Foster's Futbol Brew # 4: The Fourth Froth

June 20, 2012

Foster's Futbol Brew: The Fourth Froth

Is anyone getting tired of hearing the same White Stripes song (7 Nation Army, I think) over and over and over again when a goal is scored? Wouldn’t it be cool if each team had a pre-selected (and different) song to play when they netted one? Perhaps we could hear “The Winner Takes it All” when the Swedes score (ode to ABBA)! England would have it best with “We Are the Champions!” Funny enough, the Miami Heat started using the same song as they took a big lead late in Game 4 against the Thunder in the NBA Finals! And the crowd actually started the “woooaaah…woah woah woah woah woooaaah, woooaaah.” Woah is me!

Back to the best sport on Earth. (For those of you not keeping track,

Issue # 5.1.3 "Familiar EURO Field..."

Wow, what a tourney thus far.  In the end, don't the 8 teams look like they should be there in the EURO knockout stage (except for Czech Republic)?  But now, who is still alive in the pool? 


FRANTIC FINISHES AS KNOCKOUT STAGE SETTuan and The Flying Elvi on top as 20 are still alive

Refs off to a bad start; Poland off to a great one

Co-host Poland is having a ton of chances but can only put away one, leading 1-0 at the half over Greece,  Meanwhile, the refs are having a run of questionable calls, unfortuantely both on the same player putting Greece down a man (after already having to sub one of its starters due to injury).  One missed handball (saving Greece) and one non-call handball (ref looked to be correct, accidental), thelatter which sent Greece into a frenzy, earning yet another yellow card.  What a start!  Maybe Ukraine has a chance then?

12 hours left... tick, tock plus busy sports weekend

Just over 12 hours left until the EURO 2012 kicks off and with racism still a hot topic, what better teams than Poland (Polish jokes) and Greece (Greek jokes).  Sigh.  UEFA couldn't have planned it better.  Very interesting though that the refs have the power (and with their judgement, that's scary) to stop a game if they feel the fans are racist which I hope means pausing the game to kick out the stupid fans rather than take the teams into the locker rooms to hide and cry.  If it's the latter, seriously, wouldn't that be a tactic by the fans, if they want to stop the opposing team's momentum by chanting racist chants to stop the game and give their team a breather?  You would hope the ticket prices are so high that it keeps the riff-raff out of the stands.  Let's hope for a racist-chant free tournament, or, more accurately, what the refs misinterpret as racist-chant free tournament (we already question their eyesight, now are going to question their hearing)?

Anyway, we have 30 entries which is outstanding!  Still just the big 3 picked to win it all (okay, plus the one outlier with Portugal).  I'm actually getting excited.  My first full-blown EURO watching (which is another reason why I acquiesced and started this pool) and my DVR space has been cleared.  Thank you ESPN.  And this on a very busy sports weekend -- the LA Kings can win their first Stanley Cup!    I'll  Have Another can win the Triple Crown!  The hated LeBron vs. the hated Celtics in Game 7 for a trip to the Final!  The LA Galaxy will not lose for the 2nd straight weekend!  Maria Sharapova in the French Open Final!  Smiles all around!

Edit: Not a boxing fan, but another pretty big sports event is a Pac-Man fight on Saturday.