U.S.A. 2 Portugal 2: Another Crazy Day in the Group of Death

The U.S. drew Portugal 2-2 in Manaus, Brazil this evening, with Portugal getting a (beautiful, it must be said) goal in the 95th minute to keep the U.S. from advancing to the second round with one match to play in the group stage. It was yet another thrilling, high-scoring match in an incredibly exciting WorldContinue reading “U.S.A. 2 Portugal 2: Another Crazy Day in the Group of Death”

The Uni Watch Fifteenth Anniversary Party

Last Tuesday I went down to New York City for Uni Watch’s fifteenth anniversary party. I’ve written here before about how I love Uni Watch because of its attention to the tiny details of material culture, thus it was exciting to meet its creator, Paul Lukas, and some fellow fans. I have always wanted toContinue reading “The Uni Watch Fifteenth Anniversary Party”

A Good Start to the World Cup

The World Cup has gotten off to an excellent start, with an abundance of exciting matches and storylines. It is always interesting to see where each team is at after one match once all of the hype is over and they actually have to perform on the pitch. While the tendency is to overreact toContinue reading “A Good Start to the World Cup”

It’s World Cup Time!

I am incredibly excited for the men’s World Cup that begins today. It is my favorite sporting event because it is long enough that one can get completely ensconced in it and because of its global aspect: I love knowing that I am sharing the experience with hundreds of millions of people around the world.Continue reading “It’s World Cup Time!”

The New York Rangers, the Stanley Cup, and Nostalgia

The Stanley Cup Final between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings begins tonight. I’ve been a Rangers fan since 1990, when I decided to root for them in their first-round playoff series against the Islanders. I began following the team closely during the 1991-1992 season, Mark Messier’s first with the team, asContinue reading “The New York Rangers, the Stanley Cup, and Nostalgia”

Book Acquired Recently: Roller Girls Love Bobby Knight

Hampton, Michael Wayne. Roller Girls Love Bobby Knight. Oregon: Artistically Declined, 2014. A pre-order advertisement for this book showed up in my Facebook feed a few months ago, and I ordered it because I loved the title, and I also like to support small independent publishers (Artistically Declined Press’s website is here; I must sayContinue reading “Book Acquired Recently: Roller Girls Love Bobby Knight”

Books Acquired Recently: Sports Edition

Lions, Bernard. 1000 Football Shirts: The Colours of the Beautiful Game. 2013. New York: Universe, 2014. One thing I love about football (i.e., soccer) are the uniforms, and I have also been obsessing about the sport even more than usual lately because of the upcoming World Cup, so when I found out about this bookContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Sports Edition”

Thoughts on Landon Donovan’s Exclusion from the U.S. World Cup Roster

I am still stunned by the news that Landon Donovan has been left off of the U.S.’s final 23-man World Cup roster. Donovan is the best American soccer player ever, and while he is no longer in his prime, he certainly has some good years left in him. It is a bold move by nationalContinue reading “Thoughts on Landon Donovan’s Exclusion from the U.S. World Cup Roster”

Terry Collins Needs To Go

The Mets had an excruciating 1-0 loss to the Yankees last night that epitomized their up-and-down season. They got a tremendous pitching performance from Jacob de Grom, who was making his major league debut. de Grom got through seven innings in less than 100 pitches, and only allowed one run, which, as I am aboutContinue reading “Terry Collins Needs To Go”

Ryan Giggs

Manchester United’s bizarre, disappointing season ended today with a 1-1 draw at Southampton. Ryan Giggs coached his last match as interim manager, and it is a good bet that his substitute appearance in the last home match earlier this week was his final one as a United player. Giggs has had a tremedous career sinceContinue reading “Ryan Giggs”