DVRs, Tears, and HRs

I went up North this past weekend. Prior to leaving, I set up the DVR to record the US/Brazil match. Our DVR is usually reliable. There have been a few instances, though, when it's failed to record for no foreseeable reason.

While I was driving home, I had a sinking feeling that the DVR would somehow screw up the soccer game, but, as I walked in the door at 4pm (with the game in progress), I saw the lovely red "recording" light. Minutes later, I plopped down on the sofa, ready for Alexi Lalas's pregame thoughts and a fun afternoon of US/Brazil.

Cue: country music and extreme CUs of Aces, Kings, and Queens.

What? Texas Hold-em? ESPN2 moved the soccer game to ESPN, and I had 90minutes of poker instead of soccer. Sweet. Normally, my DVR is smart enough to follow the game if it gets switched to a different time or channel. For some reason, the TV guide was not updated, and the DVR thought it was taping soccer. Ugh. So, I flipped over to ESPN and saw that the US was up 2-1 in the 68th minute. Any other day, I would've been jumping for joy. 2 goals against Brazil? Unreal. Yet, my DVR travails cast an ugly cloud over the game, and I said to my wife, "It's only downhill from here." She shrugged, "They're still up 2-1."

Of course, my pessimism proved warranted as Brazil dominated and struck for two late goals. I thought at least the US would extend the game to extra time. Nope. Big time bummer. In the interview after the game, Bob Bradley was asked if he felt the US would garner more international respect after the Confederation's Cup. Bob said, "I hope so." This irked me. Landon's reply to the same question was much better, "We don't really care about earning respect. We want results. The respect will follow." Giving up 3 goals in the 2nd half? Just a heartbreaker.

After Brazil scored the 3rd, I couldn't watch. I flipped over to the Tigers game. They were down 3-2 in the top of the 9th. With 2 outs, nobody on, Thames was at the plate. Strike one. Strike two. Ball one. Then I flipped back to soccer. Sadness, tears from Dempsey, and a massive Brazilian party. Ugh. Back to Tigers. Hey! Thames earned a walk! Up came Inge. I said to the TV, "Come on... just a little magic"... thinking I was owed a little positive sports karma after the 3 goal outburst and DVR fiasco. Well, Inge=HOF did not disappoint. He provided the magic with a massive bomb to left field that put the Tigers ahead for the first time all game.

Rodney pitched a solid bottom of the 9th for the save, and the Tigers left Houston salvaging the final game. Great, late game heroics from Inge, and, suddenly, the US loss didn't sting so bad.

As I watched the post-game ceremony, I realized the tournament was a definite positive for the team. Despite losing 3 of 5 matches, their schedule was insane - Brazil (twice), Italy, Spain, and Egypt. Not a single slouch amongst them. The US scored eight goals, conceding nine. That's solid production. After the game, Alexi Lalas said that the US's lack of depth proved costly in the 2nd half. Bob Bradley chose to play roughly the same starting 11 the entire tournament, and those players did look gassed. Further, Bob's sub choices proved questionable at best. Sacha Kljestan offered nothing but turnovers at center mid. And Conor Casey? He's simply not ready for prime-time. Bob continued to ignore Freddy Adu and Jose Torres - two players extremely adept at attacking. Nevertheless, Bob did realize (albeit late) that Damarcus Beasley should not see the field.

Some positives:
Jon Spector is a great option at right fullback. Jonathan Bornstein - a player I previously felt was rather underwhelming - proved a capable left fullback. Yes, he was often overmatched, but he's young... and, come on, it's Brazil!
Charlie Davies showed he's a fine option at striker, and Jay Demerit did an excellent job filling in at centerback. So, it was a very telling five games. With the Gold Cup coming up, Bob will get to look at even more players (Adu was included on the roster), so he's got no reason to give run to any out of form has-been (Beasley). Mexico awaits in August. Coming off a blistering 5-game Confed Cup, the US should be steeled against anything they'll encounter in Mexico. Of course, football is a weird game, and the US could revert to their old, intimidated selves. But, let's think positive.

Jackson
If you've followed this blog at all, you know I've been a big Edwin Jackson supporter for months. He's got the 2nd best ERA in all of baseball, but I'm convinced he will be ignored come All-star time. Why? Because, for some bizarre reason, people put more stock into a pitcher's wins. Edwin gets little run support (52nd out of 66 pitchers with 8+ starts). His 6 wins will not wow the voters or media, so he'll be sitting home at the All-star break. Perhaps the three days off will be beneficial, but it'll be quite a snub.