"Scream"

When a 40-year-old goalie from Cape Verde

Is facing a formidable team

He must have his very best goalie day

To make his countrymen scream.

June 15, 2026

"Beat"

When you romp the tournament opener

Against a team you should not beat

Knowing you must now face Australia

Makes it bittersweet.

June 13, 2026

"Trick"

When you score on a long-throw goal

What will be your next sweet trick?

These guys who came all the way from Seoul

Might destroy your aesthetic.

June 12, 2026

ORIOLES: 2018 Could Be a Hard Season to Watch

A number of clues suggest the Baltimore Orioles owner may be pulling the plug on the current team, perhaps to rebuild completely in coming years. The team:

1. Only signed superstars Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop to one-year deals under threat of player arbitration.
2. Did not replace Buck Schowalter as manager, despite a spectacularly bad finish to the 2017 season.
3. Have not matched to slugger acquisitions by rival Yankees (Giancarlo Stanton) and Red Sox (J. D. Martinez).
4. Added middling to mediocre pitchers to the bullpen in the offseason.

Shifting Machado to short might be viewed as a way to enhance his value for ultimate sale. 

Keeping Schowalter, despite an end-of-season collapse that would have sacked the great Casey Stengel, is hard to justify for a team seriously intending to contend in 2018. Perhaps the current manager is seen by Angelos as the best steward for the great unraveling of the team he plans — allowing the biggest contracts to expire, hoping to start up again with high draft picks, low-cost newbies, and prospects from the famous Orioles "farm league".

We can't expect Angelos to show his hand on this. Witness what happened to Mark Cuban recently when he admitted his Dallas Mavericks were tanking intentionally.

This could be a very hard season to watch for those of us who suspect the owner's pulling the plug on the team — and for those who don't.

Manny Machado: "Make Us a Separator"

SOURCE: "Manny Machado's grand slam lifts Orioles to 6-2 win over Angels in first game of West Coast trip", The Baltimore Sun, 8.8.17.

Disc Made in Sweden

I found this Trespass frisbee (now called a "disc") from Dynamic Discs near a disc golf course. Never knew these fun things got this involved. This one's styled as an "overstable driver" with speed (12), glide (5), turn (-0.5), and fade (3) calculated and marked on top. Made in Sweden. It's made of stern stuff and weighs 173 grams. Quite something.

"All it's going to take is all we have."

Barry Trotz

Hero of the Day

Jonathan Schoop knocks in two runs against Dodgers in 14th inning

Can Aron and His "Viking Warriors" Beat France?

Can Aron Gunnarsson beat France?

Aaron in Hebrew means lofty, exalted, high mountain. Aaron was Moses' older brother and first high priest of the Israelites. He's remembered for the "miraculous blossoming of his staff or rod."

Aron Einar Malmquist Gunnarsson is a 27-year-old Icelandic professional soccer player who plays for Welsh club Cardiff City. He's also captaining his homeland's team against hosting France in the quarterfinals of Euro 2016 later today.

This after upsetting England the week of Brexit.

Getur hann gert það?

Of course he's got some help, particularly from Gylfi Sigurðsson, another Icelandic soccer star of considerable repute, known for his laser precision shots from out-of-nowhere. Pundits point to the soft play of France so far and the twin talents of these two to say "anything's possible".

Then we have the "Viking Warriors" and their Viking chants invoking Norse gods. What a team is this Iceland.

I believe they've gone berserk.

"Fetched a Gun"

“It all happened during the football match. We don’t know [exactly what took place], but it appears the player was angry, fetched a gun and killed him.”

Argentine police source

"Underdogs"

"As I type, the Redskins are 14-point underdogs this weekend. Since 2011, NFL road teams that are at least 14-point underdogs are 0-23. Since 2007, the Patriots are 17-0 when favored by at least 14 points. And since Daniel Snyder bought the Redskins, they’re 1-10 when double-digit underdogs, with the only win coming as a 10-point underdog, which is an awful long distance from the full 14."

Dan Steinberg

Washington Post

YES, we like that!!

KIRK COUSINS BECOMES OUR HERO, ONCE AGAIN REVIVING HOPES FOR REDSKINS FANS EVERYWHERE:

Kirk Cousins powers Redskins’ rally from down 24 to beat Bucs, 31-30 The Washington Post
Kirk Cousins drives Redskins to late rally over Bucs NFL.com
Washington QB Kirk Cousins Is Fired Up After 24-Point Comeback vs. Buccaneers Bleacher Report

AL Wild Card Race

As of this morning, August 20, 2015 (for updates see FOX Sports or MLB.com:

• Los Angeles Angels: 63-57 .525

• Baltimore Orioles: 62-57 .521

• Texas Rangers: 61-58 .513

COMMENTARY: CSNChicago.com

"The Local Police Have Been Called"

“The local police have been called due to unidentified individuals lurking around her family’s home. Our student-athlete and school district will be fine, but it is sad that we live in a world where adults work at harming our youth.”

Curt Rhodes, School Superintendent

"Why Not Chase After It?"

"Part of me says it's kind of crazy to think you can fly your human body. Another part of me thinks all of us have had the dream that we can fly. Why not chase after it? Maybe it brings you to some other tangent. Chasing after the unattainable is the fun part."

Dean Potter

"Kind of Strange"

“I’ve never worried really much about the inflation or the certain number of pounds of inflation. I thought it was kind of strange that Brady knew he liked his ball at 12.5 pounds of pressure in the ball. . . That’s the minimum number that you can have, that seemed kind of strange to me.”

Eli Manning

“Red or Dead”

Fan banner at Belgian soccer match depicting decapitated head of opposing player (who switched teams).

"Didn't Make Any Sense"

"What he said didn't make any sense. Rubbing the football, I don't think you can change the pressure. To really change the pressure, what you really need to change the pressure is one of these – the inflation needle."

Bill Nye "The Science Guy"

Blinding Us With Science

SNL Skewers Pats

The Quarterback's Idea

“That’s something that wouldn’t be driven by a coach or just the equipment guy. Nobody, not even the head coach, would do anything to a football unilaterally, such as adjust the amount of pressure in a ball, without the quarterback not knowing. It would have to be the quarterback’s idea.”

John Madden