2 Down, 10 to Go

Some quick thoughts 2 games into a surprisingly (so far) enjoyable Notre Dame football season.

Everett Golson
I can't say if ND would have dropped either of these first two games with Rees at the helm, but I can say they wouldn't have been as comfortable. There have been at least a half dozen plays each of the first two games that would've been crushing setbacks with Rees under center. Golson's ability to elude the rush and keep plays alive and then just toss a frozen rope is purely something that Rees was not capable of. I'm pleasantly surprised at how good he's been this early

DeVaris who?
I was really concerned about the receiving options when Daniels was suspended, but Fuller, Prosise (55yd drop not included), Carlisle, and Brown have been awesome. These new receivers have speed and hands and have been really fun to watch.

KeiVarae who?
I was equally concerned with losing potential All American corner back Russell, but Riggs and Luke have filled in so well this defense hasn't missed a beat. Granted, there hasn't exactly been a murderer's row of receiving opposition, but the secondary has acquitted itself nicely through two games.

BVG
Diaco was your prom date's dad. BVG is the guy you'd asked to buy beer for you after prom. There's no way ND is getting the contributions from the underclassmen with Diaco still in charge. There's also no way that BVG doesn't drive a Camaro, likely an IROC-Z.

This Is Pretty Awesome

Sometimes MLS is a-okay.

http://fansided.com/2014/07/19/make-wish-helps-xander-bailey-suits-sounders/#!bjaeZy

Video in case you can't read...

I Believe

I
am proud of our team and its accomplishments in the 2014 World Cup. We survived the "Group of Death"™ and advanced for the 2nd straight time to the knockout stage. We played inspired football, and had a lot of memorable moments.  In perhaps the best example yet that American soccer has arrived, NOBODY wants America in their group and teams hate playing us. They know we are physical and will outrun them for the entire match.

I Believe
that Jurgen Klinsmann is one of the best coaches in the world, and the PERFECT coach for our team. Seemingly every button he pushed came up aces from roster selection to training to starters and subs. I even love his pressers and mind games. He's such a pro. We are in very good hands going forward in 2018 and hopefully 2022.

I Believe That
I will miss ESPN (did I just type that) and their coverage of future World Cups. They finally figured it out - except that whole Alexi Lalas mistake. Fox has the next two World Cups, and I hear Gus Johnson is the lead play-by-play guy. Look, I love his enthusiasm calling football or hoops, but the dude knows NOTHING about soccer. Please Fox, just port in the ESPN personalities and roll.

I Believe That We
will see a Copa America Centenario that is better than Euro 2016. All of South America will be in it, along with USA, Mexico and 4 other CONCACAF nations. This will give our MNT a real test leading into the next World Cup, something we have not had before. And it's all in the USA. I like our chances to advance deep. This may be a game changer for us. I think we MUST plan a family gathering around a venue and watch a couple games.

I Believe That We Will
be awarded the 2022 World Cup within the year. Whether it's impossible heat (averaging 115 right now during the World Cup),  outcry over 1000's of deaths from migrant laborers building stadiums, or the huge scandal rocking Qatar and FIFA regarding bribes, I think their bid is untenable. America is one of the few countries ready and willing to host the World Cup on almost a moments notice. It was our year anyway!

I Believe That We Will Win
a lot of games with many of the younger players on our current roster. Yedlin is going to be a stud. Green could finally be that creative genius we have lacked for creating goals. We have great young defenders, and our defense should be almost intact (without Beasley) in four years. Who knows who develops in the next four years, but MLS is slowly improving. I think we could have a roster that competes with almost anyone from a skill standpoint. I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Already the Best World Cup Ever?

We're 2 days in, and already I have noticed a HUGE difference in this years World Cup. Where do I start? Okay, Brazil. The time zones are perfect for us lazy US fans. All the games start in the afternoon and early evening. Imminently watchable. The visuals from around the stadiums are awesome. The fans are insane, and TONS of supporters from many of the teams have made the trip to liven it up. The crazy weather is fun to watch on TV. I also love all the unrest in the country, but we'll get back to my reasons for that later.

The coverage is next. ESPN has ditched their traditional broadcast team of a bunch of washed up American has beens. Now, they seemingly have a former superstar from every national team rotating in to the pre and post match coverage team. The game crews are top notch. Of course the glorious HD broadcasts are great. However, now I can watch every game on any computer, TV, smartphone, and I can even listen to them all on Sirius radio if I'm in the car!

Of course we then get to the play. The first 2 days of matches have been maybe the best I've ever watched. Wide open games, lots of shots, lots of scoring. Amazing goals. I still can't even believe that first goal by Robin van Persie. I've never seen anything like that. Heck, even a 1-0 win had 3 disallowed goals, so the score was a bit misleading. I also love the minor tech improvements to really improve the game. Goal line tech is long overdue. How about the spray foam to mark 10 yards on free kicks? Brilliant! I can't wait to see what's next. The only thing I pray for is a miracle run by USA to advance through the group stage.

A lastly, back to that unrest in Brazil. I think FIFA and the world are watching closely. Cost overruns, unfinished stadiums, grass that looks like a cow pasture (how do you not grow grass in the Amazon?), massive protests and transportation breakdowns. This all in the foreground, while in the background MASSIVE allegations are facing Qatar's bid for 2022. I think FIFA will eventually have to reopen bidding for 2022. No other country can be ready in time other than the USA. It isn't Europe's turn, so everything bad in Brazil leads toward USA 2022!!!

Oh one last thing, did I mention... NO VUVUZELAS!!!!

This is Why We Don't Get Nice Things

Soccer scribes in the US are still up in arms over Landon Donovan getting cut from the World Cup. Here's why you need to take all that hyperbole with a grain of salt:

That could mean left back stays with Beasley, whose experience will be important to have somewhere on the field in pressure situations, especially without Landon Donovan in the squad. With wing players Alejandro Bedoya, Brad Davis, Julian Green and Graham Zusi all on the roster, Beasley would have a tough time cracking the midfield anyway.

Are you kidding me!? The USA needs Beasley's experience on the field like it needs a hole in the head. Wait, I take that back. If the USA needs the experience of a sub-par winger getting burned all day long at left back and forcing others to cover for him, Beasley is definitely the guy. So he's not good enough to crack the midfield against the likes of Bedoya, Brad Davis, and Zusi, but, sure, line him up against Ronaldo and Goetze. That should end well. The only worse possible choice at left back would be Jonathan Bornstein, and, thankfully, Klinsmann ended that nightmare immediately after taking the job.

I mean, really, experience is overrated to a large degree. The reason for Donovan and Beasley's breakout performances in South Korea was that they had little experience and, as a consequence, very low expectations. Those expectations would later derail Donovan's career and they drove Beasley into obscurity. There are a few must-have's in the US lineup:

• You need Clint and his attitude.
• You need Bradley and his vision, motor, and distribution.

There. That's it. Howard is maybe the next most valuable, but I watched enough EPL to be comfortable with Guzan. Anyone trying to sell you on experience - and using Beasley of all people as the example! - doesn't know what they're talking about.

So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish

I'll miss Landon, but you've got to move on and I understand the decision. His head just wasn't in the game anymore, and, apparently, his body wasn't either. Still probably the greatest sports-watching moment of my life...

I Believe!

Goosebumps... Is it June yet?

Advice Needed

So the Commonwealth of Virginia happens to have what could be is undoubtedly the most awesome special interest license plate in the union, seen here

It is so awesome that I am seriously considering getting a new license plate just for this motif. The problem is the damn tea partiers have stolen the coiled snake as a sort of logo, never mind the fact that US Soccer claimed dibs years prior. So I need input on whether I should pull the trigger on this bad boy. Here's my thought process...

Pros

• It is yellow
• It has one of the most iconic and earliest anti-authority symbols in our nation's great history
• It has a snake
• Poor punctuation
• 'Merica
• Associations with US Soccer
• It has a snake
• It is the most awesome license plate ever
• It has a snake!!!11!!1
• YELLOW! SNAKES!

Cons

• Tea Party has tried to claim this as their own
• May erroneously be identified as Tea Partier

Pop quiz, hotshot. What do you do!? One option is to roll a vanity plate along with the DTOM to clearly separate myself from crazies, e.g.

 OR

 OR

So help me out, everyone. Is the risk worth the reward? Is there a better vanity phrase that would help create distance? Is the DTOM usage by Tea Party localized to the DC area and I'm overthinking this? Use the comments. If folks are on board, I'll go with the best suggestion and put the results up here, and on my car.

TV Rennaisance

So we love to write movie posts on this blog (and believe me I have one in mind for the new Godzilla movie this summer), but we haven't jumped on the TV bandwagon yet. That changes today.

I'm not sure I understand why, but there has literally been an explosion of great shows on TV in the past 5 years, and almost all of that is on cable. The premises have become more interesting, cable allows more freedom to use language (and a little skin), and elite Hollywood movie stars are flocking to these shows. Shows that need a little room to grow are allowed to do so on cable, and often become great, rather than get cancelled on a network after 2 or 3 episodes.

The perfect example is Breaking Bad. Look, I'll admit I didn't watch this show. However, as the series came to its finale last year, the constant buzz piqued my interest. So I downloaded the series and worked my way through. Amazing! If this had been pitched to NBC, it would have never even gone to pilot. Another example right now is the HBO series True Detective. When's the last time the star of a currently airing TV show was also the frontrunner for best actor at the Oscars at the same time? Matthew McConaughey is in this.

More recently, top-flight shows are being produced by streaming services like Netflix and Amazon and released for streaming only, often an entire season at once. How in the world did Netflix make a TV series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, and how is House of Cards not on regular TV???

So I'll admit, I have not been a big TV watcher. Career, family and kids kind of get in the way of sitting in front of the TV for a scheduled show. However, streaming video and DVRs have made it a lot easier to watch shows. You can record and watch when you have time. Furthermore, how many shows have you skipped because you missed a few episodes or heard about them in season 3 or so? Now, you can download past episodes and seasons - often for free. So I was able to catch up with Breaking Bad and didn't miss out on the phenomenon. I did the same with The Walking Dead.

So am I alone here? Do you all find yourselves watching more of these top notch TV/streaming shows? Here are a few that I watch and can strongly recommend. I am or have watched all of these. It might seem like a lot, but the beauty is you don't have to spend every minute watching them. You can focus on one series on your own time, while the others record or are saved. Then you move on. I know there are so many more, so I'd love to hear any new recommendations.

Network

• The Blacklist: James Spader; best show on network TV
• The Following: Kevin Bacon; very dark
• Almost Human: Karl Urban; comedy/sci-fi/cop blend that works because of Urban

Cable

• The Walking Dead: The top rated show on all TV, including networks
• Breaking Bad: Over now, but you HAVE to watch it. Even Ali totally addicted.
• Game of Thrones: The biggest spectacle on TV
• True Detective: Woody Harrelson amd McConaughey; cops after serial killer

 Streaming

• House of Cards: great political drama; Spacey was born for this role

Deodorant, Part III

I made a deodorant switch recently, so logically my first thought was to post about it on the old family blog. I vaguely remember the blog discussing deodorant usage, so I did quick search and viola, this will be the third Heffernan blog post discussing deodorant.  What does this say about our family, why do we find this so important, is that a raccoon on my lawn?  All important questions to tackle another day.

So, I like to think that I don't sweat much.  This led me to the conclusion that I could make the switch from an antiperspirant and deodorant to a deodorant only.  Ted had advocated this switch in the past, so I decided to try it out for myself.  With all due respect to Ted, this did not work well for me.  I know his theory is that the alcohol in the deodorant slowly kills sweat glands over time with usage, but that is a transition I simply do not have the time to take.

After using deodorant for a few weeks I found myself rather ripe after performing very little. In fact, I had to buy a new antiperspirant and deodorant and ditch my recent deodorant purchase. I feel it is my duty to inform the world that the deodorant only path did not work out for Colin.  But I am not disheartened.  I learned an important lesson: I sweat more than I thought, and thus get super smelly if I don't use an antiperspirant and deodorant product.  Maybe one day I will try deodorant again, but alas, that day is not today.  That is all.