team last Sunday against Egypt. Needing to beat them by 3 goals and needing to get help from Brazil over Italy, this team suddenly came to life. I did not see this game, but seeing the highlights and reading and listening to the commentary, this team finally showed some heart. They showed they could be a force. A team that struggled to move the ball up and down the field efficiently with crisp passes and movement off the ball was now looking like a team that had some potential to do some good things. We could only hope as U.S. fans that they could build off of this momentum and take it into their next game against the Spanish, the number one ranked team in the world and on a 35 match winning streak. As the U.S.-Spain match began to develop, you could just sense the energy and the confidence on the pitch for the U.S. squad. They were putting pressure on the Spanish to defend and were attacking down the field with solid ball movement. They were showing hustle, they were showing heart, they were showing a new found confidence. I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the unheralded stars for the U.S. squad, Charlie Davies, a young, fast Forward who was a catalyst for the team in the Egypt game as well as the Spanish game. He helped set the tone with his energy. In the 25th minute Jozy Altidore, the young 19 year old striker used his body well to hold off the Spanish defender and powered a goal past the Spanish keeper. Goal U.S., 1-0. The game was tight the rest of the way as Tim Howard and the defense came up huge against a barrage of Spanish shots on goal. The number one team was not going down without a fight. Than in the 73rd minute, Clint Dempsey put in a ball of a deflection from a Spanish defender into the back of the net for a 2-0 U.S. lead. Looking at the replay, it was widely thought that Landon Donovan should have taken the shot as the goalkeeper was the only one between him and the back of the net. Instead he crossed it through several Spanish defenders, who failed to clear it out of the box, to Dempsey on the back post to seal the deal for the U.S. They held on for a huge win to advance to the final to take on Brazil, a team that had embarrassed them 3-0 earlier in the tournament. Going into this game, it felt different, their was a different vibe around this team. This team was all but left for dead after losing to Italy and Brazil by a combined 6-1 score. They had outscored their next two opponents, Egypt and Spain 5-0. What a complete 180 for this team, that now brings some hope going into next summer's World Cup. Regardless of the result against Brazil in the final, this team had already exceeded the expectations of so many. All they needed to do, in my opinion, was to play a competitive game to build off of into the second half of their qualifying for the World Cup to start up again later in the summer. The U.S. got off to a fast start in the final. Scoring two goals in the first 26 minutes to get on top of a shell shocked Brazilian squad, but they aren't the Brazilians for nothing. After taking that 2-0 lead into halftime, the U.S. had to know that they were about to get a full flurry of attacks from Brazil, and they did. With beautiful precision and speed, Brazil responded quickly, scoring in the first minute of the second half. Than with that came two more goals in the 73rd and 83rd minutes to seal the deal. The U.S. had done everything they could, they just ran out of gas. They could not get the ball from the Brazilians, as they played typical South American soccer, possessing the ball and showing everyone calls this the beautiful game. The U.S. showed heart, they showed they could go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world. Let's hope they can carry this momentum all the way into next summer.

Mb

Marco Island

These are interesting times in my life. Times of uncertainity. Times of possibilities and just a lot of time to think period. Think about this think about that, you would not be suprised of the things you can think about when you have nothing to do. I am sure one day I will look back on these days and long for them when I am busy with work, or whatever else will occupy my time in the future.

For now I think I will just give a recap of our family trip to Marco Island, Florida last week. For those that don't know Marco Island lies about 20 minutes south of Naples on the Southwest coast of Florida. The island itself is not all that big, but is well developed with many condominiums and nice hotels alongside the beautiful, white sandy beaches. Do not go here expecting big waves because there aren't any, unless you want to come here when there are hurricaines in the area than I am sure you can find some good surf. But what you will find are a lot shells, clear green-blue water, and a quiet, family-like place to relax and enjoy yourself. We went during the "off-season" so there were not many people out and about on the beach compared to a lot of other places than we have gone to in the past. This is not a place like Panama City Beach or even Myrtle Beach to some extent, you won't find many teenagers/college kids down in this area. This is a place for families and really rich, mostly retired people or some kind of combination of the three. The sun down here is intense so if you don't like a lot heat, either get there before noon or wait until after dinner. Two hours out there will get you nice and red for sure and if you don't continously lather up a lot of burn and eventual skin peeling to come. The water was nice and warm, which is where I like to spend most of time when I am at the beach. I like to lay out on the beach as well, but the water is usually where it is at for me. While living on the island for a week, like we did, you can either do a lot of things or a lot of nothing. It is all up to you. Now I said the island was well developed, but that does not mean you cannot find times of solitude and quiet throughout all hours of the day. Many a house on the island is located alongside canals that are separate from the ocean but can you still lead you there if you choose. Our house was located within feet of these little canals and being how this water was so calm and wave less it was an excellent opportunity to go out on the kayak that was provided to us at the house. My first time in kayak was a lot of hard work, but also really cool and it is something that I would like to try again sometime. We went exploring through the different canals located near us on the island. Although we did not see any wildlife or anything out of the ordinary it was still a cool experience. My brother went out with my dad the next day and saw some dolphins, which are always cool to see and especially cool when they are within yards of your kayak.

There were two different beaches we went to, one was Tigertail Beach and the other one was the Public Access beach. Tigertail you had to drive to and you had to pay to park. When we first got to this beach we were a little disappointed because the water was basically like swimming in a shallow stream that had a lot of seaweed, but we quickly noticed a lot of people walking across this sandbar across the channel of water. They were carrying all of their beach things with them, chairs, coolers, strollers, you name it it was being hauled across the channel which was waist high and about 50-60 feet wide. Turns out that was where the really beach was (you could not see it from the other side of the channel). So we went back and took all of our things across and enjoyed a couple of hours on the beach, where I ended up helping my dad and little sister in constructing a sand castle. This was where I got sun burned on the back and was in mild discomfort for a couple of days.

The Public Access beach was the one we went to the most as it was merely a 5 minute bike ride from our house, or a 15 minute walk if you preferred that mode of transportation as there was no place to park your car. So we did that several times during the week, always around the same time (11am-1pm). After that we would go back to the house, eat some lunch and just relax either inside the house, or out by the pool, which was screened in and was about as warm as your standard bath, which for most of us out there means that it was really warm and not really refreshing from the hot sun. Many a day was spent reading and relaxing out by the pool and inside the house. I do not know if there was a day gone by where I did not nap sometime in the mid-afternoon. I got up nearly everyday to get some running in and by the time 3-4 o'clock rolled around I was beat and needed the Zzzz's. Ah, the tough life I was living (sarcasm duly noted).

I actually got some good reading in. Continued to work on reading "The Summer of '49," about a chapter a day. The book chronicles the 1949 baseball season through the stories of the players on the Yankees and Red Sox. One of the best books I have ever read and I haven't even finished it yet.

We also went out one evening down to Naples to play our family traditional activity, putt-putt golf. Unfortunately I was not able to defend my crown from last summer's trip, as I finished a distant 3rd behind both of my parents. I did have two hole-in-ones, but two 6's during the middle part of the round stalled my efforts to take the crown. Afterwards we headed back into town and got some ice cream. I had rainbow sherbet, one of my all-time favorites, and I was the only one to get it in a cone, for whatever that means, just another time to give some props to myself for unique. Hey, I got to take advantage of these opportunities as they do not occur often. Another highlight of the trip was heading about 30 minutes east to the edge of the Everglades to see some Manatees, sea cows if you will. Only they were not located in the seas but in some small rivers, and channels. So maybe river cows is better terminology for these massive creatures. We took a 90 minute guided boat tour, that does not take you in any specific direction, only in the direction where you can spot the manatees. You have to keep a careful watch for "footprints", a.k.a. when their tail comes up out of the water and leaves a mark on the water's surface. We saw several of these guys as there was a "receptive female" in the area and they were all hovering around the same general location. So that was cool. We did not see any gators but seeing the manatees in their natural state was cool enough.

The last thing that I would like to mention in regards to the things we saw and did on this trip was the sunset we got to see on the beach last Wednesday evening. It was absolutely fantastic and was for lack of a better word, cooler than just about anything else we did. It puts things into perspective and allows you time to be at peace with yourself (as long as there are not too many people talking and making disruptions around you, which there really weren't). So I would like to end this by thanking the people who made this trip possible, my parents and my grandmother. Without them this wouldn't have been possible in so many ways.

Mb

Been Awhile

So its been awhile since I last posted, 11 days to be exact. A lot has gone on since then. There is no way I can address it all. The Braves continue to tease and disappoint us. I guess when you are a .500 type team that is what you get. Since I last spoke we had the long awaited arrival of Tommy Hanson for the Braves. While his numbers will not blow you away, it is his "mound presence" and the things that he says that lets you know he belongs here in the big leagues. The spotlight does not seem too big for him, when he adjusts physically that meets his mental level right now, we will see something special from him. The problem with the Braves continues to be the offense, followed by middle relief, and somewhere mixed in there some bad baserunning and other poor mental decisions made out on the field. Francouer is continuing to be mediocre at the plate with a .625 OPS, which is way below league average and basically means that he is not getting on base and he is not getting a lot of extra base hits. Kelly Johnson has continued to struggle at the plate, underachieving, they need more from him. The trade for McLouth has not produced much boost for the offense, as he has hit only .239 in 11 games so far, but he has hit decent in the past so he should come around. The big 3 hitters are Chipper, McCann, and Yunel, who has made a lot of low baseball IQ plays and seems to be lost out on the field at times. He has a great arm but he does not use his brain as much as he should. Is football here yet? Speaking of football, I bought a pre-season SEC College Football magazine the other day to get me ready for the upcoming season. For those in the south understand that is never too early to talk or read about football, especially SEC football. 80 days away until the season opener for the Dawgs against the explosive Oklahoma State Cowboys. Expect football talk to heat up on this blog as the Braves continue to float in mediocrity and wait until the next year or two to make a serious run at the playoffs. Also expect me to recap all the goings on from my family trip down to Marco Island, Florida, where I still call home for another 2-3 days.
"Kokomo"-The Beach Boys (one of my favorites)
Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you;
Bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama;
Key largo montego baby why dont we go
Jamaica Off the florida keys
Theres a place called kokomo
Thats where you wanna go to get away from it all
Bodies in the sand
Tropical drink melting in your hand
Well be falling in love
To the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in kokomo
Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go
Ooo I wanna take you down to kokomo
Well get there fastAnd then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to kokomo
To martinique, that monserrat mystique
Well put out to sea and well perfect our chemistry
By and by well defy a little bit of gravity
Afternoon delight, Cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye, Give me a tropical contact high
Way down in kokomo, Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go, Ooo I wanna take you down to kokomo
We'll get there fast and then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to kokomo
Port au prince I wanna catch a glimpse
Everybody knows A little place like kokomo
Now if you wanna go and get away from it all
Go down to kokomo Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go
Ooo I wanna take you down to kokomo
Well get there fast and then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to kokomo, Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go
Ooo I wanna take you down to kokomo

Oh My What A Day

As summer is officially about to start in a couple weeks, mother nature has already given us a taste of what is to come with a couple days this week approaching 90. Hello summer, good bye spring. I like spring because it is warmer and things are green but I like summer more because it signals an end to my allergies and it is the heart of the baseball season. Basketball will finally be over in a couple of weeks, the playoffs go on forever it seems and baseball will be on its own to capture our hearts and give us memories of our youth. Summer is a time of innocence, a time to relax after long days out in the sun. It is time to recharge the batteries if they need recharging. And speaking of recharging the batteries, my hometown team, the Atlanta Braves, certainly know how to do that to this beleaguered 22 year old, just out of college, without yet a job in this poor economy, but I digress. Back to the recharge, it all started at 6:00 EST, that is Georgia time for all you Central Time Zoners, and 18:00 military, when the Braves announced that they had released Tom Glavine, 43 year old LHP with 305 career wins. Timing was curious and at the time, we fans did not fully comprehend what exactly was about to hit us in the next hour or so. Initial reaction was of shock and then curiosity and then I began to think. Before hearing any comments from GM Frank Wren, I knew this would be a PR nightmare, but I felt it was the move that gave us the best chance to win this year. Because if we had put him on the roster we would have to pay him $1 million, that is an awful lot to commit to a guy coming off of elbow and shoulder surgeries over the last year. The reports say his fastball consistently hit 83-84 MPH on the gun. Now that is pretty good if you are in high school but not if you are trying to get guys out at the major league level. I know he has never been known for velocity, but when you throw that slow your margin for error is very slim. His bread and butter pitch, the change-up is not as nearly effective when the fastball is only in the mid-80s. I do not fault the Braves management at all for this, this was a performance decision, as they said, but within that it was also a business decision. Wren said screw PR my job is on the line we need to win now and by bringing up top prospect 22 year old Tommy Hanson, he and his scouts felt like he gave them the best chance to win this year and at a cheaper price. This kid needs to get to pitch in the majors, he has already proven he can get AAA players out, let us see what he can do. The initial plan with Glavine was to put him in the regular 5 man rotation in mid-April, but setbacks caused that to be pushed back and he did not prove to be ready until now. Well now is too late, Hanson is ready, we cannot afford to lose any more ground by giving up games to a guy who will not pitch out of the 6th inning (Glavine). Not to harp on a future HOF but that is reality, that is what he was at best, a 6 inning pitcher. Not one Braves scout thought he had the stuff to get guys out at the major league level on a consistent basis. Hanson has the better potential and the better stuff right now, and potential is a dangerous word, but this guy has the stuff to get it done. No more Jo-Jo Reyes, and although Medlen will be good soon, Hanson has the potential to be special, his statistical numbers are outstanding, go look them up if you are curious. Let's see what this kid can do, I am excited for his debut this weekend.

The other major move yesterday was the addition of gold glove CF Nate McLouth from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor leaguers, Gorkys Hernandez, Charlie Morton, and Jeff Locke, one OF and two pitchers. This news came down during the first couple of innings of last nights game against the Chicago Cubs. My friend Justin called me as soon as he announced it, we could not believe it, what a steal, what a player. One of our favorites. This is a move that says we are tired of sucking and this is move built on the long term with McLouth being signed for the next 3.5 years. He is going to provide the pop that we have been missing in the OF and on this team in general. A guy we can also place at the top of the lineup and use his speed to steal bags, to take the extra base, and to run down balls in the field. He is another left handed bat but a guy who can hit LHP so that will not be a problem. For this move to be made, we needed to give up some guys. Hernandez, a good CF prospect at the AA level is still a year plus away, Morton, in my opinion based on what I saw last year from him, will be a number 3 starter at best in the majors, Locke may be the best of the bunch, but he is struggling at high A ball and is still at least 2 years maybe more away from contributing. Due to our recent drafts, the minor league system for the Braves is filled with depth, especially in the OF and the pitchers. So we dealt from a position of strength, a smart business move. Plus we still have Jordan Schafer who struggled mightily his first 2 months this year for the Braves, who still might be a contributor for us sometime soon, but now is not yet his time, and it is fine now that we got a guy who can produce. When the kid is ready we will call him back up, but I do not anticipate that until late in the season. We probably still need another bat, but who knows where we will find it and who knows if we will get it, but I like these moves, they are bold moves but they are the right moves. The object is to win games now, and that is what these moves are telling me. I can't wait to see how this will all turn out. Yea come on!

Mb