Underdogs Archives

I. I believe. I believe that. I believe that we. I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, that is the battle cry of the American Outlaws. They are the official fan club of the United States Men’s National Team. You can find them all over the country. The group has 125 official bars, nation wide. If you are in the big apple, you can find these hooligans at Dempsey’s on West 34th street. But if you’re in Brazil this month, you will find a whopping 590 of these die hards.

In fact, it’s been said that the United States has the most supporters in Brazil other than Brazil themselves. If, that doesn’t make you feel proud, check your pulse.

This American team should not have made it out of the “group of death” according to experts, but they did. They sought revenge against Ghana for knocking them out in two previous cups, and got it. They almost beat Portugal but ended up with a heart breaking tie. And of course, they lost a 1-0 game to a German team that is capable of scoring often. The effort was good enough to get them out of the group.

Next is Belgium. And if you’re an American, then you should be very sure of what you are doing on Tuesday at 4:00. You have to understand that when it comes to sports, or pretty much anything, America is anything but an Underdog. However, in the World Cup, that is exactly what they are. Still, they are forcing teams to take them serious. With youth on their side and their country behind them, they believe they can do the impossible. Beat Belgium and go on to win 3 more games, to capture the Cup.

Now if you are one of the few that hasn’t flocked to places like Grant Park in Chicago or Madison Square Park in NYC or a bar like Dempsey’s, then my guess is that you really just aren’t into soccer. That’s fine, because this isn’t about soccer. It’s about screaming your f**king head off for the red white and blue. Americans don’t agree on anything. Not war, religion, politics or even sports teams. But when those players put on those jerseys with the US Soccer logo, we can agree on them. And we can cheer for them

So on Tuesday, leave work a little early. Go find a bar or a deli or a restaurant or a park or a doctors office waiting room or a barber shop
or any place with a TV, because I guarantee that they will all be showing the game. Sit down or stand up and cheer for Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Graham Zusi, Tim Howard and the rest of the Red White and Blue to do something it has never done in the men’s World Cup. Win the whole damn thing!

Bracket Busted and Disgusted!

Well, it’s officially over…for me that is. My March Madness 2013 Brackets are as ugly as ugly can be. I’m sitting on 32 out of 48 correct or 32 and 16. The key culprits for my demise – #15 Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and #13 LaSalle. FGCU is playing some of the best basketball in the tournament and is the lowest seed to ever advance to the Sweet 16. Oh, yeah, I had them advancing for sure! Out of the South, #15 FGCU began its first round by beating #2 Georgetown which is what totally demolished my Brackets. From there, they’ve won against another underdog of sorts, #7 San Diego St. which had eliminated #10 Oklahoma in their first round game.

LaSalle, in it’s own right, has beaten some pretty good teams too. And to think, LaSalle had a ‘Play-In’ game just to get into the Big Dance and look at them now. In the first round, they beat #4 Kansas St. to advance to the second round where they won against #12 Mississippi that had knocked of 5 Seed Wisconsin.

And in Sunday’s games, my UNC Tarheels had a Great first half. I sure wish that’s all they had to play because they came out in the second half flatter than a pancake and laid the proverbial egg. With a halftime score of 30-21, North Carolina gave up 49 second half points to #1 Seed Kansas while only scoring 28 themselves and losing 70-58. An ugly finish to the year but on a bright note; Coach Roy Williams won game #700 in their victory over 9 Seed Villanova. Not a National Title by any means but a victory of sorts. Oh, and 2 Seed Duke is still alive. (Who Cares).

Other upsets were #9 Wichita St. beating #1 Gonzaga and #10 Iowa St. sending #7 Notre Dame packing early in the West Region.

Now, on to the Sweet 16 and there are some great match-ups upcoming.

#1 Louisville vs #12 Oregon in the Midwest
#2 Duke vs #3 Michigan St., Midwest
#9 Wichita St vs #13 LaSalle in the West
#2 Ohio St. vs #6 Arizona, West
#1 Kansas vs #4 Michigan in the South
#3 Florida vs #15 Florida Gulf Coast Uni. (FGCU), South
#1 Indiana vs #4 Syracuse in the East
#2 Miami vs #3 Marquette

As you can see, there are still three #1’s still in it, three #2’s and three 3’s still fighting to advance deeper into the tournament. The lower seeds consist of a #15, underdog extraordinaire, Florida Gulf Coast University, a 13 Seed, LaSalle and a 12^th Seed which is Oregon. This has turned out to be exactly what I gathered early on – non-traditionally unpredictable – but hasn’t it been a Great tournament thus far? I think so.

And if you’re like me, you had the right picks. It’s just the teams you selected didn’t live up to Your expectations. Hey, that’s not Your fault. You Made the Right picks. Next year, the teams you select just have to play better. J

At any rate, my Championship teams are still alive, #1 Louisville in the Midwest and #2 Miami in the East. Looking forward to this weekend already!