Montezuma’s Revenge

Is he thinking? Or does he really need to go?

So it’s been a few days since what friend of the blog (FotB) Brian Strauss dubbed the “Massacre at the Meadowlands.” Like Bushman I wasn’t expecting a win when I woke up Sunday morning. To be honest, I wanted us to lose to Honduras last Thursday to prevent anything close to this situation. Plus I would’ve had a few more fantasy players back in MLS over the weekend.

At halftime, I was encouraged, figuring that we were more than holding our own and that even a 1-0 loss would be a moral victory considering the group that was in uniform that day. Then the wheels came off in the second half.

It wasn’t as quickly as against Brazil in the Confed Cup final, but the results following Jay Heaps’ brain fart were even more damaging. On Heaps, elbow from Gio dos Santos or not, how can you grab a guy’s jersey in the box? It’s like putting a hand up in a Duke jump shooter’s face and begging the refs to blow the whistle on any contact whatsoever. And that’s something Heaps should know a thing or two about.

In the grand scheme of things, Heaps doesn’t matter for the Nats. He won’t be in South Africa. But Bob Bradley will.

Over the past two tournaments, Bradley has been out coached multiple times. Some of the blame can surely go on players, but those are also the players that Bradley is choosing for the roster. More disturbing is the trend of allowing second half goals after both managers have had time to make adjustments. As you surely have read, the two finals this summer have seen the U.S. outscored 8-0 in the second half, but the problem goes deeper than that.

In the Confed Cup, the U.S. was outscored 7-3 in the second halves. The Gold Cup saw an equal seven goals scored and conceded, obviously skewed by the Mexico game, but also playing against a few minnows, one of which (Haiti) scored a pair in the second half. World Cup qualifying is a different matter though, as the Yanks hold a 7-2 advantage in the second half against teams that are more difficult as a whole than the five opponents faced in the Gold Cup.

So what does this mean? Well, two things methinks.

First, and obviously, the U.S. isn’t on par with the upper echelon. Against Italy, Spain, and Brazil (and Brazil again) the second half difference was 7-1 in favor of the foreigners. It’s not something that’s going to be rectified by next year when Project 2010 will be as successful as Project X.

The second, and more troubling, is that Bradley seems to be a better single game coach than he is a tournament coach. The antithesis of Bora Milutinović, if you will

There are two reasons I see for this. One is an inability to tactically make adjustments during the game, and, as evidenced above, at halftime when any real changes have to be made. The second is relying on too many core players who can get you results a game or two at a time in qualifying, but are unable to deal with the rigors of a tournament due to a lack of depth. That’s where the finger pointing turns back to Bradley as again these are the players he selects and the same ones that he rarely substitutes.

Twice in the group stage at the Confederations Cup, Bradley went to the locker room with a sub in his pocket. Maybe he was trying to save USSF the $5,000 appearance fee, something he doesn’t do when Sacha Kljestan is on the roster, but both games were finished with at least 20 minutes left. That came back to bite the team in the ass against Brazil in the final as guys like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey had nothing left in the tank.

Again on Sunday against Mexico, coming off a game less than 72 hours earlier that saw the same starting lineup, it was obvious that at least one defender needed to come off, yet Bradley did nothing. Granted there weren’t many options, but that again falls on Bradley’s shoulders. Heaps did eventually come off, but that was his own doing on an innocuous second yellow.

As another FotB Craig Stouffer wrote on Sunday evening, Bradley can play Houdini at Azteca. And that one-off game is what he’s best at. A win there, much like against Spain, and the “Massacre at the Meadowlands” will be remembered as much as the one that involved Crispus Attucks. However, looking forward to South Africa 2010, Bradley’s managing might be the biggest obstacle in the way of success for the Yanks.

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One other thing about Sunday’s loss that disappointed me: The complete and utter lack of heart after going down 3-0. Heath Pearce quit on several plays. Captain Brian Ching tried to show leadership after the third goal, but apparently is no Patrick Henry (apparently I’m on an American Revolution history kick today).

I’m not saying that Gio dos Santos should have been stretchered off with a shattered ankle, though that would’ve been nice for August 12 and a much more productive red for Heaps to “earn.” But I don’t recall any hard tackles on him, or any of the Mexican players for that matter, to “send a message,” as hockey players say. It didn’t have to be a reincarnation of the Broad Street Bullies, but to allow a guy to torch your team and more or less take it laying down, that to me is as damning to those players’ chances for going to South Africa next year than anything else that happened during the Gold Cup.

-- Pat Walsh

Yep, it's been awhile since I've posted. My father in the hospital and a vacation after that will do that to ya.' So, the next time you're in Vegas, make sure to play the "Star Trek" slot machine. It paid off quite well for me on multiple occasions. Just passing along some helpful advice.

Okay, onto sports, particularly the Gold Cup fiasco.

In the words of Comic Book Guy: "Worst...Game..Ever!"

It's been 2 days since a superior Mexico squad embarrassed a 2nd-tier U.S. side consisting of no more than 2 or 3 players (at most) who will be on the sidelines in South Africa next year. I think Troy Perkins has done enough to make a serious case to be the 3rd goalkeeper (some would argue even 2nd) on next year's team. Brian Ching was not very good at all and seems too slow for the international game now, but Bradley will take him anyway. Kyle Beckerman did okay, but the U.S. is so deep at that position, would he merely be taking up a roster spot that could be used for depth at another position? Stuart Holden played reasonably well also, but not enough to make the 23-man squad for next year.

Anyway, I watched that match pretty sure the U.S. would lose, but that didn't bother me so much. Jay Heaps played hard but not smart (giving up a penalty kick, getting 2 yellows and the mandatory red) and looked completely out of his element. Davy Arnaud was a waste of space, and Robbie Rogers shanked a shot early in the 2nd half that, had it gone in, completely changed the game (I think Mexico would have become unglued). Heath Pearce had one of the worst games from anyone I've ever seen in a U.S. uniform, and that even includes DaMarcus Beasley's recent debacles... For a guy still searching for a club, he did himself no favors.

What infuriated me was the lack of heart and fight several players on the field showed as the goals mounted up. You know, in rec league, or levels like that, kids and teams DO give up. But you're a professional, playing this sport for a living, and your competitive nature and pride at least should have been on display. On multiple goals, U.S. players watched as El Tri ran past them and peppered a helpless Troy Perkins with shot after shot. Wasn't it interesting that Perkins, unlike most 'keepers, refused to yell and holler at his teammates? Thumbs up to Troy for showing patience in that situation.

It was, simply, an embarrassment, one that I didn't think would ever happen on U.S. soil again. Even with an inferior squad, I thought we would at least put forth a better effort. Don't be mad with the loss, folks, be mad with the lack of grit and hustle seen 99% of the time by a U.S. squad.

Pat has a few things to add about this as well, and I won't steal his thunder...wait to read what he has to say in the next day or so. Some interesting observations from our Irish friend.

Quickly, let me also say this; Max Bretos is the worst commentator in soccer, maybe all of sports. I don't have the time to go into all the dumb things he says, but I haven't talked to a single person who watches FSC that listens to this guy. Stop trying to be a part of the game and merely report on it. I'm not a huge fan of Christopher Sullivan either, but he always brings a calming presence to the booth despite the over-the-top antics of the circus clown next to him...

1 last thing; I'll be checking out for a bit and Pat will take over for a few weeks. This stupid thing called my "real" job has taken over, and I'll be on business for the next 3 weeks. In the meantime, please behave for Pat and treat him the same way you'd treat me...wait a minute, scratch that. Just be nice and keep reading, okay?

Another Week Down

Anyone else a bit weirded out by Logan Pause's expression?

Again Bushman is outta town so I’ll be your humble blogger for the week. Which probably means just today, but you never know. Let’s get to yet another busy weekend in the “Summer of Soccer,” which has rarely seen the temperature reach 90ºF. Read into that however you like.

• The U.S. advanced to the semis in a tough game over Panama. Good win for this team, but certainly doesn’t exude confidence heading into Thursday’s semifinal game against Honduras. Granted, the Yanks beat Los Catrachos in the group stage, but there won’t be the cavalry of Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies coming off the bench to save the game again. Not saying Honduras will win, just that it won’t come easy for the Yanks.

Looking back, I only caught the first half, as there was a recording error on my part. But what I did see made me wonder why Jay Heaps was in the lineup and why more defensive cover wasn’t made available in Bradley’s lineup. Also wondered why Panama didn’t consistently go down their left wing to attack Heaps. Like the Confed Cup there are roster issues -- the former brought players who Bradley had to know from the outset weren’t up to par, while this one brought too many players who Bradley had to know would be returning to Europe, and then compounding the problem by not naming players to the provisional spots who could then be brought in to cover, specifically at the two fullback spots.

Logan Pause can probably be lumped in with Heaps in wondering why he’s on the roster, as I can’t think of anytime after the first game he has had an impact. Tough to imagine there aren’t better options in MLS -- the D.C. fan in me immediately thinks of Clyde Simms and Brian Carroll -- or even on the roster with youngster Sam Cronin.

From what I understand, Kenny Cooper missed a few chances and you have to start wondering about his national team future. It would be nice for the big man to get a chance with the rest of the regulars and see what that does for him.

Finally, it was hell of a goal by Kyle Beckerman. Made SportsCenter’s top 10 as the number one highlight. Pretty cool to see that while downing a few Guinness at an Irish bar and listening to a good band.

• Going back to the defensive depth, or lack thereof, my boy Jimmy Conrad took a nasty knock that left him wondering if he was in Philly or Oz. Got an email from him this morning saying he’s getting better, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be playing again in this tournament. Or with the Wizards for a bit.

• D.C. United picked up another win Saturday night, scoring all four goals in a 3-1 win. Bryan Namoff (speaking of guys that could have gotten a look, probably over Jay Heaps) scored a brace, one for and one against. Should be a fun stretch run with four teams atop the East separated by just two points and Kansas City lurking six points further back, but having two games in hand. If they’re against New York, that means an easy six points.

• Apparently David Beckham can’t waltz back into town like the prodigal son. He had a relatively quiet night last Thursday in New York while Landon Donovan did all the heavy lifting. And, frankly, that’s what the Galaxy need and would make them a contender in November. However, upon return to the HDC for a game against his former (and future?) club, AC Milan, he was greeted with a less than warm reception as fans booed him had some harsh signs (can’t wait to see what United fans have for him). He also had a “confrontation” with a fan that jumped over a railing when Becks told him to come closer. The Gals drew with Milan, but the atmosphere should make the game worth watching despite knowing the result when FSC airs it tonight.

• Congrats to Abby Wambach as the Freedom striker notched her 100th international goal in her hometown of Rochester, NY. Amazingly she accomplished the feat in just 129 games. By comparison, when he hits that number of caps, Landon Donovan will have about 45 goals, though that depends on how many penalties the U.S. gets in qualifying. Obviously the competition for Donovan is a bit tougher, but just puts things into perspective for what an amazing achievement that is for A-Dub. She won’t top the number of goals scored by Mia Hamm or the number of caps for Kristine Lilly, but considering today’s game Wambach’s feats can be argued as being right on par with the greats of the US Women’s National Team.

• Away from soccer, congrats to Tom Watson on an amazing British Open. Or the Open Championship. Whatever the hell it’s called. Was sad to see him blast the ball through the green on 18 on Sunday and the last putt never had a chance, unlike Stewart Cink’s a bit before on the same green. Still though, gotta give it up to Watson for performing at such a high level against guys 20 and 30 years his junior. I mean, to paraphrase Mitch Hedberg, I could go back and kick some ass in little league, but that’s a bit different (and I’m no Danny Almonte).

- Pat Walsh

Q&A With Grant Wahl

As promised, here is our question and answer session with author Grant Wahl as he talks about the widely-anticipated The Beckham Experiment: How the World's Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America.

This book is getting scores of publicity (rightfully so) as he explores the origins of Becks coming to America and all of the hype and chaos surrounding the situation. It's truly a fascinating read as Wahl talks to tons of people directly involved in the story and features tons of insight and never-before-heard stories from those on the inside. The link for ordering the book is at the end of the article.

1. Will Alexi Lalas be relieved to have his (apparent) lack of full control revealed?

Perhaps to some degree. Lalas is the first person to say that he deserves some of the blame for the Galaxy’s problems from 2006 to 2008, and he’s certainly right about that in terms of his handling of the roster and the salary cap in ’06 and ’07. But Lalas got kneecapped by AEG CEO Tim Leiweke in the fall of 2007 when Leiweke hired Beckham’s best friend and personal manager (Terry Byrne) as a paid consultant and let him take over the search for coach Ruud Gullit. While Lalas got blamed publicly for many of the Galaxy’s problems in 2008, the blame lay more with Byrne, Leiweke and Gullit.

2. What was the single most memorable moment in the Beckham saga for you?

There were some really cool moments: Beckham’s first free kick to beat D.C. United in the 2007 Superliga semifinal and the classic 5-4 New York win over L.A. in front of 66,000 at Giants Stadium really stand out for me. From a personal perspective, I’ll always remember sitting across from Landon Donovan over lunch last October when he calmly savaged Beckham as a poor captain who lacked commitment to the team. At one point I stopped Donovan and said: “You realize that these comments will cause a s---storm, especially in the U.K.?” His response came with a shrug: “It’s okay.”

3. At what point, if any, did you feel Beckham would look to leave MLS to return to Europe as he did with AC Milan?

Throughout the second half of the 2008 season, as the Galaxy went three months without a win and it became clear that Beckham was unhappy, I would ask everyone I interviewed: “Do you think Beckham might wake up one morning and say, ‘Hey, AC Milan wanted me in 2007, maybe I should just go back to Europe’?” Just about everyone was concerned about it. Sure enough, the news came about during the final week of the MLS regular season that Beckham’s people had initiated loan talks with Milan without the Galaxy’s knowledge. Beckham told reporters and teammates that week that he would be coming back to the Galaxy for the start of the 2009 season, but that went out the window in early February when Beckham started well at Milan and tried to force his way out of LA.

4. As a followup, when did you get the feeling this story wasn't necessarily going to have a happy ending?

Probably when the Galaxy had one of the worst performances in MLS history in its 4-0 loss at Dallas in late July 2008. That game did more than anything to unravel the Beckham Experiment. If anyone gambled on MLS, you would have wondered if the Galaxy was on the take that day. Ruud Gullit (and Terry Byrne) got pushed out soon afterward, and Beckham clearly wasn’t happy the rest of the season.

5. Were you surprised at the candor of some of the players, in particular Landon Donovan, who has always had a guarded personality?

Not really. Donovan has always been open and honest with me, and I knew that he and Alexi Lalas, in particular, would be candid throughout the reporting process and wouldn’t hide if things didn’t go well on the field. I spent an enormous amount of time on this project, traveling to L.A. and around the U.S., and I spoke regularly with several people inside the Galaxy team. The candor in the SI excerpt might be surprising, but if you read the whole book everything kind of builds up to it.

6. Have you gotten any reactions or comments from anybody in Beckham's camp, MLS, or the Galaxy organization?

Not a lot. To their credit, most people are waiting to read the whole book before they comment.

7. Do you think MLS will be less inclined to try and bring in "megastars" to the league as a result of the Beckham Experiment?

It’s possible some owners might resist opening their wallets, but I hope that’s not the case. The Beckham Experiment was pretty unique, and the fact is that MLS needs more star power. The teams just need to make sure they pick the right stars and handle how they fit into the team.

Here are two links to order the book from: Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Again, our thanks to Grant for taking a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk with us...now go buy the book!

Monday Musings

Pretty big week in sports, wasn't it? Tons of Gold Cup action, albeit with a bunch of B teams from the U.S. and Mexico, plus some other stuff thrown in.

1. Gold Cup - Hard to get excited about a tournament that has few players and/or teams worth watching. I'm not sure what Bob Bradley is putting on the field, but surely there must be SOME players in Europe or MLS who are a better quality. I got a text from a pro coach who said "Really? Clyde Simms can't play for Bob but Logan Pause can?" Kyle Beckerman didn't do much for me either, and unfortunately, neither did Kenny Cooper. Brad Evans and Davy Arnaud were so-so, as was Chad Marshall and Clarence Goodson.

On the good side, Troy Perkins was a bit of a revelation in goal. He might make a push to be the 3rd keeper next year in South Africa. Charlie Davies continues to impress, and hopefully he'll make a smooth transition to his new French club Sochaux. Santino Quaranta is also making a case to be called into future camps...

As for the rest of the teams, Haiti has looked decent and should be a tough out for a B-side Mexico, while the Canada/Honduras match looks to be the most even of the quarterfinal games.

Speaking of Mexico, did they dodge a bullet or what with the suspension of Aguirre? 3 games, which will most likely be the remainder of the Gold Cup, is a slap on the wrist. Had numerous colleagues tell me he should be banned for 6 months minimum. This guy is a nutjob who I'm not sure will last a year with this team before they turn on him. And this isn't the first time he's swiped at a player; remember the kicking gesture he made toward Claudio Reyna years ago? I sure do... And Bruce Arena's 3-match ban for verbally chastising the ref years ago in Costa Rica is equal to the attempted assault on a player?

2. MLS - Freddy Montero continues to make a case for MLS MVP with his 9th goal in Seattle, but Patrick Ianni stole the show with a spectacular bicycle kick to give them a 2-1 win against Houston...2 games went 0-0, so let us never speak of them again...L.A. gets big a win in The Classico as Beckham and Zidane watched from the stands, while Toronto gets to the top of the table in the East (tied w/ Chicago) via a 3-1 win over a struggling San Jose team.

1 last thing; with the Gold Cup taking several of the top MLS players, how does MLS justify charging people to attend those games this weekend?

3. Richmond/Bermuda - Remember a few weeks ago when I said Western Mass. was the worst pro team I've ever seen? Yeah, they've been eclipsed by Bermuda, who gave up 5 goals in the first 30 minutes to the Kickers en route to a 7-2 loss. And 1 of the Hogges' goals was a "gifted" penalty that one Richmond player told me "would NEVER be called in a close game." And, believe it or not, the Bermuda 'keeper played WELL. It could easily have been 10 or 11.

Bottom line is that Richmond is peaking at the right time. After 4 straight draws at home to start the season, they've scored 15 goals in their past 3 homes games (all wins), and seem poised to take over 1st place from Harrisburg. Mark your calenders for July 29th, the last time these 2 play for the season. Might determine 1st place.

4. The Beckham Experiment - Got the book last week and can't put it down. Might have it finished before I fly to Vegas on Thursday (yep, it's that time of year again)...Grant Wahl has done a masterful job at explaining in detail all of the good, the bad, and the ugly of David Beckham's L.A. journey. We got Grant's answers to our questions we submitted last week, and will post them on the blog tomorrow to coincide with the release of the book.

That's all for now. As I said, check back tomorrow for our Q&A w/ Grant. As always, thanks for reading!

Thursday Thoughts

A busy week for U.S. soccer, and pretty much all of the news is positive. Hey, no one in the soccer world died, so that’s a plus, right? Let’s get to it.

- The Nats won in D.C. -- and I don’t mean the MLB version. Bob Bradley’s side looked good in basically locking up first place in Group B of the Gold Cup. The first half was a back-and-forth game that probably tilted towards Honduras, but the second half additions of Charlie Davies and Benny Feilhaber -- who was definitely on the roster -- took any doubt out of the game. Feilhaber had a hand in both goals and took Man of the Match honors for me, even though I hate giving that kind of stuff to a guy who played less than a half hour. Davies again was solid up front, though I would have liked to see him play with Freddy Adu rather than Brian Ching, who was largely invisible all night. Aren’t these games about building towards the future with the young guard?

The defense looked slow throughout the night and I’m not sure that the two centerbacks are of international quality. Chad Marshall looked better in the second half, but should be well down the pecking order. He will be above Michael Parkhurst though, who picked up a full season’s worth of yellow cards in MLS on the night.

From a local perspective, of which there was a lot in this game, Santino Quaranta took the cake. Tino scored his first goal for the national team in his home stadium and you couldn’t help but be happy for the guy who’s been through so much. Another Maryland native, Kyle Beckerman, looked good in the first half, spraying balls around the field and was the best attacking option as Freddy Adu had a rough night (again, would he have been better with a more mobile Davies?).

Overall a solid night, and a great crowd (26k+ on a Wednesday night is impressive), in the nation’s capital.

- As you should know by now, Oguchi Onyewu signed with Milan. As long as he gets plenty of playing time, which he should with their current defense, this is an outstanding move. Madrid wouldn’t have given him as much time and this is certainly a step up from Ajax, both in pay and stature of club. I’m just hoping he makes his debut in Baltimore against Chelsea. With a guy like Pirlo in front of him, he should change from the “Dwight Howard of the USMNT” that I dubbed him during the Confederations Cup.

- MLS (yeah, we do still talk about them sometimes) did well in Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup’s quarterfinals. D.C. United held on against Harrisburg in a match that was tenser at the end than it maybe should have been. But all due credit for advancing. However, with limited rosters and a lack of a Reserve Division, that’s what these games have become for some teams. It’s sad to look down at the USOC like that, but understandable, especially for those sides that just wrapped up SuperLiga group play. You just have to wonder how another team next year (Philly) and two more (Portland and Vancouver) in 2011 are going to thin that player pool even more and affect the level of play in MLS.

- Lastly, problems are afoot once again in South Africa. 70,000 workers are on strike, as they’ve asked for a 13% raise, while employers are only offering 10.4%. The workers must know that they have all the leverage here and I wouldn’t be surprised to see FIFA step in and pony up even more money to make up the difference. It’s already a dicey proposition over whether the stadiums will be complete by December, when they’re due to be turned over to FIFA. Also factoring in that tickets are not selling well, and the conspiracy side in me is still wondering if this tournament won’t be moved this fall.

- Pat Walsh

Monday Potpourri (and Wynalda Speaks!!!)

Not just a soccer column for today. Lots of interesting things going on in the sports world, so I'll touch on a few. Don't worry, soccer fans, the end of the column will contain some (hopefully) good info...

1. Will They Ever "Get It?" - Steve McNair, Sean Taylor, Darrent Williams... all good guys (at least that's what most have said), and all are dead. Not by accident; murdered. The NFL needs to take a serious look at the players in their league, especially the rookies, and get them counseling and guidance on how to reduce their risk of being in a bad situation. Have symposiums; again, they do that for rookies, but apparently they aren't taken seriously. The Washington Wizards have a program in place where the players are counseled and advised about the various situations (most of them bad) and how to handle them. Each NFL team should take hard look into doing this as well. Bring them in during training camp. I think Management can sacrifice a couple of hours of practice if it'll help keep their players out of the tabloids, and better yet, out of jail, the hospital, or the morgue. I'm thinking that most of the current players are thinking "that'll never happen to me." I'm pretty sure McNair, Taylor, and Williams thought the same thing...

2. Favre - Give it up. You're doing this to spite the Packers, and you're putting yourself before the other players on the Vikings, if in fact you do play. Don't you think the veterans on that team can see right through you? i wonder how long it'll take the younger players to figure it out. Maybe you should just go back to throwing the ball through that tire you've got on the tree on your farm in Mississippi. Of course, your animals will probably intercept it and go the other way for 6, but whatever...

3. Michael Jackson - Can we please stop idolizing this sick pedophile? I admit that I liked his early stuff, and own most of it. But the last 20 years have been full of sick, demented things that would make anybody else a pariah in society. If certain people had their way, they would make a friggin' National Holiday for this asshat.

4. Roger Federer - There's been a lot of discussion about whether or not he's the best Men's player of all time because he's won 15 Grand Slam Titles. Yesterday, after winning Wimbledon in an absolutely ridiculous final over Andy Roddick, he walked to the back to do an interview with John McEnroe. McEnroe said "I'm here with Roger Federer, the greatest of all time." He might be a psychopath, but if McEnroe said it, case closed...

5. The Beckham Experiment - Grant Wahl's new book about the past 2 seasons of David Beckham's adventures in MLS and the soccer world. If you read the snippet on cnnsi.com, you, like me, cannot wait for this to be released next week. Wahl is arguably the best soccer writer in the U.S., and I guarantee you this book is not going to be a hatchet job on Beckham. That wasn't Grant's angle when he started writing this thing 2 years ago. He told me her thought it would be a fascinating story, regardless of where it went. As a special treat, we're going to do a Q&A w/ Grant next week when the book is released. If you've got a question you want him to answer, send it to Pat and I and we'll send it along. We can't promise he'll answer every question we send, but we'll try to make sure he gets to the big ones!

6. Eric Wynalda - I emailed Eric last week about his take on the U.S. Men's showing in South Africa. Here is his response:

"Ever been to Vegas and gone on a good run? Won a couple hands, got a little lucky, having fun? You are winning.

Then suddenly the dealer goes on a run of her own and gets blackjack or 21 12 times in a row. ALL YOUR MONEY IS GONE!! You walk away from the table wondering, what the hell just happened? I was doing so well.

That's how virtually EVERYBODY feels after playing Brazil. (EVEN GERMANY, FRANCE, SPAIN AND ARGENTINA) Some times the house just wins brother. They are Brazil.

The only ones we earned respect from are those who know exactly how hard it is to beat Brazil. Its a very small group. Our guys have earned respect from the people who matter.

Personally, I am extremely proud of their performance and encouraged that our chances to do well next summer are substantially better than a few weeks ago..."

Well said!

Don't forget to send us your questions to Grant!