A Reprieve from Summer

A temporary reprieve from the hot summer weather has arrived. After a week plus of temperatures in the middle and upper 90s, temperatures have cooled down into the 80s. With lows in the 60s, it's definitely a night to open the windows and let some fresh air into the house. Unfortunately, I know that the hottest days of summer are still ahead, in July and August. So, I'm planning on enjoying the nicer weather while it lasts.

World Cup -- The U.S. Undone

Well, the U.S. made it as far as I expected from them at this World Cup. Anything farther would have been a bonus. I'm proud of what they've done and how they showed resiliency to recover from being consistently behind. Unfortunately, that tendency to play from behind, along with an inexplicable habit of giving away goals in the first 5 minutes of games, led to their downfall. If they don't concede that early goal, they game would have been very different. I'm not sure if the U.S. would have won, though. Ghana had so much speed, and we didn't have the central defenders to match. Once the game reached extra time, we looked tired. Having to play from behind constantly will wear a team out, and the team looked tired as they played out the final minutes.
It was a great run by this U.S. team. It will be interesting to see what sort of team we assemble in 4 years. Several of the players on this year's team will be gone, and it will be hard to replace them. The biggest challenges, in my mind, are solidifying the defense and finding a consistently 2nd center midfielder to complement Bradley. We'll see what happens. Either way, this year's team gave us an enjoyable experience.

The Effect of Worldview on News Reporting

Worldview shapes what events reporters cover, how they cover them, and even which pictures they choose for their stories. To illustrate this effect, read these two articles, one from Fox News and one from CNN.
Can you tell the reporter's opinion of the events that are occurring, even though it's never directly stated? With the CNN article, it is pretty obvious. The picture alone tells the reader that CNN is opposed to the actions taken by Freemont, NE. The article itself views the measure in a negative light, as well. There is hardly any mention of why people this resolution and no interviews with supporters. The Fox News article also shows some evidence of bias. The picture at the start of the article tells the reader the view of the reporter (the opposite of CNN's picture). But Fox News at least tries to balance its coverage, having interviews with both sides of the debate.
In this case, the political worldviews that shape the two networks show up relatively clearly. Fox News, despite being derided as biased by liberals, comes out ahead in this case on being closer to balanced. CNN, which conservatives also deride as being biased, does worse in the neutrality issue. In each case, however, the event is interpreted through the reporter's/network's worldview. There's no way to prevent this. It is how we operate as humans, and it is one reason why we need to be wise in how we interact with the news reports that are out there. Sometimes, it is necessary to read two or three different reports to get the full story because reporters (unintentionally) angle their store as a result of their worldview.

World Cup Refereeing Comments

Refereeing soccer is not easy. Believe me, I know. I am a referee. I am nowhere near in the league of those men who take the field every 4 years at the World Cup, so I am almost always impressed by the manner in which these guys handle such intense pressure.
That said, the past few days have been full of controversial refereeing decisions, which is sad. It distracts from the beauty of the game. I understand how the referees must feel because I've been there myself. I've had to make difficult calls, issue red cards, and deal with irate parents, coaches, and players. I've had bad games. I've had great games. And, since I am not in a soccer-insane country like Colombia, my life is not in danger after a bad game.
The latest firestorm to hit the World Cup was the 2nd yellow and subsequent sending off of Brazilian star Kaka. While Brazil has taken issue with the red card (of course), and while the replay shows that the Cote d'Ivoire player exaggerated the contact, I still think Kaka's 2nd yellow was justified. Let me explain why. The reason, plain and simple, is that Kaka stepped into his opponent and raised his arm, trying to make the contact look incidental. It was Kaka who created the contact. It was, in my opinion, classic unsporting behavior. Now, should the Cote d'Ivoire player also have received a caution for exaggeration of the foul? Absolutely. The problem, however, is that from the referee's point of view, he could not see the contact and where it occurred. He was in proper position, and as a result, the players had their backs to him. The only way that the simulation on the part of the Cote d'Ivoire player could have been seen is if there were two more Assistant referees on the touch lines, one covering each quadrant. I think that might be unnecessary. Maybe not.
The only thing I've always found out about soccer is that there are 22 players on the field, operating in far more space than American football, and yet there are only 3 referees for the entire field. American football uses 6. Hockey uses 4 (I think). So, maybe it's time FIFA looked at adding some extra referees out on the field at the International level. I'm not sure exactly how it would work. Perhaps some sort of hybrid between the Diagonal System of Control and the 2-man system still used by high schools in the U.S. The system would still utilize 2 assistant referees with flags who are responsible for boundary decisions and offside and 2 referees, each of whom was responsible for one half of the field, looking for fouls and the like. I don't know. Maybe that wouldn't work.
Regardless, I completely agree with the referee's decision to caution and send off Kaka, and I'm sure that puts me in the minority. I don't care. I'm used to having a minority opinion. I am, after all, a referee.

Rain!

Yesterday was a very rainy day, with over 1.75" of rain falling in the capital city. More rain fell to the east, where daytime heating, combined with a slow-moving front, set up cell after cell after cell rolling over the Kansas City metro area. More rain will probably fall today and tomorrow, which will result in more flash flooding in the Topeka area. The rain should also make soccer games tomorrow not possible, which is fine with me, since I'm still suffering from a cold and an injured ankle.

The Death of College Sports

Okay, maybe I'm being a bit over-the-top with my title, but the whole hoopla surrounding the conference "expansion" (read "destruction") going on in college athletics right now is showing just how out-of-touch major universities' athletic departments are with their institutions' goals. It used to be that athletics were considered a part of the educational experience, a way of helping the student body develop into well-rounded individuals. Sure, winning was nice, but as important was allowing athletics to play a part in molding the young men (and eventually women) into complete human beings. Somewhere along the way (maybe the 1970s?) this emphasis slowly disappeared. Now, major universities' athletics programs became about one thing only: money. The players and their interests no longer matter.
If you doubt my statement, consider what is driving all of this conference realignment nonsense. Does Nebraska really need to become part of the Big 10 (the conference that can't count because it has 11 teams)? Does the entire Big 12 south really need to join with the Pac-10 to form a new superconference? No! There is not one good reason as far as the athletes or their institutions' educational mission are concerned. The only reason is money, which is downright pathetic, short-sighted, and shallow.
I don't know if the NCAA can do anything about this situation, but it would seem to me that it would be appropriate for the NCAA to step in and say, "Nebraska, if you join the Big 10 (read "Big 11") then you are banned from postseason play." Or to say the same thing to the other Big 12 south schools. I don't know if the NCAA has that sort of power. They probably don't. But it is sad that a few schools (Nebraska and Texas, in particular) care only about themselves and more specifically only about money. Greed is vice, and several excellent universities (Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State) are going to find themselves relegated to 2nd class status because of the vices of other schools.

Summer Colds. Bah. Humbug.

I have managed to catch (achoo) a summer cold. And the drainage (achoo) from it was so bad that I couldn't (achoo) sleep last night due to the pain in my (achoo) throat. I'm not going to write any (sniffle) more right now. My thoughts (cough) are too scattered to make any sense. (achoo)

World Cup in Less than One Week

World Cup 2010 in South Africa starts on Friday, and I am excited! The U.S. is in a group that is favorable for them advancing out of group play. However, to do so, they must not play like many U.S. teams have in most of recent history once they reach the tournament stage. The U.S. tends to play one great game, one average game, and one mediocre game. We need two good games and one average game to get through. Otherwise, we'll be packing our bags and headed home after pool play. With the talent that this team has, there is no question that they should advance into the round of 16. Quite possibly, with a good break, we might even make it to the round of 8. The semi-finals are highly unlikely, and the final is probably out of the question. Then again, sports are notoriously unpredictable, and at this level, just about any team can beat any other on a given day. So, if we play well, we have a chance to progress a ways. If not, it will be like World Cup 2002 all over again.