Best In Show?

Wanna guess how much I can bench press?

Mark hit his monthly quota of blogging earlier this week, but I have to correct him about the U.S. roster. The Mexican league plays this weekend, so that’s why Castillo and Torres aren’t in Slovakia. They could suit up for Denmark next week. If not, then the questions should come.

Oh, one other thing: France isn’t going to the World Cup.

Onto some random thoughts for this rainy Thursday:

- Watched the first half of the Maryland-Virginia ACC quarterfinal yesterday. Conditions certainly played a part, but that’s no excuse for the Terps not scoring while up a man and with the wind at their back for much of the second half.

However, the story of the game, at least watching online, was the commentating. It was like watching “Best In Show”…but in real time. Here are some highlights I got through the half I watched. I didn’t make up any of these, believe it or not.

• "So will these balls get heavier as the day goes on or are they waterproof?"

• "It's always good to go on a run at the end of the season. You see that in hockey, you see that in basketball."

• "They need to make the numbers on the front of the jerseys bigger!"

• After being told that Virginia was playing with four backs he asked: "Now why is that?"

• "Did you find in your days of coaching that many players volunteered to be in the wall?" After the free kick hit the wall he followed it up with: "Thank you sir, may i have another?"

• "Here on Veterans Day, anyone who is a veteran can come in free. And anyone who isn't a veteran can come in free. So I guess it's a free for all."

• "Shot by Hunter Jumper there. That's one of your favorite names isn't it?" Color commentator’s reply: "I thought it was an equestrian event."

• "Explain to me why the players on the bench wear the little pull over things. Is that so a coach doesn't try to cheat and put another player on?"

However, bringing French defender Lilian Thuram -- who was at Duke for an anti-racism program -- was the highlight of the day. After botching his name and suffering through an interview that was translated both ways, he lobbed out this gem just after Thuram left:

"I was gonna ask if they can blame Lance Armstrong if they don't make the World Cup, but I don't think they can."

No matter what Bushman and I ever said on the air, it was never nearly that bad. And he was doing the play by play for the tournament of the best soccer conference in the NCAA. Unbelievable. My only regret was they didn’t make any Family Guy references when the field was called a “quagmire.”

- Apparently New York are desperate. According to Steve Goff, they are considering Curt Onalfo for their Sporting Director. This is a guy that took Chance Meyers -- who has 846 minutes played and only one assist in two years -- number one in 2008 ahead of the likes of Sean Franklin, Andy Iro, Patrick Nyarko, and Tony Beltran. Wait, with that track record shouldn’t D.C. United be looking at him to replace Dave Kasper?

- Glad to hear that Charlie Davies is out of the hospital. Get well soon #9!

- Looking ahead to this weekend, I think Mark was pretty spot on in his analysis of the Galaxy-Dynamo Western Conference Final. I like the Gals 2-0 with an early strike that will pull Houston out of their shell a bit (if Seattle had done that they easily would have been through). And having said that, with the two of us favoring L.A. bet the farm on Houston.

I also like Chicago, but I think this one’s a bit closer, say 2-1. Kyle Beckerman should frustrate Cuauhtémoc Blanco -- who didn’t play in either game between these two this season -- more than New England did. But in the end, MLS will get what they want outside of a Seattle appearance with Chicago and Los Angeles bringing the stars to Sunday night prime time. Maybe a parlay of Houston and Real Salt Lake?

- Lastly, the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame nominee list came out this week. Those of you who heard me on my old radio show, Munk and the Mick, know that my co-host Kevin and I have long lobbied for a revamping of the system. First, only three people per year could get in, but that was changed to anyone who appears on 66.7% of the ballots and we take some credit for that.

However, a bigger problem still looms. It comes down to a distinction of what the Hall of Fame encompasses. Is it a National Team Hall of Fame? Is it a Professional Hall of Fame (encompassing the NASL, MISL, MLS, USL, WUSA, WPS, and I’m sure others) of American leagues? Is it a combo of both? The answer, unfortunately, is the last one, which makes choosing between borderline candidates from either the National Teams or the Professional leagues a tougher decision.

For example take John O’Brien and Peter Nowak. Both had brief, but important careers for the U.S. National Team and in MLS, respectively. O’Brien’s career was cut short due to injury while Nowak only played four years. The former Polish international presents the better case, but wouldn’t it be easier to decide if you were voting Nowak into the MLS Hall of Fame and JO’B into the National Team Hall of Fame? O’Brien still might not make it, but you (hopefully) get my point.

Also, voters shouldn’t list their top-10, but only those they feel deserve to be in the HoF. And remember, this is the Hall of FAME, not the Hall of “Really Good” as Bill Simmons often mentions. If you have any questions, I feel your vote should be no. If you can’t think of any highlights, I feel your vote should be no.

For the record, my ballot (if I had one) would be for: Tom Dooley, Mauricio Cienfuegos, Marco Etcheverry, Robin Fraser, Preki, Earnie Stewart, and Carlos Valderrama. Cases would be easier for a split HoF for guys like Joe-Max Moore or the aforementioned Nowak.

- Pat Walsh