BUFFON INJURED!!!

my fantasy team is boned :(

Ew that's a harsh one. No backup option?

Yes, in part. Sports is equal parts effort and luck. The ball bounces your way, but that is not enough if you don't capitalize on your opportunities. However, no matter HOW talented or skilled you are, if the ball doesn't bounce your way you're fucked, period. So, when teams go on long winning streaks, clearly the ball has bounced their way more times than it hasn't. That being said, it is pure logic and math that inevitably they are going to get a few bad breaks. It doesn't mean they are finished, but these instances of suddenly increasing bad luck tend to have a more powerful psychological effect on talented or winning teams. When the ball stops bouncing their way, even while they've been giving it all they've got, then they start to break down mentally. It becomes, "What is next??" Sometimes winners get so used to winning that they can't fathom when those lucky breaks stop falling their way. Its not a death sentence, but it means they have to work that much harder to overcome it and survive until the ball bounces their way again, which it may.

If you flip a coin ten times and get ten heads in a row, then you know there will be some tails coming up soon. If you get 5 tails in a row, that can be your season right there! If you are really that transcendentally good you can overcome the bad luck and keep playing until you get a heads or two..

For example, the LA Kings and Rangers were playing for the Stanley Cup in hockey last night.. The game went to double OT, and there were like 7, probably even 8 shots that hit the post! That can be totally deflating. The Kings were looking all the more weary, because they were outshooting the Rangers 49-30 until they finally got the winning shot towards the end of 2OT (by the way it was the longest game in Stanley Cup history)... Had the Kings folded under their clearly bad luck (they had FIVE of those post hits) the Rangers may have been able to capitalize on it. Instead, the Kings just kept subbing fresh legs into the game, kept attacking the goal, and finally managed to flip their luck and got one in to seal it and take home the trophy. Anyone watching could see that those 5 post-hits were totally just bad luck on Kings part, they were all great shots that just didn't go in.

To make it simple, when teams win A LOT they have sort of used up their luck, and they can expect some boneheaded mistakes, some bad officiating, or some rare missed shots that normally sail right in. A dynasty level team can overcome even these, but not usually.

some iranian bunghole who will probably score negative points.

looks like gigi's injury is not so terrible though, so he should be back soon.

good thing for italy they have sirigu though he's part-bruised or something.

whatever happens, should be a great match.

----

meanwhile, uruguay seems to be half-assing it, only ahead 1-0. this could cost them later if things eventually come down to goal difference.

Diesel, I didn't say it was entirely on luck, but in ALL sports its definitely about using talent and skill to capitalize on lucky breaks, period. Its the fundamental, in fact, ontological reality of sports! The ball bounces where it bounces, sometimes the refs blows the whistle (or don't) when they will.. Yes, teams with talent obviously take advantage of good luck, because the losing team equally faces the same kind of good or bad luck, and yet they lose. My entire premise is that good teams eventually run out of good luck because by the sheer natural odds they are playing a lot of high stakes games. Shit happens. In particular, my point is this, that when good teams start facing some blatantly bad luck sometimes it causes a psychological break down because what usually works is not working, athletes are human too even championship caliber ones. This wasn't intended to take anything away from Spain, there is a world of difference from capitalizing on good luck and the more pejorative "just getting lucky."

Superb equalizing goal by Costa Rica by the way, folks be sleeping on those CONCACAF teams and they shouldn't

The second goal just two minutes later was even better, they were still finishing replays of the first one!!

That bad huh??


Shouldn't be rooting for dirty ass Uruguey in the first place!




Simple Truth:

Ball

Don't

Lie

I had just literally sent a text to my friend saying that Uruguay had 10 minutes with injury time to shut me up and equalize this match, then as I pushed "send" Costa Rica started clowning with that 3rd goal.

jeezus fucking christ--uruguay old, slow, TERRIBLE and in the end fucking DISGRACEFUL

no wonder they almost didn't qualify and had to fight new zealand to make it here. tabárez might be a nice old man who loves che guevara but his game plan was an atrocity vs a young fast team in the heat. cavani NOWHERE. wasted chances. wow.

tabárez might be a nice old man who loves che guevara but i think he has diminished capacity at this point. this was an all-around terrible display.

campbell definitely the game's best player. just heard he plays for arsenal but wenger doesn't use him-- lolol, he best give him a chance now.

Far post three times.
That was fun.

I liked Gamboa when they were lead 1-0, and Campbell too, obviously.
The Costa Rica keeper had a really good game there.

Next surprise? Bosnia vs Argentina? Algeria vs Belgium?

Hodgson fielding an attack-minded team for Liverpudlians and guests, that's fun too (on paper).
Sirigu is a very good gk.

They are a dirty ass team, and when their skill ran out all they had left was a barrage of dirty plays. Constant shoves, grabs, kicks, elbows, whacks, throws, yet ironically no good football to speak of ;)

Well, Wenger probably would like him to play for the London club, but it's got something to do with permit, work permit, whatnot or I don't know what at all.
I can't remember precisely what I read in the Guardian, but he would have not been allowed to play in Great Britain. Why? It was too odd for me to catch.

that's classic uruguay, and costa rica were no saints either--hence the well-deserved penalty. some physicality is part of the game.

i said IN THE END disgraceful because as time ran out their fouling increased to their own clock-running detriment, and maxi pereira's foul was beyond cynical and just pure stupid lashing out in frustration. well-deserved red card.



that bears repeating.

We shall see now won't we. Thus far, they aren't showing up. They have a few more games to step it up. I think they're a lock to advance, but that is not much for them now is it.

In ALL ball sports the rule remains the same, "Ball Don't Lie." If refs make a bad call, if a team plays dirty, or if a team is over hyped and can't match it with their play on the field/court/pitch then the ball bounces where it is supposed to to equalize it, period.



If you believe otherwise why not get out of ball sports to begin with, I hear boat racing is nice ;)