Let's talk hockey and Jovanovski

It's time to mention hockey for a moment. The Carolina Hurricanes did a great job wrapping up the Stanley Cup to cap off a stellar season. At least the Oilers took it to seven games, which is a credit to all of their players. I will take credit for being (probably) the only one in this country who thought Jussi Markkanen could get a shutout in a Stanley Cup Final game.

My beloved Florida Panthers dealt away our star goaltender, Roberto Luongo, to Vancouver after talks for a deal stalled, primarily due to Luongo's greedy agent's spiralling list of demands. In return we got the explosive Todd Bertuzzi, a power forward, and Bryan Allen on defense and Alex Auld in goal. Essentially, we still didn't come out in front, but Luongo was sure to leave at the season's end in any case, so I don't fault the Florida management for pulling the trigger on this one.

The part where it could tip in the Panthers' favour is that they may sign free agent defenseman Ed Jovanovski. Jovanovski's contract in Vancouver is finished and he likes the idea of heading south to play with Bertuzzi and the other ex-Vancouver guys. This would be a huge signing. Defense has been the achilles of the Panthers (well, at least the biggest one) for years, plus Jovanovski was a former Panther first round draft pick (and one of my favourites back in NHL 99). Two premier-tier players for the nearly-best goaltender in the league would be a trade that can boost the club.

I'm not expecting a Stanley Cup next year though. Even considering the recent heroics of the Oilers. Playoffs sound do-able though...

Over And Out

The Socceroos' defeat to Italy struck a chord with a lot of people, not least of which is the online community. The spotlight thankfully isn't on Lucas Neill (unless it's for a well-deserved transfer to Barcelona, eh Trav?), but rather the refereeing and the staging by the Italians.

Unfortunately, both are simply part of the game. To be honest, the refereeing in the Italy match was better than most other games. Only the red card and the final penalty were obviously wrong (from memory). Brodie mentioned the refereeing in his blog and I was thinking about this in the Melbourne vs Essendon match a few weeks ago. I think umpiring has always been this bad, it's just that we care a bit more about it now, we focus on it. I think we like having someone to blame - and it is a necessary part of the game to make sure we don't turn on our Socceroos, Lucas Neill or even Guus Hiddink after such a loss.

Ultimately, we achieved the big goal of getting through to the next round plus we defeated Japan in the most incredible fashion. I've got plenty of great memories and the bar has been set high for future Socceroo teams to match our 06 squad in terms of quality and results.

Considering I've got my brand new Nokia 6280 (I don't intend to "name drop", but it's the next question everyone asks) it's likely I'll be taking lots of "happy snaps" and incorporating them somehow into web content. "Tales Of..." is good, but with personal pictures it could be "The Adventures Of..." or even "Professor Patrick's Fabulösen Wunderspiel".

You, the readers, deserve the chance to have some kind of feedback. It's been a while since I've made a direct appeal. Do you like a side dish of pictures with your blog? Relevant pictures? Random pictures? Would you like me to arrange some visual gags? Or are you simply willing to read whatever's here?

Maybe I do love work...

Just in case the prospect of cheering Australia into the final eight wasn't enough motivation for me to get behind the Socceroos, a tempting cross has been delivered to me. This afternoon there's a social soccer match for my work, during work hours! This place really has gone football crazy. My manager rescheduled our team meeting tomorrow to have a 2pm kickoff instead of the 10am start so we can watch the Aussies tonight (and get a good sleep in).

I truly picked the right day to go back to work! One more Australian win and I can envisage a scratch match later this week. A good game of "foodball" is just the preparation I need for Saturday's impending clash of the titans down at Norwood/Mullum. Meso happy.

Does this mean I'm a soccer professional, considering I am being paid to play? Or at least more of a pro than you guys?

Catching up with the times

Alas, 'tis time for a new phone. I've scrapped in the lower rungs of mobile society long enough. No more prepaids. No more questionable hand-me-down phones. No sir, I'm going the whole hog off to 3 on a $29 cap.

This isn't a tiny step for me - it actually aligns three of my greatest fears/uneases: spending more than a $50, sales assistants and commitment. I've been running away from the concept of plans for ages, but it's finally time to realise I'll be a full time worker next year. (I've been spending like crazy of course, just not on a regular ongoing basis.) I may not act like one, but soon when I say "Gotta pay the bills somehow" I'll actually mean it. Shortly after that, I expect to start complaining about "my horrible wife".

I've also returned to work for the first time since exams. It wasn't easy with all this World Cup and the Canadian F1 Grand Prix on last night. If I had've got to sleep before 3am last Wednesday night I'd have gone to work last Thursday (instead I slept through Rhys' going away dinner: fark!) My inbox has been fantastic with so many funny emails stacked up: kudos to Matt, Ben, Keith and our work's resident mailer guru Tom.

Suddenly and completely coincidentally, I also feel a return to the blog scene. I'd enjoyed time away from the Internet, but when you're in front of a computer for more than a few hours, it seems like a really good idea. Our little community's taken off at the moment, so I might as well try and hang around to do my bit to perplex or annoy you.

Good weekend. Some late nights, some ice hockey, juggling a soccer ball and then inevitably breaking Robbie's stuff at 12am (12pm Cabbage time). Special thanks to Will for SMS heckling my 1 tip out of 8 this round - my footy tipping exploits are surely at their lowest ebb.

There's been plenty of "foodball" to whet the appetite, particularly moreso if I was able to eat broadcasted matches instead of watching them. Sometimes it's helpful when the only goals are scored within 15 minutes (like ARG-MEX and GER-SWE two nights ago) - 1:30's normally the time where resisting sleep becomes difficult - half an hour after the 1am kickoff.

Best of luck to the Australians tonight as we go for the "Ethnic Treble": results against Greece, Croatia and now Italy.

More on the Cup (plus Spot the Socceroo!)

We've seen more good matches over the weekend - but the double header of Czech Republic-Ghana and Italy-USA were outstanding. The Ghanians surprised a lame Czech outfit 2-0, who I'd spent the previous four days praising after seeing them thrash the Americans 3-0 last week.

I've actually got a lot of respect for Team America now as well. Playing with 9 men (versus Italy's 10 men, such was the impetuousness of the referee), they held on for the entire second half and conceivably could have pinched a winner. DaMarcus Beasley netted one disallowed goal when Brian McBride was offside.

They played a similar style to Australia at times, creating attacks when they could easily have defended the draw they were carrying. It's a shame the Socceroos couldn't put one on the board against Brazil, but they represented us pretty well, kept it entertaining and are still favoured (at least by most Aussies) to progress.

Croatia were on and off against Japan - only really deserving the draw they got. I expect Australia to "school" them.

There is one thing that the World Cup is missing that I wouldn't mind seeing - one player. I'll give you a hint: cuntshitfuckbollocksarsemeekrab! Back to that later.

Now you can play "Spot the Socceroo"! Which one of these is Socceroo midfielder Jason Culina and which one is Club Dread and Super Troopers star Steve Lemme?

I knew you'd get it! (Particularly since one is holding a soccer shirt and all...) So what's missing from the World Cup so far?

That's right, it's American backup goalkeeper and Tourette's sufferer, Tim Howard! Wasn't that fun...(?)

Pat's Fantasy World Cup Team #1

Considering all 32 teams have played at least one World Cup match, it's as good a time as any to make a fantasy team! I didn't see all the matches, but I wasn't far off. Here's a bunch of players who caught my eye during the group stages with their great play and/or who I wouldn't mind picking up if I was a football manager...

Starting lineup (4-4-2)
Shaka Hislop (Trinidad & Tobago) (gk)
Ulises de la Cruz (Ecuador)
John Terry (England) (c)
Phillipe Senderos (Switzerland)
Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
Javier Saviola (Argentina)
Tim Cahill (Australia)
Tomas Rosicky (Czech Republic)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
Fernando Torres (Spain)
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)

Bench
Petr Cech (Czech Republic) (gk)
Olof Mellberg (Sweden)
Carlos Puyol (Spain)
Claudio Reyna (USA)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Mohammed Kader (Togo)
Yasser al-Kahtani (Saudi Arabia)

Here's a few players who underachieved, but I think they'll get on the scoreboard in their next match.
Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
Thierry Henry (France)
Park Ji-Sung (South Korea)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
Wayne Rooney (England)
Andrei Shevchenko (Ukraine)
Francesco Totti (Italy)

Feel free to comment on your impressions too, if you like.

My initial reaction to the Australia win!

That Australia-Japan match was one of the most incredible turnarounds I've ever seen. Not just in soccer, I mean in any sport, any thing that I can think of. It just astounds me to consider that with 10 minutes to go, our World Cup hopes (i.e. progressing to the next round) were dashed. The astutest of astute managers, Mr. Guus Hiddink, had rang in all our three changes, thrown the dice and it appeared as though our window of opportunity had closed. Then, out of the blue, our domination of the game, the possession and the scoring chances finally paid dividends.

"Timmy" Cahill bolted the equaliser after snatching up a blocked Kewell effort. We were in front after Lucas Neill's seemingly innocent long throw started it (which I think is an awesome offensive ploy to use too after seeing John Arne Riise play, by the way). Five minutes later, Cahill found space at the edge of the box and fired us into the lead, ringing the ball off both posts and in. John Aloisi capped it off in extra time and I simply conceded that this was beyond belief. 3-1. Jimeoin once did a great bit about not raising your eyebrows too early to leave room for more surprising news to come through. This was the most relevant example I've encountered.

I'd been sending a few SMS messages around already, but as each goal came in, my phone would too! After the first Socceroo goal, I'd sent a "Give us a second Socceroo goal" message to Ben Hon, who replied with "Just happened" as my wish came true momentarily after. Whoa. 'Twas a Keanu moment.

I must pay homage to Hiddink one more time. I don't agree with his starting lineup, but the display of courage to throw the subs in early enough (and the right men too: Cahill, Kennedy and Aloisi) and to maintain composure and belief in his gameplan deserves to be applauded. He would have copped it if we lost on such a cheap Japanese goal, but he manufactured a result.

I enjoyed hearing the Australians in the crowd too (Frankie among them!!), particularly getting into the Japanese fakers. It was pleasing to see the Australians playing hard football and getting on with the game without fake injuries. That's what they're there for, right? I guess it's also a testament to the fitness of the Socceroos too.

Now the commentators are talking about all manner of scenarios: our approach to the Brazil game, the yellow cards we picked up, tinkering with the starting lineup - all of which seemed dead minutes beforehand. The re-awakening of our hopes was so visible. I hope these zombified hopes can live on a little longer.

The Trinidadian and Toboggan Draw

Five games into the World Cup and I'm already seeing a theme. The Europeans are struggling to score! Sweden couldn't break down Trinidad and Tobago and England didn't trouble Paraguay too much after taking the early lead. However, last night's Argentina vs Cote d'Ivoire game had some open, end-to-end stuff. Even down 2-0 at half time, Cote d'Ivoire's strike force looked able and willing to pinch a goal.

There just aren't enough Europeans with flair. Having two quality strikers on paper is still quite a gap from being able to produce a moment of magic that conjures a goal. Plus, I'm glad Australia's not a favourite. It was tough to watch Sweden throwing everything they had at the "Trinidadian and Toboggan" goal without getting anywhere. The fans looked quite anguished. They didn't show the flair, they couldn't find a goal.

With a few night exams left, I decided last night to make the switch to World Cup time. It's amazing how well you can study when it's the middle of the night waiting for the next game to commence. So quiet. Goodbye mornings (with light)!

Props to the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL too. Losing their goalie Dwayne Roloson in game 1 sucks, but congrats for putting in Jussi Markkanen over Ty Conklin and winning game 3. They've got more work to do to keep that Cinderella thing going, but good on 'em.

The moment the Oilers' goaltending went from Conn Smythe to Conklin.

World Cup Expectations

The Socceroos are ready for the World Cup, and so am I, dammit! The Socceroos deserved to lose to the Netherlands the other night but managed a remarkable draw, with more of that Schwarzer magic that sent the Aussies to Germany in the first place. The Liechtenstein game was a lame one, but I've got faith that it's all part of coach Guus Hiddink's plans.

I actually think we are capable of progressing to the next round. There are always surprises. Crap countries get in every year, because soccer teams are so inconsistent. Greece wins the European championships and can't qualify for the World Cup the following year. All it takes is a few lucky breaks and we could scrape through.

Brazil can go ahead and win our group, it's not even important. Croatia are hit and miss, even losing to Ecuador in their first World Cup in 2002. Japan don't have the home crowd and quite frankly, look like a "little brother" version of Australia's team. We've got better strikers, midfielders, goalkeeper...hell, we've even got Jesus (below) on our side. Your move, Sherlock.

Socceroo striker Josh Kennedy has been known to turn water into ... goals.

I'd have to say Brazil will win the Cup, beating Germany. Of the dark horses, I suggest France will play really well (i.e. minimal surrendering) and the Czech Republic might cause a few surprises.

Hopefully Australia cause surprises too. We may have been to the Cup finals before, but we still haven't won a game or scored a World Cup goal yet. I bet Guus has a giant checklist of accomplishments to achieve in Germany. Keep those pens poised, I've got a good feeling about this World Cup fandangle thingy...

Brodie's got ein Blog!

So it seems Brodie's got ein Blog as well! One more victim to the "I've done everything on the Internet, so I might as well start writing for the Internet" syndrome. This craze sure is sweeping everything in its wake like a hurricane. Also like after a hurricane, George W Bush is nowhere in sight, most likely cowering in fear somewhere...

It's probably only a matter of time until we end up in a giant cycle of "meta-blogging", just posting about what everyone else has posted until it ends up like a sitcom! Good times to be had.

Whoops, I ran out of things to say about this. Uhh...end communication?

Visiting My Old Friend

Hiya champs and chumps! Why the delay in posting, you ask? In the immortal words of Scruffy...

"I'm on break."

This is my holiday from work and uni, you see. It turns out the only way to justify some time off is with the magic word: exams. Exams themselves are held in some kind of untouchable reverie, which deserve 100% of your attention for at least a week in advance. Hey, it works for me. I've done a fair bit o' preparation so far, including several practice exams, but I've also managed to catch up with an old friend of mine - television.

TV has been neglected in my house for a long time, what with music, video games, DVDs, homework and all. Now I've picked up a digital set top box (for no real reason) and lowered my viewing standards to catch up on all the shows people have spoken about for weeks. Of course, I still haven't lowered myself to watching 9am with David and Kim.

So, remarkably unexciting as it is, it's good to do nothing much for a while. There's just so much time in every day (they're going for so long for the past month), I can manage to do a bit of everything before the sun goes down.

What's new for you then?