PRK and Brazil: Opposites Attract

Not since Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett has there been a worse grouping than Brazil vs. North Korea in the World Cup.

Brazil is the top team in the tournament and North Korea the worst.

Brazil is all about Samba and brings to mind the free love of Haight Ashbury of the 1960s.

On the other hand, the PRK is regimented, repressive and reminds me of the Iron Curtain.

Ahhh, those were the days of the Olympics: the USA vs. USSR. American college kids vs. unemotional and robotic Soviet block athletes.

The Soviet block nations didn't travel very well. Communism didn't allow many fans to travel to Montreal or even Munich. They did have enough resources, however, to build a dominant sports power.

In addition to the USSR, Romania, Bulgaria and especially East Germany had success. The Germans also invested a lot in performance-enhancing drugs.

After the wall came down it's just North Korea and Cuba carrying that communist flag. Dictators Kim Jong-Il and Fidel Castro are doing their best to keep the commie dream alive. (China qualifies as repressive dictatorship but they now dig capitalism.)

But what an outdated philosophy in today's World. The information revolution makes it nearly impossible to control the media and minds of the masses.

Cuba has suffered because there's no more Soviet blank check. North Korea still has China's back, if you count sending a few hundred "fans" to root for their Korean neighbors.

You can't make this stuff up. North Koreans can't afford or can get a visa to South Africa to watch their team play. The theater of the bizarre, but that kind of thing would've been normal in international sport in the 1960s or 1970s.

Here's hoping the tyrant dinosaurs and their regimes won't survive much longer.

The Korenas did a great job today. They were aggressive early and their keeper gave up a tough goal to the near post. Let's hope he doesn't end up in a forced labor camp in a few weeks.

A 2-1 loss to Brazil was no disgrace for North Korea.

The people of the PRK, however, deserve more than a decent soccer team and nuclear weapons. Food and freedom would be better.

World Cup 2, NBA Nil

You can count on some things every four years. A Presidential Election, the Olympics and newspaper writers ripping the World Cup.

But I love the World Cup. Especially with the USA playing.

There were no televised games or Internet when I began following international soccer in the 80s. My sources were the L.A. Times and Sports Illustrated. (BTW, they both have GREAT soccer writers today in Grahme Jones and Grant Wahl.)

There wasn't much good to report back then. The underfunded USSF sent undermanned teams to wilt against many, most noteworthy: Mejico.

As the decade came to a close, our nation was assembling an improved group. My hunch is this was partly due to the soccer boom from a decade earlier, and the better play of NCAA Division I soccer teams.

Pau Caliguiri's "shot heard around the World" beat Trinidad, 1-0, and new era of USA soccer began. The USA qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

While the USA did not advance, I recall going toe-to-toe with the host Italians. I'm sure we were "packing it in" but, please, this was Italy and the Americans. I can remember Eric Wynalda (he led San Diego State to the NCAA title game in 1987) getting a red card. Actually, I forgot but according to Trivial Pursuit, he did.

1990 was a start, however.

That era was better, but not by much, than the previous decade for soccer fans. Other than the World Cup and a qualifying match here or there, no games were available on television.

Well, at least ENGLISH speaking television.

I spent a number of late nights viewing Univision. My three semesters of Espanol came in handy. A few years later, Andres "Goalllllllllllllll" Cantor would become a celebrity.

The 1994 World Cup came to the United States. I was lucky enough to attend.

I wasn't in Michigan wheWynala blasted a goal vs. Switzerland in the Silverdome. I had tickets to the Yanks game vs. Colombia. However, my wife Kim and I owned a computer magazine back the--Coast Compute--and it was our deadline. While I couldn't make to the Rose Bowl, I was able to watch the exciting game on the tele.

Cobi Jones, Alexi Lalas, Tony Meola, Claudio Reyna, Joe-Max Moore and John Harkes were a few of the stars back then.

Romania and the USA met later at the Rose Bowl. I attended that game with a friend, Mitch Fenton. However, that was the Americans only group loss (1-0).

The 2002 Cup brought more fun. The Amebericans upset Potrugual and should've beaten Gremany (Google "handball by Frings for more details).

The next Cup was not a huge success, but the US Soccer men's program was still at high level. That talent level is getting better every year. Shoot, we had Brazil down 2-0 in the Confederation's Cup championship last year!

Landon Donovan and Tim Howard are likely the best players we've produced. We've also got game Clint Dempsey (above) and Jozy Altidore, who might be the most exciting player this nation has produced.

Team chemistry appears to be great on this club, which could go a long way.

Because of the headline of this story, you may wonder where is the talk of the NBA. Well, many others will write about that. I'd rather watch the US in the World Cup than the NBA finals. And that's coming from a Laker fan.

I'm looking forward to the Americans next games in the World Cup. If it means setting the alarm early or watching in Spanish, I'll do it!

A Good Walk Spoiled or a Spoiled Golfer?

I went golfing on Friday. I hooked up with Greensboro College women's basketball coach Randy Tuggle and we headed to Jamestown Park Golf Course.

Now, I like Jamestown. It's five minutes from my house. It's affordable and not too difficult. It's also walkable.

And usually it's a breeze to play. But not on Friday.

We showed up a about 1 p.m. and took another duo's tee time. (Well, we didn't take it, they did not show.) We paid our 18 hole fee to ride and were off.

The first few holes were smooth. However, at the par 3 fourth hole we got backed up. No problem.

The next five holes we were caught up to two groups ahead of us. We found out why we were on their backs.

One guy sat in the cart while the other teed off. After that, the second guy sauntered to his bag, grabbed a club and got ready to tee off. There was no urgency and certainly none of the "Ready Golf" I try to play when there's a hint of crowds.

The other g group? We then got a glimpse of a guy throwing up blades of grass for his second shot. Trust me: there was no wind. It was 95 degrees and windless all day.

Another clue came on a later hole. A group of duffers were playing from the back tees. One tee shot hit a house adjacent to the same hole's white tees.

After 9 holes we asked for a rain check. The good folks at JPGC gladly obliged.

I started thinking and realized how lucky I am. It's rarely like this in Greensboro, N.C. We usually can walk up, get a tee-time and play hassle free.

This was not the case in my home state of California.

There, I always called for a tee-time--if you could get one. A party of two would be slotted with another duo. I would have to wait on tee boxes like I did on Friday more often than not.

C'mon golfers, read the Ready Golf rules posted in the cart.

Then, I got to wondering am I being a curmudgeon, am I spoiled or should those dudes be banned from the links for life?

Feedback requested.

Super-conference is Dead?

The Super-conference is dead, long live the Super-Conference!

1. Great move to add Boise State as a preemptive strike. With the Utes all but gone, the MWC will be in a similar spot in one area (football) and behind elsewhere (the rest of the teams).

2. Good luck to the reformed U Texas conference. Looks like the rest of the schools will never make as much as UT. The Longhorns are to their conference what the Yankees are to MLB.

3. The super-conference is now gone? Maybe, and--when you think about sharing money 16 ways--it makes sense.

4. Does the WAC stand pat when Utah exits? They could one to get to 10. Or, add three to get to 12 for a playoff. Fresno State, Houston (if TCU allows ;-) ) and... that's the problem... not enough talent out there. (Nevada? Hawaii? Utah State?).

5. The WAC now needs to add at least one. And there are no DI FBS football programs to pluck. Unless CUSA West folks are unhappy.

Conference Expansion Recap

With the weekend here, it's a good time to recap what's happened in conference realignment. Nothing should happen this weekend, but if it did nobody would be surprised.

Nebraska going to the Big 10 (which now has 12) from the Big 12 (which now has 10).

The whole idea of Cornhuskers heading north seems an odd fit in many ways. Television markets are driving most expansion, but not here. The Big 10 already has a network and Lincoln, Neb. is not high on the TV market list.

The Huskers have a big following, but their tradition adds good content for the network. I'd be concerned with losing the Texas recruiting market if I was a fan of the "N."

Big 10 championship game will be at: Lucas Oil Stadium? Soldier Field? Lambeau Field?

Boise State to the Mountain West from the WAC?

While this move is not of the Colorado or Nebraska magnitude, it's significant for a number of reasons.

1. It puts the MWC in a good position to regroup if Utah, BYU and/or TCU bolt.

2. It gives the conference 2 eilte teams (TCU, BSU) and 2 more second tier clubs (Utah, BYU). That is good collateral in the BCS sweepstakes if the B12 goes belly up.

3. BSU has been the darling of college football for the past few years. That cachet is a bonus for the MWC.

4. Boise is a fast-growing area and 10 years down the road will be an even bigger player in college athletics.

Colorado from the Big12 to Pac 11.

The Pac grabs a nice TV market in Denver. They will add one more team to make 12 or, more likely, five more to make 16.

Texas legislators meet on Tuesday to discuss the football futures of UT Austin, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

(Note: Baylor is a private school and not officially in the mix. The way things work in the Lone Star state, however, back room deals may be occurring but don't expect BU in the P16. Waco to the WAC?)

If Texas is the only one to head west, the Pac 12 has a football championship game. In this scenario, which teams other than the Arizona schools go with Texas and Colorado? Wash and WSU?

Also, if Texas opts out, look for Utah to take spot #12.

We've already discussed the Pac 16 with the other B12 transfers.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. The Longhorns still hold many cards.

The Power of VPN and Remote Desktop

I implemented a beneficial tool recently that all sports information professionals should be aware of: VPN and Remote Desktop.

For those of you that know me, I’m not a big fan of doing tasks twice (see the Smart Reporting Initiative: http://bit.ly/d4UXAy)

I found VPN/RD because I was looking for the best solution for updating cumulative stat files.

There are many convoluted ways to update your stats remotely. They involve jump drives, ftp, etc. Given the nature of our jobs—that we cover many teams—it’s no wonder that many wait until the following morning--or Monday morning on a weekend-- to update cume stats.

VPN, or virtual private network, and remote desktop was easily setup on two of my laptops by Greensboro College IT personnel. Once installed, the technology is similar to “Go to My PC” or similar services that allow a remote computer to take over another.

My IT support people placed VPN and RD shortcut icons on my laptops. I simply click the VPN and RD icons from an Internet active computer. I enter a password and I’m browsing on my office PC from 10 miles away. I download and import the files as usual and my stats are updated.

There’s one drawback to using VPN/RD. It’s slower than normal. The technology is ideal for updating stats, grabbing photos from your hard drive but is not recommended for Adobe InDesign, or Photoshop, for example. (If you want to enter Bizarro world, watch a video on your desktop computer from your laptop at home.)

Additionally, working on a remote computer can be confusing at times. For example, the remote computer cannot read a USB drive that is connected to your laptop at home. It’s a light bulb moment when you figure this out.

In addition to statistics updates, there are many other times I’ve benefitted from VPN/RD and saved a late-night trip back to the office. Here are just a few tasks I’ve accomplished:

-Accessed and forwarded high resolution photos from my hard drive for the media.

-Accessed and updated a report on a sick day (that’s what SIDs do!).

-Caught a typo and was able to remotely update a postseason guide.

-Used Photoshop and InDesign (I know, I said it wasn’t a good option) from my laptop that does not have Creative Suite installed.

-Multi-tasked by having my desktop perform one function and a laptop do another simultaneously.

Many products claim to be the latest and greatest, but not many deliver. While VPN/RD may not be the reinvention of the wheel. However, for the SID, it’s about as noteworthy as the coming of sliced bread!

Bob Lowe, Greensboro College's assistant AD for communications, is the CoSIDA New Media-technology committee chair

Worst Case Scenario for SDSU After the Carnage

OK, things are getting a little crazy. There's a lot of speculation and misinformation sand the unknown.

The best case scenario would be: PAC 10/16.

However, just so we have a baseline, what would be the worst case scenario?

Please respond. Put your tongue in cheek if you like.

My worst case: we get left out of Big12/MWC reshuffle and get bounced to a watered down WAC (no Boise St.). SDSU then becomes the big fish in the Wacky pond.

However, it's a rocky road back to the WAC. Some members are disgusted that we worship the waves at SDSU.

With no BCS ties, the WAC will play the MAC in the revived California Bowl in Fullerton.

We renew rivalry with Fresno State. Even though they beat us sometime, we remind them that live in Fresno.

The point is SDSU would still be in the academics and athletic business.

Go Aztecs!