Happy 4th of July
























The World Cup finished up the quarterfinals yesterday and now takes a break until Tuesday. Yesterday's matches were fairly entertaining once again.

In the first match, it was Germany and Argentina. The Germans stepped up the trash talking before this match. They have been at each other soccer-wise for a while now and last time they met, it ended with a fight.

But it was a total dismantling this time by the Germans, As many Argentine critics have pointed out, if they ever ran into an opponent where they would have to play some defense, it could get ugly. And it certainly did. Score it, 4-nil to the Germans.

Argentina Gone. Should We Cry For Her?




















But we bid adieu to Diego Maradona. Who certainly livened things up during his stay.

In the second match, it was Paraguay and one of the pre-tournament favorites, Spain. Spain finally got a late goal by who else, David Villa. In the middle of the second half, it went from a missed penalty at one end to a made then recalled penalty at the other end, followed by a miss on the rekick. Insane.

Paraguay Missed Penalty



Spain Missed Penalty



Villa Goal (with Eminem vocals)



Next up:

Holland-Uruguay on Tuesday.
Germany-Spain on Wednesday.

Our Shaun




















Yes, that's our Shaun, on the right, being a productive member of society. I must admit, "I have LeBron's pajamas" is a very funny sign.

Meal of Links

Eat broccoli. Although, is it nutritious as it once was.

The real story of the Boston Tea Party. You Morans!

Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Well, maybe not in NYC. Cigs are now $14.50 a pack.

My brother and I saw Brave Combo at the venerable Beachland Ballroom last night. They have a new CD and played a lot of the old faves, as well. Always a good time.

This guy speaks up. Vampires are annoying.

Exercise Yard

Not really much happening. So, kill some time with Hawk, the Dead Wrestler of the Week at Deadspin.

Visitor

None, on a hot Independence Day

Christmas at work is always a strange dance. Never say yes to accepting a poinsettia, without knowing which one you'll get. Doh, I got the Barbaro (on its last leg) version. I saw others, they were much healthier. But I also got a Dunder Mifflin shirt unexpectedly. So, the world is good.

It's all over except for the shouting. It appears I have all of the Christmas shopping done, except for one package that seems to be on schedule to arrive in time for Orthodox Christmas. All of the wrapping is done, as gift cards make that an easy task. And I purchased a ham for Christmas eats, so dinner looks right on course. One more Trader Joe's visit for wine and other stuff and it looks like I can watch a lot of football and soccer (Boxing Day especially) comfortably the next 4 days.

On the 10th day of Christmas, it's Gus Van Sant drinking and Dontrelle Willis peeing. Nope. Let's get the joint jumpin' with:

The Brian Setzer Orchestra-"Run Rudolph Run"



Meal of Links

An annual tradition. Santa tracked by NORAD.

You may find tinsel distracting, but here's a chat with the creator of "Festivus".

If you like unwrapping presents, do not read further. If you think it's a waste of time to get to the good stuff, try this.

Exercise Yard

Speaking of footie earlier, here's a pretty good first-half recap of the EPL.

And I haven't been ignoring the Cavs, they have me worried. Steve Kerr offers excellent points. We tend to focus on defensive deficiencies, but stats are pretty good on that side of the ball. But what about the O?

Visitor

1 Across: "Walk the Line" subject (4 letters) Answer: Cash