1919 Chicago White Sox (aka the Black Sox) Team Photo (Wikipedia Commons)
Pakistan has more than enough to worry about these days: the terrible flooding, war and terrorism, and a teetering government. But now, some of the country’s star cricket players have become embroiled in a match-rigging scandal during their current tour against England. Sports can be heartbreaking enough for fans; throwing games is a dagger through their hearts.
This post raises an issue I’ve been wondering about all weekend: aren’t opponents of the Islamic Center in lower Manhattan arguing against the core of US strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan? How does the US win support of the populations there if we treat all Muslims in America as wannabe terrorists? And it’s surprising that the parade of Republicans denouncing Obama’s comments (and Michael Bloomberg’s eloquent speech) regarding the Islamic Center project haven’t been asked to reconcile their views regarding the project with the fundamental component (respect and trust of the populations in Iraq and Afghanistan) that is the Petraeus/Counterinsurgency strategy.
The company that owns the Thomas’ brand says that only seven people know how the muffins get their trademark tracery of air pockets — marketed as nooks and crannies — and it has gone to court to keep a tight lid on the secret.
It wasn’t just Maradona, Dunga, Felipe Melo, the French team (and England) that went home from the FIFA World Cup to a less than stellar homecoming. The North Koreans, it seems, did not bring glory to Dear Leader.
The World Cup begins in South Africa one week from Friday. I’ll be posting video and links to historic Cup moments and trivia over the next six weeks. The Unlikely Fan has a great summary history to catch you up.
The video below is about one of the most famous games in Cup history: Brazil’s 1950 loss to Uruguay at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. The match wasn’t technically a “final”, but in the tournament format that year, a win or a draw would have given Brazil its first World Cup. That didn’t come for another eight years, in Sweden. The loss at home for Brazilians was searing.
To really appreciate winning you have know what it feels like to lose.
