Just Watched the Dolphins Game. By Geniusofdespair

They really do suck and it is not for luck. This game was an exciting win...however not for the Dolphins.

Football multimillionaires tie USA: England 1- USA 1 ... by gimleteye

I wanted to write "spoiled" multimillionaires, but let's give John Terry and the rest of the England squad the benefit of the doubt. That said, England did play its opening match like the British pound was at par with the dollar. That's not all bad for us. But Emil Heskey, really? The best player England can find to match up with Wayne Rooney at the front is a forward 10 years past his prime? The draw was a fair result. The England goalkeeper redeemed himself in the second half from a disastrous error in the first. The Yanks earned respect with their squad of unknowns and European spare parts against a British team loaded with rich, coddled stars. The discipline and teamwork that US coach Bob Bradley instilled in his squad showed through and even surprised with quality football, at times. To strength and skill, the US team now exhibits moments of inspiration. Go, Yanks! England played just OK, with Ledley King making an early exit and gangling Peter Crouch a late entrance. But once Crouch stepped onto the pitch with 20 minutes to play, England then began to play as though the only idea in its head was to put the ball on Crouch's skull. Against the physical and tall American defense, it didn't work more than a farthing's worth. It would be a shame if England can't find a way to mobilize. Fabio Capella, the England coach, has to find someone to play with Rooney. I mean, how difficult can it be? My kingdom for a horse! Rooney is one of the best players in the world. I say, move Stevie Gerrard all the way up. Give him the assignment. I have always been a Sean Wright Philips fan. He can cause defenses to falter, but he's not strong enough to do the job for Rooney. By the same token, Wright Philips did a better job than Aaron Lennon who played below his talent-- as he is want to do in the Premier League. What is wrong with football in England? The malaise spreads. Maybe the answer to England's problems is to switch coaches with the US. We'll take BP and Fabio. You can have Bob Bradley.

World Cup 2010 ... sounding off, ban the vuvuzelas... by gimleteye

Wading into the stream ... the vuvuzelas were great on Day 1. Go, South Africa! By mid-week, the world audience of billions will be asking law enforcement to seize the damn horns at the gate. Please! On the other hand, hitting the mute button might be the better alternative to listening to ESPN. Thanks for the HI DEF. Bad on you, for the commentators! Why does American television, when it broadcasts football, always require its commentators to treat viewers like they've never seen the game before? It is bad as tennis! Just call the game, dumbos. Don't pretend to be insightful like commentators of the other football, where interminable pauses and starts in the game require the endless filling of space and time with news and statistics of import to no one except family and friends of Dan Marino? Enough. Day 1 reminds us how boring and badly national teams can play in the first stage of the World Cup. I'm expecting more from Team USA this afternoon, because our guys have trained hard as a team for years. The stars and their wages are all on England. Stay tuned with your internet on, and your sound off. On Google this morning, "World Cup" search turns up 166,000,000 available hits. UK Guardian is one of the best for generalists. And to swim deeper into the technical aspects of the sport, you can't beat my new favorite football website: Zonalmarking

Miami Hurricanes Game...What's with the arm bands? By Geniusofdespair

Bad game. Aside from that the people I watched the game with were wondering about those narrow elastic bands the players were wearing on their arms that looked like uncomfortable tourniquets (see photo - Not the Hurricanes). The New York Times says there is no reason to wear them, just a trend:

“There is absolutely no benefit from a performance standpoint or a medical standpoint,” said Ralph Reiff, a certified athletic trainer and director of St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis. He has seen the upper-arm bands become popular on football players from the N.F.L. down to middle school. “It’s purely a fashion statement.”

They looked mighty uncomfortable, but players think they accentuate their muscles. They don't wear them in practice so it does appear to be a vanity thing although I did read that some quarterbacks find them helpful when looking for arms at a distance.