Vox Popoli

On the ratio of fouls called on the Celtics vs fouls called on the Lakers today? 3-1? 4-1?

With the same purpose as one of his in-your-face jumpers, Kobe Bryant leaned into the microphone.

He promised more NBA finals games to come.

“The series ain’t over,” he said. “It’s far from over.”

And the truth is, we all know that it isn’t. I don’t know where to check, but I’ll bet that Dick Bavetta reffing tonight in order to make sure that the series goes back to Boston.

Spacebunny went out of her way today to throw an extra special Father’s Day. There was a giant mocha ready upon rising. There was a talent show followed by invisible tea followed by an imaginary feast. There was lasagna with extra ricotta, the prosecco flowed like water and was followed by a chocolate cream pie complete with a graham cracker crust. There were presents; the pièce de résistance was the only current game system I didn’t have, a Nintendo Wii.

And then, she promptly rendered the entire exercise moot by trouncing me – yes, trouncing me – at Wii Sports Bowling. Not only did she win the first game by a score of 146 to 125, but she beat me in a best of three. Now, it probably won’t surprise you to know that I’m not a particularly good bowler, but it is nevertheless a video game, so I should probably hear the end of this right around the time that Heimdall sounds his horn. Spacebunny is many fine things; however, being a kind and gracious winner is not necessarily one of them.

I’ll have to buy her a Wii Fit. That way, we both win.

1. Sweden good. Spain better. David Villa en fuego.

2. Greece boring. Russians offside every other attack. Greek goaltender crazy and costs Greece the game.

That is all.

The OC is hosting a discussion of Joe Haldeman’s Nebula-winning SF masterpiece. Which status I, frankly, have never been able to figure out:

As I’ve said many times before, I read omnivorously and constantly. At the moment, along with everything else, I’m re-reading Joe Haldeman’s multiple award-winning science fiction novel, The Forever War. Is anyone else interested in discussing this one: what works, what doesn’t, what you liked about it, what you hated about it?

On a tangential note, it occurred to me that there are two things that science fiction and fantasy do very, very poorly. One is religion. The other is sports. I am beginning to suspect that this is largely because the people who write and edit SF/F have almost no experience of either. Think about how much impact both religion and sports have on society today, based on how much time people spend on doing them and discussing them, then compare it to how little impact they have on the characters in almost every single novel published in the genre. It’s really quite remarkable.

After five years, I am done coaching little kids. Starting last year, I detected a decreasing amount of patience with the kids; over time, seeing the same sort of mistakes over and over again tends to wear you down and it’s not fair to blame today’s kids for the mistakes that their predecessors were making four years ago. While I admire those endlessly patient sorts that can handle the Sisyphean task of witnessing the same absurdities over and over again for decades, I just can’t do it. The combination of a disappearing challenge – I know what works and how to win now – and my declining tolerance for inevitable mistakes means that it’s time to get out while I’m still effective. As every NFL fan knows, it’s not only athletes who come with sell-by dates.

It’s a good time, too, since we had a surprisingly good season this year. With only three older kids playing against as many as seven, we managed to finish sixth, fifth, and fifth in our last three tournaments, which was a spectacular result considering how badly we were overmatched in terms of age and size. In fact, we actually tied for second out of six and second out of five in our group the last two tournaments, but lost out on the semifinals both times thanks to goal difference.

We also had a huge surprise in that we actually found ourselves a keeper this year. We didn’t have one last year either, so in desperation I turned to the one of the three who was least useful on the field because he could punt the ball as far as his friend, our star player. He’s a bit of a dreamer, not very aggressive, and for the last two years he’s tended to go through the motions more than actually trying to win the ball or do anything useful with it when he’s got it. But his first time in the net, the tournament in which we finished sixth, he won the first two games for us before hurting a finger while making a save. Even though we lost the rest of our games once he went out, I didn’t begin to put two and two together until after the tournament, when a scout for Black, the pro squad to whom we’ve provided two very good players in the past, wanted to know if they could recruit him to join their program in the fall.

I thought the scout was nuts and didn’t think a whole lot more about it until last week’s tournament, when our new keeper only permitted two goals that were potentially saveable and racked up several very good saves and two clean sheets in our three wins. When the coach for Blue, the other big youth program, asked about his availability in the fall after our game against them, I realized that I probably should have tried the kid in goal a long time ago. Yesterday, we were significantly outgunned against some much larger clubs, but the boys still managed to win one game and tie another; that was enough to give us a shot at fifth place. That game, the last one at this level for the three oldest kids, finished 1-1 and went to penalty kicks, which worried me because two of their teammates can barely kick the ball.

Our first three shooters, all of whom I expected to score, each put their penalties away, as did the first three penalty-takers from the other team. Both goalies were diving like mad, but didn’t have a chance at any of them. The other team scored again, then the little kid who won’t run but has a nice strong foot kicked it right at their keeper. Blocked. I figured we were done, but then their next kid fired wide of the post to even it up. The next two both hit, which meant it was 4-4 and we were into sudden death. A defender in whom I had zero confidence actually caught the ball squarely for once, and our goalie nearly stopped their next one, but it went in anyhow. 5-5. I had no choice but to put up the other little one, a lefty who just stabs at the ball with his right foot and seldom touches it.

“You can use your left foot, use your left foot,” I told him, since he’s always being told to use his right foot during drills in practice. Thump! Perfect, curving shot, right in the right corner; their goalie never had a chance. 6-5. Our keeper came out and crouched down on the line, looking vaguely nervous but not scared. I thought he was positioned a little too far to the right, but I didn’t say anything since I didn’t want to break his concentration. The shot came in towards his left shoulder, he got both hands up, stepped left, and slapped it firmly away. Game over! A mad celebration ensued, as they’d not only won fifth place, but also claimed bragging rights since the other team was supposed to be the best one in the local area. I was very proud of them.

That was a very satisfying way to end my coaching experience with the little ones. I’ve been asked to manage a veteran’s team, which I may do someday but not yet. For the time being, I’m going to stick with my club and assist the coach at the next level, where I’ll be reunited with most of my old players and the mistakes will be new and different for a while. But when we lose to Black, as is usually the case, defeat won’t sting quite as much as it has in the past. And if their new goalie elects to rub it in, he just may find himself getting sent to bed early that night.

The quiz covering the events of Book Five, which took place during the tenth through sixteenth years of the war can be taken here. It looks like we’re down to a bare 30 from the original 120, so if you’ve made it this far, you should be proud of yourself. Only three books to go! Discuss freely… next week’s reading is Book Six. And yes, there will be a final exam of 25 questions.

The History of the Peloponnesian War 1.1 to 1.115.

The History of the Peloponnesian War 1.116 to 2.46.

The History of the Peloponnesian War 2.47 to 2.103.

The History of the Peloponnesian War 3.1 to 3.116.

The History of the Peloponnesian War 4.1 to 4.135.

The likelihood that the NBA is rigged whenever the commish wants to extend a series or improve a landmark franchise doesn’t mean that people are have to enjoy it any less. Pro wrestling seems to be doing just fine, after all:

According to a new survey of 907 people released exclusively to Ad Age today, more than one-third (37%) of respondents believe that the National Basketball Association somewhat or very likely alters the outcomes of its games.
Even prior to disgraced referee Tim Donaghy’s allegations earlier this week that NBA executives and referees manipulated game results to boost ticket sales and TV ratings, more than one-third of respondents believe that the NBA somewhat or very likely alters the outcomes of its games. The YouGovPolimetrix Omnibus Poll found that among “casual” or “avid” fans, an even higher number, 41%, think it’s either very likely or somewhat likely that the NBA alters the outcome of games.

The ominous factor here is that the more you watch the NBA, the mroe likely you are to believe that it’s occasionally fixed. This doesn’t seem to take a rocket science, considering the two big and questionable trades that have miraculously resulted in a rehash of the classic Celtics-Lakers Finals.

1. The Dutch are in phenomenal form. Van der Sar is strong in goal, their midfield is dominant and their strikers are finishing with clinical efficiency. The defense is the weak point, but with the midfield controlling the ball and Van der Sar backing them up, they may prove sufficient. Robben was the only Dutch player who looked good in the World Cup; he’s maintained his high level of play and those around him have raised theirs. Van Persie is playing very well in a substitute’s role, which should come as no surprise to anyone who’s seen him play with Arsenal over the last few years.

2. My suspicions of the French, particularly their strikers, were correct. Riberry is the only effective French player, but he’s a ball-controlling midfielder with the typical midfielder’s inability to finish. Henry can still be occasionally dangerous, but he’s lost both his scorer’s confidence and finishing touch. That silly attempt to lob Van der Sar was a classic “I’m one-on-one and I have no idea what to do” shot.

3. Without both Cannavaro and Maldini in back, Italy’s defense is in disarray. Had Buffon not saved Mutu’s penalty, the Azzurri would be out already. Another thing I really dislike about Toni; he’s always offside. No striker worth his salt should ever be caught offsides more than once per game, it’s really bad because it kills an attack dead on the spot and it’s simply not necessary.

4. Nevertheless, Italy should still make it through to the next stage, since a tie or a win against France will almost surely be enough to do it. Romania plays hard, but I don’t see them keeping it particularly close against the Dutch.

5. I knew the Dutch were quite amusing when their team is losing, but they’re even funnier when their team is winning. SB was on the phone with the Dutch Girl after every goal; when I called the Plastic Man to congratulate him on the Orange going through, he announced “I am so happy… my whole body is sweating!” I’m still supporting the Azurri, of course, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the Dutch finally claim a big tournament again.

6. Spain and Holland look like the two teams most likely to claim the crown, with Portugal the dark horse.

Isn’t it a bit strange that there still hasn’t been any news released on the result of yesterday’s vote by the Irish people on the European ConstitutionLisbon Treaty? If the result of the referendum had been Yes, I expected there would be triumphal headlines trumpeted all across Europe this morning. Instead there’s… total silence.

So, what happened? Have they hired Mugabe’s vote counters for this one? All I’ve seen so far is some early commentary on turnout being low, which is presumably good for the No vote if history is an accurate guide. Here’s hoping the Irish had the good sense to kill the Imperial Europe dream for the third time in three centuries.

UPDATE – Good news… for now. But, unsurprisingly, the Bonapartistes Nazis Eurofascists aren’t about to quit trying to force the Irish to vote and vote again until they have no right to vote anymore:

Ireland has voted No to the Lisbon Treaty, plunging the European Union into a new crisis. With results coming in from across the country, a final result of 52 per cent against and 48 per cent in favour of the treaty was rapidly hardening. A final declaration is not expected until after 4 pm…. The senior figure admitted that in spite of Brian Cowen’s assurance on the eve of voting that a rerun – as happened after the Irish rejected the Nice treaty in 2001 – would not occur, it was now much more likely.

It’s also outrageous how the media is complaining about 3 million voters deciding the fate of nearly 500 million people. They would do much better to point their finger at the political elite that has lied and schemed and plotted to prevent the other 497 million from being permitted the chance to vote on their own fate… and ignored the clear wishes of the French and Dutch voters.

1. I told you that Germany wasn’t as good as advertised. I still can’t figure out how so many people had them as the pre-tournament favorites. Podolski and Schweinsteiger are the only two that I consider to be real quality players; as an Arsenal fan, I know all too well how vulnerable Jens Lehman can be in goal. And Schweinsteiger is out with a red card now. Why do people still consider Ballack to be a great midfielder? I mean, when you think of the Chelsea midfield, do you think Ballack or Lampard? I won’t be at all surprised if Big Phil sells him before the start of the next Premiership season.

2. 47 seconds, 15 passes, and every single Croatian player touched the ball without Germany ever getting in the way. That’s incredible teamplay and it ended in a really nice, aggressive goal by Srna. The whole of the Croatian team is greater than the sum of its parts.

3. Yes, the second Croatian goal was lucky, given how it rebounded off the post right in front of an empty net. But it doesn’t happen if Olic isn’t rushing the goal; if he was just sitting and watching the result of his teammates shot like so many players do, he doesn’t net an easy score.

4. With six points already, Croatia only has to tie Poland in order to clinch the group. That means even if Germany beats Austria, they have to face Portugal in the knockout stage. Deutschland, Deutschland gehe nach hause….

5. I didn’t watch Poland-Austria. It was that or watch my fingernails grow and I figured the latter would be more exciting.