Your “Syndicate
Hangover” is proudly presented by “Das Bier”
Only at Karlsruhe’s
“Das Fest” can one buy beer bottles labeled “Das Bier”. Your friendly bookie
does not often drink beer…but when he does, he prefers “Das Bier”. May we all
meet again together under cerulean Southern German Skies. Bleib durstig,
Kumpels!
Day 22: Recap
Record—
Spread: 18-32
Straight up: 26-15-9
Hot
Girl Standings
Country
|
Tally
|
Games Played
|
France
|
61
|
6
|
Spain
|
45
|
4 (finished)
|
Germany
|
44
|
6 (finished)
|
Poland
|
44
|
5 (finished)
|
Iceland
|
43
|
5 (finished)
|
Wales
|
42
|
6 (finished)
|
Italy
|
40
|
5 (finished)
|
Republic of Ireland
|
35
|
4 (finished)
|
Croatia
|
33
|
4 (finished)
|
Belgium
|
32
|
5 (finished)
|
Switzerland
|
31
|
4 (finished)
|
Portugal
|
29
|
6
|
Northern Ireland
|
28
|
4 (finished)
|
England
|
26
|
4 (finished)
|
Slovakia
|
25
|
4 (finished)
|
Hungary
|
24
|
4 (finished)
|
Turkey
|
24
|
3 (finished)
|
Albania
|
23
|
3 (finished)
|
Romania
|
21
|
3 (finished)
|
Austria
|
19
|
3 (finished)
|
Sweden
|
18
|
3 (finished)
|
Russia
|
16
|
3 (finished)
|
Czech Republic
|
16
|
3 (finished)
|
The Ukraine
|
11
|
3 (finished)
|
Schade! Sometimes it just isn’t your day ; ( You can play gorgeously breathtaking forward
thinking football with a brilliant tactical lineup. You can generate
heart-stopping chances as heartbreaking as they were pleasing to the eye. You
can put forward on the most balanced “team performances” I’ve ever witnessed,
yet still come up short when Destiny opts to bring down the hammer.
Your friendly bookie put it best four years ago.
From EM 2012—“Group B Preview”
The Germans have done a vastly superior
job of coming up with a name for a group like this. To them, the “Group of
Death” is known as “Die Hammer-Gruppe”. Origins of this designation trace back
to the German exclamation “Hammer!” Its uses are quite diverse. Most commonly,
you would loudly bellow “Hammer!” to express your approval of the music
selection/general atmosphere/slut ratio in a club or convey to your friend how
great the party was/what a tiger she was in the sack/the speed at which the
drugs kicked in/how much you enjoyed bungee jumping naked, etc.
It also happens to be the perfect
reaction to some colossally improbable misfortune that has befallen you. For
instance, if the tow truck hauling away your ride happened to snap a line at
the end of an uphill tug and you witnessed your car violently flipping over no
fewer that five times, taking out your mailbox, two children, grandmother, and
cat before pinning down your wife at the bottom of the hill and bursting into
flames a mere 2.3 seconds after you thanked cruel fate for leaving you at least
one person to commiserate with….you might find yourself shrieking “Hammer!”…in
spite of the fact that there’s nothing cool about the situation.
We we’re so young then ; )
Despite the fact that the hammer came down hard, I’m proud of
my Jungs. : ) they fought hard until the final whistle. They cannot be faulted
for giving us a half-assed show. It’s a privilege to watch “Die
Nationalmannschaft” and a pleasure when they never stop trying to come up with
creative ideas. The final touch may have been lacking today, but heart,
thoughtfulness, and spirit certainly weren’t.
Bravo Jungs! Wir stehen auf eure Seite!
Our “Golden Era” continues, even if is was the hosts who
ultimately willed themselves into carrying the day. We still have the “Best
Football Team in the World”. They just didn’t win today. They didn’t quit on
us; not after that demoralizing last minute penalty in the 46th; not
after Boatengs untimely tragic injury; not after Pogba and Griezmann’s flawless
capitalization on Kimmich’s mistake. They kept pressing forward until the last
whistle. We can ask for nothing more.
“Wir sin dimmer noch Welmeister” = “We are still the World
Champions”.
No one can take that away from us. We’ll look forward to
attending next Summer’s Confederations Cup and (hopefully) facing ze French
again. We’ll look forward to defending our crown in a short 23 months.
Today it’s “Vive Le France”!
We’ll be back in two years time. As always, it’s”
Semi-Finals or Bust”. Be sure not to get in our way ; ) We’ll be back…to
contend. Revel in Today’s Glory. We aren’t going away. ; )
I’ll now “draw it up” for my Fatherland for the final time
this Summer.
LINEUP—Deutschland
(Match Six)—PROJECTED—4-4-2
(7/3/2016)
Mario Gomez Mario Götze
|
Meshut Özil Thomas Müller
|
Toni Kroos Sami Khedira
|
Jonas Hector Joshua Kimmich
|
Emre Can Jerome Boateng
|
Manuel Neuer
|
LINEUP—Deutschland
(Match Six)—PROJECTED—4-3-3
(7/4/2016)
Julian Draxler Mario Götze Thomas
Müller
|
Meshut Özil Toni Kroos
|
Andre Schürrle
|
Jonas Hector Joshua Kimmich
|
Emre Can Jerome Boateng
|
Manuel Neuer
|
LINEUP—Deutschland
(Match Six)—PROJECTED—4-4-2
(7/6/2016)
Julian Draxler Thomas Müller
|
Meshut Özil Toni Kroos
|
Mario Götze Bastian Schweinsteiger
|
Jonas Hector Joshua Kimmich
|
Emre Can Jerome Boateng
|
Manuel Neuer
|
LINEUP—Deutschland
(Match Six)—ACTUAL—2-1-3-3-1
Thomas
Müller
|
Julian Draxler Toni Kroos Meshut Özil
|
Jonas Hector Emre Can
Joshua Kimmich
|
Bastian Schweinsteiger
|
Benedikt Höwedes Jerome Boateng
|
Manuel Neuer
|
About as unconventional a formation as I’ve ever seen. The
American television punditry was quick to label this a 4-3-3 when then the
starters we’re announced, but it proved to be anything but. For much of the
first half, Schweine was the only player remaining behind. Hector and Kimmich
had clearly been instructed to serve as Phillip-Lahm-like wingbacks. Even
Boateng and Höwedes found themselves ahead of Schweine on the pitch most of the
time. Emre Can looked directed to switch forward midfielder roles depending on
which one won the breaks. Draxler, Özil, and Müller were probably given little
instruction other than to crash the box and do their thing. Presumably one of
them would come through with some “false 9” magic at some point.
It was an audacious plan that came within a hair’s breadth
of working. Can and Kroos did well to carve out enough space for Draxler, Özil,
and Müller. They nearly found themselves on the end of some quality balls.
Despite a supreme disadvantage in terms of size and speed, Kimmich and Hector
hustled down the flanks and got in some decent crosses. Both of them looked
overmatched laterally, but they kept plugging away. Brave aerial chances,
sickly slick combinations, and sheer dominance on the 50-50s gave the Germans
an opportunity to put on a clinic over much of the first 45 minutes. One felt
that they deserved a goal, but it wasn’t to be.
Schweine’s handball was legitimate. What’s so shocking about
it is how diligent the linesman and referee were in spotting it. Ordinarily,
two or three handlings like that inside the 18 will go unnoticed during most matches.
Griezmann’s second came courtesy of a good-old-fashioned fuck up from Joshua
Kimmich, and some suspect defending from the unready sub Shkodran Mustafi. One
can’t really blame the German Defense for the lapse in judgment. They were
tasked with emulating “The Best of Phillip Lahm” on both sides of the pitch.
That’s a seriously tall fucking order!
It’s true that so many of the quality crosses might have
found the back of the net had Gomez been on hand to serve as the target. It’s
not exactly a matter of long-term concern, seeing as how Boateng, Can, Götze,
and even Leroy Sané demonstrated that they can serve as the substitute “Big
Target Man”. The only player who I wincingly and begrudgingly assign poor marks
to is Thomas Müller. Something’s wrong. He’s just not the player he used to be.
I wonder if he’ll be included in the Kader for much longer. He’s been dipping
in form for Bayern lately too. Might be the case that his time is up ; ( ; (
Here are the Grades.
GRADES—Deutschland
(Match One)
Bastian Schweinsteiger
|
A+
|
Sami Khedira
|
A+
|
Toni Kroos
|
A
|
Manuel Neuer
|
A
|
Mario Götze
|
A
|
Shkrodan Mustafi
|
A
|
Juilan Draxler
|
B+
|
Benedict Höwedes
|
B
|
Jonas Hector
|
B
|
Jerome Boateng
|
B
|
Thomas Müller
|
B-
|
Meshut Özil
|
C+
|
GRADES—Deutschland (Match Two)
Manuel Neuer
|
A
|
Toni Kroos
|
A
|
Meshut Özil
|
A
|
Mats Hummels
|
A
|
Andre Schürrle
|
A
|
Thomas Müller
|
B
|
Sami Khedira
|
B-
|
Jonas Hector
|
B-
|
Julian Draxler
|
B-
|
Benedikt Höwedes
|
C+
|
Mario Götze
|
C
|
Jerome Boateng
|
C-
|
Mario Gomez
|
F
|
GRADES—Deutschland
(Match Three)
Mario Gomez
|
A
|
Thomas Müller
|
A
|
Meshut Özil
|
A-
|
Toni Kroos
|
A-
|
Manuel Neuer
|
A-
|
Joshua Kimmich
|
B+
|
Jonas Hector
|
B
|
Jerome Boateng
|
B
|
Andre Schürrle
|
B
|
Sami Khedira
|
C+
|
Benedikt Höwedes
|
C+
|
Mats Hummels
|
C
|
Bastian
Schweinsteiger
|
C
|
Mario Götze
|
C
|
GRADES—Deutschland
(Match Four)
Julian Draxler
|
A+
|
Manuel Neuer
|
A+
|
Jerome Boateng
|
A+
|
Mario Gomez
|
A+
|
Lucas Podolski
|
A+
|
Bastian
Schweinsteiger
|
A
|
Meshut Özil
|
A-
|
Toni Kroos
|
B+
|
Sami Khedira
|
B
|
Jonas Hector
|
B
|
Joshua Kimmich
|
B
|
Thomas Müller
|
B-
|
Mats Hummels
|
B-
|
Benedikt Höwedes
|
C+
|
GRADES—Deutschland
(Match Five)
Mario Gomez
|
A+
|
Jerome Boateng
|
A+
|
Mauel Neuer
|
A+
|
Bastian
Schweinsteiger
|
A-
|
Joshua Kimmich
|
B+
|
Julian Draxler
|
B+
|
Jonas Hector
|
B
|
Toni Kroos
|
B
|
Meshut Özil
|
B
|
Benedikt Höwedes
|
B-
|
Thomas Müller
|
C+
|
Mats Hummels
|
C
|
GRADES—Deutschland
(Match Six)
Manuel Neuer
|
A+
|
Julian Draxler
|
A+
|
Leroy Sané
|
A+
|
Jerome Boateng
|
A
|
Benedikt Höwedes
|
A
|
Emre Can
|
A
|
Bastian
Schweinsteiger
|
A-
|
Meshut Özil
|
B+
|
Toni Kroos
|
B
|
Jonas Hector
|
B
|
Mario Götze
|
B
|
Joshua Kimmich
|
B-
|
Shkrodan Mustafi
|
C+
|
Thomas Müller
|
D
|
Poor Schweine was playing a gem of a match, captaining both
the midfield and defense in addition to getting his own menacing target on
goal. It all collapsed for him after the penalty forced Löw to toss the
playbook. One feels for Emre Can as well. He governed the flow with all the
flair of a younger Sami Khedira until his yellow card forced him into a
conservative corner. Höwedes executed on of the best defensive tackles I’ve
ever seen against the lumbering Giroud before getting caught up in that 72nd
minute conflagration.
Draxler danced his feet off. Özil never stopped looking for
that perfect assist. Hector and Kimmich left this bookie to scrape his jaw off
the floor. It was positively insane what Löw asked of them, but they still
managed to deliver. Leroy Sané nearly scored thrice after his late
substitution. Götze charged onto the field immediately leaving the doubters by
the wayside.
A lot of great footballing efforts went down the drain
today, as history will only remember the winners. Few aside from your friendly
bookie will remember the details of a footballing fixture in which the better
team lost. That’s okay. ; ) Those who focus only on the bottom line have their
own “Destiny”. All things come to light eventually.
“Posterity” is more powerful than “Destiny”.
You had some luck on your side today, Froggies ; ) That
takes nothing away from your accomplishment. Let’s “Draw it up” for you.
France—Match
Six—PROJECTED (4-2-3-1)
Oliver Giroud
|
Dimitri Payet Paul Pogba
|
Antoine Griezmann
|
Blaise Mathuidi Kingsley Coman
|
P. Evra L.
Koscielny A. Rami B. Sagna
|
Hugo Lloris
|
LINEUP—France—Match
Five—ACTUAL (4-2-3-1)
Oliver Giroud
|
D. Payet
A. Griezmann M. Sissoko
|
Blaise Matuidi Paul Pogba
|
Patrice Evra Bacary Sagna
|
Laurent Koscielny Samuel Umtiti
|
Hugo Lloris
|
Deschamps elected to ride the tide and keep the same
starting eleven from the convincing Iceland Victory. No alterations, even after
an uninspiring first half. Maintaining Samuel Umtiti was a brave move, but it
paid off. Sissoko didn’t exactly have a great match, but he came through when
needed. Payet did his job until it came time to get more defensive. Koscielny
and Evra performed well above expectations. Mathuidi owned the trenches when it
really mattered.
All of my talk about the better team losing melts away when
one considers just how much heart Antoine Griezmann interjected into this
match. I incorrectly stated that the Athletico Madrid forward wasn’t from
Alsace simply because he was born in Macon. Griezmann is, in fact, very much a
proud Alsatian. He very much wanted to beat the Germans today, and came close
to garnering himself a Hat Trick. After crying his heart out on the pitch after
the Germans eliminated the French in the Quarterfinals of the 2014 WM, he
patiently waited for the day on which he would conduct the “Les Bleaus Orchestra”.
He conducted quite well today, revving up the Marseille Fans
with every touch. He deserves this moment. Well done, “Proud Alsatian.” You
vindicated your confused heritage with a historic victory that will likely lead
to a Third European Crown. ; )
“Riffs
of the Day”—Day Twenty-Two
Reader:
Seriously not disappointed Vicey?
Vicey:
Seriously not. I’m still a World Champion, as are you 111-M. Many quality riffs
came in today, but this is the one that will lead us to the ever-sentimental “Goodbyes
Section”. We all had a great deal of fun. We gambled, cracked wise, traded
taunts, and had a great “semi-vacation”. Time to wrap things up. Your friendly
bookie shall be in touch with his “Championship Pick”.
French
fervor concludes this post. ; )
A MESSAGE TO ALL MY FRENCH FRIENDS 
Now
I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around, I see all of these young
faces and think……..I mean……..I’ve made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can
make. I…ah…. pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone
who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the
mirror. You know, when you get old in life, things get taken from you…. I mean
that’s…that’s…...that’s part of life. But, you only learn that when you start
losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of 2.54 centimeters. So is
football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so
small…..I mean…one half a step too late or too early, you don’t quite make it.
One half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite kick it. The centimeters we
need are everywhere around us! They’re in every break of the game, every
minute, every second.
